The Collaborators Conference
for the Flourishing of Nonviolent Christianity
is an annual event fostering learning, empowerment,
and community.
This conference is presented by The Raven Foundation and Theology & Peace.
Who is Collaborators Conference for?
- Seekers
- Believers and doubters
- Pastors
- Christian educators
- Students of religion or theology
What can I expect from the Conference?
The Collaborators Conference combines keynote presentations, panels, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities to empower you with actionable tools and resources to help make positive changes in your community and strengthen your faith.
The Conference is 100% online! And your ticket includes exclusive access to the Keynote presentations and supplemental materials after the conference.
This year’s highlights include:
An on-demand screening of Kevin Miller’s documentary J.E.S.U.S.A. exploring the relationship between Christianity and American nationalism and the violence that often emerges from it.
An exclusive musical performance by acclaimed Christian musician and 2019 Raven Award winner Audrey Assad.
Who is presenting at the Conference this year?
Keynote speakers and panelists include members of the mimetic theory community and nonviolent Christianity movement who are actively enacting change in their spheres of influence. Confirmed keynote speakers for the 2020 conference include…
Kevin Miller
“Deconstructing Deconstruction”
Award-winning filmmaker, author, and educator, and the director behind the documentaries Hellbound! and J.E.S.U.S.A.
David Dark
“Beloved Community, Guilty Pleasures, and Robot Soft Exorcism”
Christian author, who teaches at the Tennessee Prison for Women, Charles Bass Correctional Facility, and Belmont University where he is assistant professor in the College of Theology.
Julia Robinson Moore
“The Church Has Left the Building”
Historian and religious scholar, is associate professor of Religious Studies and Faculty Affiliate in the Department of History and Africana Studies at University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Workshop leaders combine their expertise and experience for an interactive educational experience! Workshops will be hosted live on Zoom with breakout sessions. Confirmed workshop leaders include…
Father James Alison
“Towards a Girardian Reading of the Book of Revelation”
Rebecca Adams
“What is ‘Positive’ and Creative Mimesis? Understanding Different Models of Mimetic Desire for Positive Outcomes”
Pastor Adam Ericksen
“Crashing Into the Future: The Church and Technology Beyond COVID-19”
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m not a scholar or a pastor? Can I still attend?
Yes! The Collaborators Conference is for anyone who wants to make a difference in their community through mimetic theory and nonviolent Christianity! This includes (and is not limited to) seekers, believers, doubters, pastors and ministry workers, Christian educators, and students of religion and theology.
Is the Conference available online?
The Conference is 100% online! And your ticket includes exclusive access to recordings of Keynote presentations and supplemental materials after the conference.
The Conference is a multi-media experience that includes a combination of streamed video presentations, panels, workshops, & Q&As hosted via Zoom, an on-demand screening of Kevin Miller’s J.E.S.U.S.A., as well as access to The Collaborators Facebook and LinkedIn Groups for networking and connecting.
How is the conference addressing COVID-19?
Originally this event was going to be a live event hosted in Nashville, TN in the Spring. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hosts of the Collaborators Conference have taken the necessary measures and precautions to create a safe and healthy environment for the event and meeting the needs of attendees by taking the event online.
Although we were looking forward to a live, in-person event, pivoting to an online summit allows for more accessibility!
What is mimetic theory? And why is it so important for nonviolent Christianity?
Mimetic theory is the biggest idea to hit the social sciences in the last sixty years! Mimetic theory is a way of thinking that turns conventional wisdom about some pretty essential facts of life on its head:
- Our desires are not original or unique to us but are acquired through imitation.
- We come into conflict because we are alike, not because we are different.
- God has nothing to do with violence.
For more on mimetic theory and nonviolent Christianity, check out this resource from the Raven Foundation: “Why Mimetic Theory?”
Are there scholarships for the Conference?
We are experiencing unprecedented times, and we understand many are being effected adversely.
The Raven Foundation and Theology & Peace are offering a limited quantity of financial assistance for this year’s conference. If you are a student or experiencing financial hardship or difficulty, please reach out to us via our Contact Us page or email at info@collaboratorsconference.org.