St. Peter’s Episcopal Church will host a lecture by Anthony Bartlett on atonement theology at 7:30 p.m., on Tuesday, March 21, in its Parish Hall at 10 Mill St., Cazenovia. The public is invited. Admission is free.
Anthony Bartlett was ordained in the Roman Catholic priesthood in the United Kingdom in 1973. He resigned his Roman Catholic orders in 1984, and spent the next decade directing a homeless shelter in London.
In 1994, he relocated to the United States, and studied religion at Syracuse University, where he was awarded a Ph.D. He then taught at the Bexley Hall Episcopal Seminary in Rochester and then at the General Theological Seminary in New York City.
He and his wife have founded a local prayer and study community, Wood Hath Hope, which recently established a center for teaching and prayer on the south side of Syracuse called the “Bethany House.”
Bartlett is the author of a number of books and articles, including “Virtually Christian,” “How Christ Changes Human Meaning and Makes Creation New” and the recent science fiction novel, “Pascale’s Wager, Homelands of Heaven.” He is currently working on publishing a Wood Hath Hope education program, “Seven Stories, How to Teach and Study the Nonviolent Bible.”
In his writings, Bartlett has undertaken a deconstruction of a false tradition in which Christian understanding of atonement has been used as a justification of violence. Bartlett argues that the compassion and love of Christ show humanity a path away from violence.
The Very Reverend Jeanne M. Hansknecht, Rector of St. Peter’s, said she is excited that St. Peter’s has the opportunity to host this lecture. “In this turbulent time, when the whole world seems beset by violence, even in the United States, I think we all need to hear Tony’s message of the enduring love Jesus has shown to us, how the Gospel teaches non-violence, and how His love can lead us forward in these difficult times,” she said.
