Ched Myers

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - An internationally renowned peace and justice activist from Oak View will talk about contemporary anarchism and the church on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at California Lutheran University.

Activist theologian Ched Myers will present a vision of Christian discipleship and community that opens alternative paths to justice and equality during a presentation titled “Radical Christianity: Contemporary Anarchism and the Church” at 7 p.m. in Samuelson Chapel.

Historically in the U.S., people of faith have been on the forefront of struggles for social change, according to Myers, a fifth-generation Californian. In this generation, this has included movements for civil rights, labor solidarity, immigrant and refugee rights, and disarmament. Today, Myers says, we need to animate a new generation of ecumenical leadership committed both to the Gospel and to social change.

Over the past three decades, Myers has been an activist, writer, community builder and popular educator in response to what he describes as “the discipleship call.” He has worked with many peace and justice organizations and movements, including the American Friends Service Committee and the Pacific Concerns Resource Center.

He is author of four books, co-author of five and co-editor of two. He also has published two dozen chapters in collections and more than 100 articles in both scholarly journals and popular magazines.

Myers travels throughout North America and abroad giving seminars and retreats, teaching, preaching and facilitating gatherings. He is particularly committed to faith-based peace and justice efforts such as Christian Peacemaker Teams, Borderlinks, and the Catholic Worker movement, Witness for Peace. In 2007, he helped establish the Bartimaeus Institute in Oak View to provide opportunities for interactive study of scripture and social justice.

Myers holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley and a master’s in New Testament studies from the Graduate Theological Union. He has served as adjunct faculty at Memphis Theological Seminary, Fuller Theological Seminary and Claremont School of Theology, where he was the 1998-99 Fellow in Urban Theology.

The chapel is located south of Olsen Road near Campus Drive on the Thousand Oaks campus.

CLU’s Center for Equality and Justice (CEJ), Campus Ministry and religion department are sponsoring the free presentation. For more information, contact the CEJ at cej@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3694.