In this collection, leading scholars from a variety of disciplines offer insights into the provocative work of René Girard, and look at the question of whether religion is a cause of or a cure for social violence. The authors argue that the Bible presents a "God of Victims" who stands, along with the Hebrew prophets and Jesus, in nonviolent opposition to the systematic destruction of the innocent.
Theophus "Thee" Smith is a native Atlantan and an associate professor in the Religion Department of Emory University. Raised in the black church (Baptist), he now serves as an Episcopal priest at the Cathedral of St. Philip in the Diocese of Atlanta. His book, "Conjuring Culture: Biblical Formations of Black America," won the American Academy of Religion award for excellence in 1994. His scholarship spans the fields of religion and theological studies, African American spirituality, and violence studies including his co-editing of "Curing Violence: Essays on René Girard" (1994). From Atlanta he consults and facilitates forums and workshops on reconciliation and was a co-founder of Southern Truth and Reconciliation (www.southerntruth.org).
Thee Smith's consulting expertise, workshop facilitation, and speaking engagements are available through Thurman Reconciliation Initiatives (TRI) Inc., his research and education nonprofit that provides "faith-based resources for conflict transformation and social change." Since 1987 he has led forums and workshops on reconciliation issues at Emory University and throughout the nation, including the "Prejudice Reduction" and "Conflict Resolution" workshops developed by the widely acclaimed National Coalition Building Institute (www.NCBI.org; cf. Re-evaluation Counseling at www.rc.org). Thee is a former martial artist (Afro-Brazilian capoeira), a continuing canoeist, and in 2010 married Vida Osei Smith of Ghana, West Africa.
