Jan 19 2023
Introducing Circular Faith + Circular Economy Coming to Anchor Spring 2023
Stephen and Rebecca McDow will launch Circular Faith + Circular Economy (CFCE) spring 2023 on Anchor. CFCE explores the challenges and opportunities of upholding an equitable society for rural and urban communities in America and around the world and how faith is important to accomplishing equity. Faith is commanded to be a reflection of an equitable society not a hindrance! Many people feel faith is weaponized to oppress and marginalize communities and societies for profit. Empirical evidence suggests humans have used faith to kill civilizations, cultures, and economies. CFCE will discuss how those power dynamics exist and impact our local, national and international faith communities and economies. CFCE believes building a circular ecosystem is the ONLY solution for eliminating the poor outcomes the “linear take-make-waste system” has on communities and economies. The values and tenets of faith are critical and has a place in a circular ecosystem! If the faith community is not willing to discuss the failures of faith and equity, then faith has failed its people. As our friends at Faith & Prejudice expressed while discussing race, “There is a difference between being a multiracial church and multicultural.” And the same goes for all of society. If our society is not willing to think of our ecosystem as circular in that it is interconnected but detachable, then we are almost certain that communities in Appalachia to the Rockies; from the Amazon to Baja; from Sudan to the Sahara; from Leeds to Warsaw; from the Outback to Fiji; from Deli to Turkey; and from the Caucuses to Central Asia will remain cynical, angry, unhealthy and covetous! CFCE will also explore what a circular faith and economic ecosystem looks like and how interconnected all parts of our society is to our existence on Earth! God hasn’t thrown us away or left us and we must shift our thinking from linear to circular! You will hear from advocates, faith leaders, parishioners, business leaders, laborers, and academics who care about how faith, business, and society can operate in a manner that is interconnected and not lose independence, freedom, or integrity while giving agency to be a co-equal part of a body - It’s all about power dynamics! What is a circular economy? Learn more: https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/research/centres-and-initiatives/skoll-centre-social-entrepreneurship/social-impact-education/circular-economy-lab If you want to discuss how your faith can be or already is circular and how those principles can be applied to our entire ecosystem, please email Stephen and Rebecca at smcdow@stephenmcdow.com.
