The 18th Annual David and Marilyn Knutson Lecture
“Love Without Limits:
A Story of Censorship, Solidarity, and Hope for our Polarized Times”
Dr. Jacqueline Bussie
Wednesday October 4, 2023
7:00 pm (Pacific time)
Anderson University Center, PLU
Related events: (see below for details)
Oct. 1, 2023: 9:45am Sunday morning Zoom discussion of Love Without Limits
Oct. 4, 2023: Reception and Book Signing following lecture
Our world feels more divided than ever. Polarizing politics, racial violence, economic inequity, sickness and suffering continue to leave us grappling with the loss of civility, respect, unity, and hope. Many of us question whether it’s possible to cultivate a love big, revolutionary, and radical enough to overthrow hate and heal hurt. Award-winning author and public theologian Jacqueline A. Bussie not only believes it’s possible–she knows it’s the only path.
In Love Without Limits and her lecture, Bussie imparts practical solutions for people of faith who yearn to love across division, difference, and even death in today’s troubled times. Through poignant personal memoir, engaging theological reflection, inspiring true stories of transgressive friendships, creative readings of scripture, and surprising shout-outs to some of love’s most unsung teachers, Bussie challenges readers to answer the call to practice a love so deep, it subverts the social order; so radical, it scandalizes the powerful; so capacious, it excludes no one.
Our speaker for the 18th Annual David and Marilyn Knutson Lecture is Dr. Jacqueline Bussie, Executive Director of the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research. The title of the lecture is, “Love Without Limits: A Story of Censorship, Solidarity, and Hope for our Polarized Times.” Dr. Bussie will speak at 7:00pm. Book Signing and Reception to follow.
Oct. 1, 2023: 9:45am Sunday morning Zoom discussion of Love Without Limits
Community members, faculty, students, congregations and church leaders are welcome to join in a common reading of the book Love Without Limits and attend a Sunday morning, Oct. 1 at 9:45am discussion of the book with the author prior to the conference. Congregations are encouraged to join students in reading the Knutson lecture speaker’s book: Love Without Limits: Jesus’ Radical Vision for Love with No Exceptions (2022) by Jaqueline Bussie. The author may join us for the adult forum on the book. Please encourage your congregation to read ahead! There will be a book signing following the Knutson lecture and there is a special morning event with Dr. Bussie for congregations on Oct. 4 as well. This will be an online Zoom event to make it possible for congregations and community members to tune in and contribute from multiple locations: together and individually. We invite you to read and discuss Bussie’s book along with many PLU students in preparation for the conference events.
This lecture will follow the 13th Annual Lutheran Studies Conference.
Contact:
Dr. Marit Trelstad, University Chair of Lutheran Studies, marit.trelstad@plu.edu
Dr. Michael Zbaraschuk, Chair of the Religion Department, zbarasgm@plu.edu
Biography
Dr. Jacqueline Bussie is an award-winning author, professor, theologian, and student of life in all its messy beauty, as well as a much sought after speaker and workshop facilitator. Her first book, The Laughter of the Oppressed won the national Trinity Prize. Her 2nd book, Outlaw Christian: Finding Authentic Faith by Breaking the Rules won the 2017 Gold Medal Illumination Award for Christian Living and received a coveted starred review from Publishers Weekly. Her 3rd and latest book, Love Without Limits: Jesus’ Radical Vision for a Love with No Exceptions won the Reader’s Favorite Bronze Medal International Book Award for Christian Living, the 2020 IAN Outstanding Religion Book of the Year Award, and 3rd place IAN Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award. Also, Publisher’s Weekly named Love Without Limits “a must-read for all Christians interested in inclusivity for their communities.” Love Without Limits was released in 2nd edition paperback and also on Audiobook with Jacqueline narrating in August, 2022.
An active servant-leader in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Dr. Bussie spent the last twenty years teaching religion to undergraduates at ELCA colleges and serving as the founding Director of the Forum on Faith and Life at Concordia College. Every day she is amazed and grateful that gets to: 1) write and tell her story; 2) empower other people to write and tell theirs; and 3) accompany marvelous people like you on your journey of faith, hope, and healing.
Love Without Limits
Written by award-winning author Jacqueline Bussie, Love Without Limits is a memoir and practical how-to-guide for love across division and difference in these troubled times. Censored by its original mainstream Christian publisher for affirming Muslim and LGBTQ folks, this book saw the light of day only after a viral truth-telling social media post attracted a new independent publisher who helped the author buy its rights back. Through poignant personal memoir, stunning authenticity, creative readings of scripture, inspiring true stories of boundary-busting friendships, and surprising shout-outs to love’s unsung heroes, Bussie challenges readers to widen love’s wingspan so far that it excludes no one. Publishers Weekly praised this book as a “must-read for all Christians interested in inclusivity in their communities.”
There will be a book signing following the Knutson lecture.
An Adult forum book discussion offered for congregations on Sunday, Oct 1 at 9:45am prior to the conference. This will be an online Zoom event to make it possible for congregations and community members to tune in and contribute from multiple locations: together and individually. We invite you to read and discuss Bussie’s book along with many PLU students in preparation for the conference events.
Previous Knutson Lecturers
2014 – Monica Coleman
2013 – John Collins
2012 – Robert N. Bellah
2011 – Marcus J. Borg
2010 – Mark Brocker
2009 – John Dominic Crossan
2008 – Susan Ross
2007 – John Pahl
2006 – Martin E. Marty
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