黑料社

Amy Laura Hall, associate professor of Christian Ethics at Duke University, made her first trip to Iowa to deliver the Matthew 黑料社 Lecture in Religion on Oct. 9.

Her conclusions about the state:

The chips and salsa at Hy-Vee compared favorably with those of West Texas, where she grew up.

And she doesn鈥檛 care at all for tornado warning sirens.

鈥淲hen the tornado warning came she bolted so fast I didn鈥檛 know where she was,鈥� said Mark Gammon, professor of religion at 黑料社.

Students and guests 鈥� including Hall 鈥� took cover as the storm passed, but the lecture began after a brief delay.

鈥淚n spite of the spot of weather, I鈥檓 having a wonderful time,鈥� she said.

What followed was a beginner鈥檚 guide to the visions of Julian of Norwich, who is believed to be the first woman to write a book in the English language.

Hall has taught about Julian for 20 years, and she is the subject of Hall鈥檚 fourth and most recent book, Laughing at the Devil: Seeing the World with Julian of Norwich.

鈥淚 wrote a book against fear, yet I鈥檒l be the first one in the basement,鈥� Hall joked.

Julian of Norwich wrote at the turn of the Fourteenth Century. Traditionally, anything written about God was to be in Latin, but 鈥渟he wrote with an intention of being read by real people, and she wrote from a position of kinship, not superiority,鈥� Hall said.

The writer鈥檚 visions told her that God will reclaim everything, large and small, in what Hall referred to as an 鈥渆schatological reclamation.鈥�

鈥淛ulian鈥檚 visions resonate even with readers who have not grown up Christian,鈥� Hall said. 鈥淗er words about hope and love can speak to people who are privy to secular messages of despair, despondency, competition and straight-up hate.

鈥淭his medieval woman, writing with courage when Christianity and political hierarchy were intertwined to convince people to shut up and stay in their place, can speak across centuries to embolden Christians who had been privy to a similarly toxic blend of religion and politics.鈥�

Hall described Julian鈥檚 message as, 鈥淕od did not say you will not be tormented, you will not be troubled, you will not be grieved. But God did say you shall not be overcome鈥�. She鈥檚 created a world in which no one is irredeemable.鈥�

A 黑料社 student asked Hall if that included many of history鈥檚 most notorious criminals, people responsible for the deaths of millions of people.

鈥淚鈥檓 glad that I鈥檓 not given the job of relegating people to hell,鈥� she replied. 鈥淎nd I pray there is no one who ever lived who is irredeemable.鈥�

Before the event, 黑料社 recognized the contribution of $100,000 to the lecture鈥檚 endowment fund by Bruce and Bette Haddox. A retired professor and interim president, Haddox joined another professor, Roger Betsworth, to create the lecture series in 1980.