Pulpit+ Exchange: Eric C. Smith

Join us for Iliff’s Pulpit+ Exchange Series, an inspiring series of in-person and virtual gatherings where clergy, lay leaders, activists, scholars, ministers, journalists, and community organizers come together to wrestle with the most pressing questions of our time. Together, we’ll explore powerful stories of hope, healing, and action—each rooted in a shared vision of justice and liberation.

Life in Authoritarian and Autocratic Times: Lessons from the Book of Acts

Government agents rounding people up on the streets. Prisons crowded with ethnic and racial minorities. Increasing political violence and violent rhetoric. Wealth concentrating in the hands of the few, and public officials on the take. Politicians insisting that up is down and falsehood is truth.

Around the world and in the United States, autocratic and authoritarian governments are on the rise. We live in a time of surging nationalisms, swelling xenophobia, and attacks against cultural and academic institutions. The Book of Acts was written two thousand years ago in very different circumstances, but it has something to say about the kind of world we are living in now. Acts describes the way governments deploy violence and prejudice to meet their aims. Acts follows its heroes into prisons, where people like Paul and Peter and Silas languish in captivity for other people's political purposes. We see mob actions, economic protectionism, and the twisting of history to suit the narratives of power.

Drawing from two new books about power, violence, and the Book of Acts Dr. Eric C. Smith will offer lessons from Acts for life in authoritarian and autocratic regimes. We will notice the patterns and habits of power found in Acts, and we will pay attention to how those same patterns show up in our own world. And--drawing from the experiences of Jesus' first followers in the wake of the crucifixion--we will identify strategies for resisting the demands of power and for organizing ourselves to share resources, find common purpose, understand each other across differences, and live against the grain of the power and violence of our times.

Dr. Eric C. Smith, Associate Professor of Early Christian Texts and Traditions at Iliff, teaches in the fields of biblical studies and early Christianity and serves as liaison to the Disciples Seminary Foundation. His research and teaching center on a constellation of interests in the world of late antiquity, including identity formation, material culture and materialist approaches to religion, and both ancient and modern interpretations of biblical texts. To learn more about Dr. Smith, visit his faculty page.

5:00 – 5:45 PM (MST): Light meal and connection

5:45 PM: Lecture begins, followed by Q&A and deep discussion

Location: In-person at Iliff or online via livestream. Unable to attend in person? Register to receive the livestream link.

Because change starts in community. This is a space to be challenged and inspired, while meeting others who share your passion for faith-rooted justice, equity, and collective liberation.

Come for one evening or all. Stay for the conversation. Leave with new energy, new insights, and a renewed sense of purpose.

Whether you’re a faith leader, community builder, or someone seeking meaningful connection, this is more than a lecture series—it’s an invitation to be part of a growing network of changemakers committed to building a more just and equitable world.