The 2009-2010 Scarboro Missions Lecture
Whether it has expanded our horizons or compressed space and time, it is clear that globalization has radically transformed our relationship to space. Media bring desperate needs from around the world into our living rooms, yet in a manner that leaves us powerless to respond. At the same time, our consumption choices have profound consequences around the world, but we never see what we are doing. Our relationships and communities are increasingly taking place as much in cyber space as in flesh and blood geographical communities. What consequences do these changes have for our sense of responsibility, solidarity, and discipleship? What resources does the Christian tradition have for responding to these new challenges?
Vincent Miller
Vincent Miller holds the Gudorf Chair in Catholic Theology and Culture at the University of Dayton, Ohio. Prior to that, he was Associate Professor in the Theology Department at Georgetown University. He received his doctorate in Systematic Theology from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Miller has has published numerous articles on culture and religious traditions, beliefs, and practices and a recent book called Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture that considers how religious communities are being transformed from within by consumer attitudes and practices, and how they can work to counter this. His current research explores the impact of globalization and the “culture of choice” upon the fragmentation of religious communities and the polarization of religious and political discourse.