Dr. Ellen Mott Marshall presented ‘Leadership through Conflict’ at the Nov. 8 Community Gathering. Photo by Madelyn Montgomery
Handling conflict is an everyday occurrence, and Thursday evening’s Community Gathering helped those in attendance rethink how they handle conflict in their relationships.
Dr. Ellen Mott Marshall discussed the importance of “Leadership through Conflict” Nov. 8 to Reinhardt students, faculty and staff in the Hill Freeman Library & Spruill Learning Center Community Room.
“It made me think about how I have dealt with conflict in the past and how I can better handle it in the future,” said freshman Sport Studies major Hunter Clay.
This event made the audience rethink the essence of conflict and determine that it is a healthy and constructive part of life. The room was asked to finish the sentence: “When solving conflict, I am like a…” This interactive question got the room to answer with comparisons to animals such as solving conflict like a horse, turtle, badger and many others.
These answers provided an avenue in which to describe different approaches to conflict while showing that each response has a time and place.
“This community gathering was a great experience. It was really interesting to see different approaches to conflict and how each can be used appropriately in different situations.” said freshman Music Education major Gigi Leno.
Dr. Marshall focuses on contemporary Christian ethics, with particular attention to violence, peace-building, conflict transformation, gender and moral agency, and the dynamic relationship between faith, history, and ethics. She has edited two volumes and written three books. Her most recent book is An Introduction to Christian Ethics: Conflict, Faith, and Human Life (Westminster John Knox Press, 2018).
