Theology professor Rene Sanchez will present “The Prophetic Church and the McDonaldization of Society” as part of the theology department’s Theology Thursdays lecture series on Thursday, October 8, at 7:30 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. The lecture is free and open to faculty, staff, students, and the public.
Sanchez will explore a social phenomenon called the “McDonaldized society,” and the question of what it means to be a prophetic church in this society. Using the work of sociologist George Ritzer, which analyzes this social phenomenon and its four dimensions of efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control, Sanchez will reflect on how McDonaldization creates a human condition of numbness and inauthenticity. Drawing from the concept of “dangerous memories” from Johann Baptist Metz and the concept of “prophetic pathos” from Walter Bruggemann, Sanchez will discuss how a prophetic Church can confront this phenomenon and offer an alternative way of being human.
For more information contact the theology department at 7274 or theo@up.edu.