30th-Anniversary Conference
Video Series
We'll be releasing additional videos throughout the fall from our
Creating a Holistic Culture of Life; Bridging the Life/Peace Divide Conference.
Follow us on Facebook or subscribe to Peace & Life Connections for video updates.
Latest Video: Connecting Life Issues Bridging the Life Peace Divide
A panel of five discusses the main themes of the conference itself: connecting life issues, and bridging the life/peace divide.
Joyce McCauley-Benner, a national speaker for Feminists for Life, tells why she's both a pro-life feminist and a consistent life ethicist and tells about being raped in college and choosing life.
Greg Schleppenbach, associate director, Office of Pro-Life Activities for the
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, talks about proclaiming the "Gospel of Life",
a concept of Pope John Paul II, across the spectrum of life issues.
Shane Claiborne, author, activist, and executive director of Red Letter Christians,
provides show-and-tell about effective public prophetic witnessing and tells of the power of surprisingly unexpected alliance between groups with many disagreements and subversive friendships.
Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America, discusses struggles and possibilities in political work to bridge partisan divides on life issues.
Mary Liston Liepold, regional coordinator of Pax Christi USA Metro DC –Baltimore Region, is excited about how one can take an absolute moral position for life and be seen as some one with whom to converse by those who disagree.
A panel discusses how Catholics can bridge the divide between their social justice groups
and Respect Life groups.
Fran Maier was editor-in-chief of the National Catholic Register for fifteen years and now serves as the special assistant to Archbishop Chaput of Philadelphia.
Archbishop Chaput was instrumental in creating the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ statement Living The Gospel Of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics.
Mary Rider, MSW, is a social worker, a Catholic Worker, and a founder of the
Seamless Garment Network. She is the past executive director of the Consistent Life Network and Pro-Lifers for Survival.
Evelyn Brush, OFS, is a parish director of Religious Education and Minister of the Secular Franciscans’ St. Clare Fraternity in Portland, Oregon. She earned a master’s degree in Justice Ministry to focus on “the moveable middle”: practicing Catholics who don’t connect faith and justice.
Thad Crouch simultaneously coordinated a Respect Life ministry and facilitated a JustFaith program in his parish. He also coordinated four events bringing together local local Pax Christi and Respect Life Ministries
History of Consistency, Psychology of Consistency
Jim Kelly, professor emeritus of sociology at Fordham University, may surprise you with little-known history of the pro-choice and pro-life movements and connections with nonviolence.
Rachel MacNair, director of the Institute for Integrated Social Analysis for the Consistent Life Network, explains how to use social psychology to change opinions toward protecting life from abortions, executions and war deaths.
Discussion, Questions, and Answers (note that some Q&A occurred during presentations)
The Challenge of the Throwaway Culture
Panelists discuss ethics, end of life issues, and terminal illness
Greg Schleppenbach, associate director of the Office of Pro-Life Activities for the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops discusses principles for a
culture of life in a challenging throwaway culture.
Steven Bozza, a bioethics professor at Catholic Distance University, uses the case of Charlie Gard to illustrate bioethical criteria in this video.
Maureen Swinger, an editor at Plough Publishing House, tells the story of practical bioethics lived out by family and community with Duane, her terminally ill brother.
A written version of the story is online to read here.
Discussion, Questions, and Answers
This panel features
Rob Arner on early Christian pacifism. Rob is an Assistant Professor of Church and Society at Reformed Episcopal Seminary in Blue Bell, PA, and author of Consistently Pro-Life: The Ethics of Bloodshed in Ancient Christianity.
Mary Liston Liepold on nonviolent peacemaking. Mary is a wife, mother, grandmother, writer, editor, Secular Franciscan, and Chair of the Pax Christi USA Metro DC –Baltimore Region. Mary holds a doctorate in American Literature from Catholic University of America.
John Whitehead on just war ethics. John is a freelance writer, deputy editor of Life Matters Journal, and President of the Consistent Life Network. John holds a M.A. from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.