Center on Religion & the Professions

Improving religious literacy among professionals.

Lecture: "Embracing the Other: Foundation of Interfaith & Intercultural Dialogue"

by

Lecture by Rihab Sawah, associate professor, Moberly Area Community College

This event is organized by the University of Missouri Dialogue Club (MUDC). MUDC is an MU-recognized student organization established with the goal of promoting dialogue, tolerance, and understanding among students of diverse faiths and cultures. For more information, see http://students.missouri.edu/~mudc/.

March 11, 2009 – 6:30 PM
S016 South Memorial Union
University of Missouri

Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served.

The presentation will highlight, through examples, the importance of interfaith and intercultural dialogue in bridging the gap that exists when we focus on differences. It will demonstrate how our actions could translate into an embracing of each other on the day-to-day level, regardless of those apparent differences.

Lecturer’s bio:
Sawah is associate professor of physics at Moberly Area Community College and she chairs its Global Education Committee. In the summer of 2007, she was the coordinator for a Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad to Syria, which was to provide the participants with an experiential exposure to religious pluralism in Syria. The program included meeting the world’s first Syriac Patriarch, the Grand Mufti of Syria, the leaders of the Syrian-Jewish community in Damascus, and visits to several ancient Muslim, Christian, and Jewish holy sites.

Sawah has been presenting on Religious Pluralism in Syria, as well as other topics, at national conferences such as the MidWest Institute for International and Intercultural Education, in addition to many college campuses and civic institutions around the country.

Lecture: Kenneth W. Stein on "American Foreign Policy and Arab-Israeli Negotiations: Peace-Seeking, Peace-Making, Peace-Keeping"

by

steinmugEmory University professor Dr. Kenneth W. Stein, former Middle East adviser to President Jimmy Carter, speaks on the current situation between Israel and the Arab Palestinians in a lecture, “American Foreign Policy and Arab-Israeli Negotiations: Peace-Seeking, Peace-Making, Peace-Keeping.”

Sponsored by: Local community members, the MU Center on Religion & the Professions, Truman School of Public Affairs, Peace Studies Program and Jewish Student Organization.

April 30, 2009 – 7 p.m.
Neff Auditorium, Neff Hall
University of Missouri

About Dr. Stein:

  • William E. Schatten Professor of Contemporary Middle Eastern History and Israeli Studies at Emory University
  • Director, Institute for the Study of Modern Israel at Emory University
  • President of the Center for Israel Education at Emory University
  • Former Middle East Fellow of the Carter Center (1983-2006)
  • Instrumental in President Jimmy Carter’s post-presidential engagements in Middle Eastern policy matters

For more information about Dr. Stein, see www.ismi.emory.edu or contact Yossi Feintuch, rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom in Columbia at (573) 499-4855 or feintuchy@missouri.edu. Professor Stein was Feintuch’s doctoral adviser in U.S. Middle Eastern policy at Emory and guided him toward publishing his dissertation, “U.S. Policy on Jerusalem,” a copy of which is available at the University of Missouri Ellis Library. Feintuch is a lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies at University of Missouri.

UPDATE: Read article in the Columbia Missourian, May 1, 2009

CORP Newsletter – Feb. 26, 2009

by

crp-logo

News, Research, Calls for Papers and Events from the University of Missouri’s Center on Religion & the Professions (CORP)
Feb. 26, 2009

CORP EVENTS
March 5 Film Series: “Spirituality & Health” Free. “Acting on Faith” a documentary looking at the lives and work of three American women – a Buddhist, a Hindu, and a Muslim – for whom faith, activism and identity are deeply intertwined. Discussion led by Dr. Guy McCormack, clinical professor and chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy in the MU School of Health Professions. Free refreshments courtesy of DAYS INN/TRAVELODGE. Wrench Auditorium, South Memorial Union, 7 p.m.

March 14 Conversation: “Meditation and Medicine, Across the Faiths.” More doctors are prescribing meditation to combat medical conditions, but meditation has been rooted in spiritual traditions for thousands of years. Relax, take a breath, and contemplate the meditation-health connection with experts and practitioners. Free. Part of the “Sects and the City: Coffee and Conversation on the Intersection of Faith and Life” series. The Cherry Street Artisan, 111 S. 9th St., Columbia, 11 a.m.-noon.

CORP NEWS
Successful Workshop: About 40 members from nine Columbia churches attended the Teen Relationship Education and Empowerment (TREE) workshop in Columbia on Feb. 21, 2009. They learned how to address issues of sexual, physical and emotional abuse in teen relationships from within church communities. TREE was established with a $50,000 grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health submitted with CORP assistance. Read article in the Columbia Missourian.

Big Turnout: More than 500 people came to hear Christopher Hedges speak on Feb. 17, 2009, on “The Looming Collapse of the American Empire.” Hedges spoke in a public lecture and to classes in the Missouri School of Journalism. The event was sponsored by the MU Peace Studies Program, College of Arts and Science, and CORP. Read article in The Maneater.

New Course: CORP and affiliates have developed a new course, “Religious Literacy for the Public and Professions” (Religious Studies 3100) that will be taught online in Summer 2009 through MU Extension’s Center for Distance and Independent Learning. The course provides practical knowledge about religion as it is encountered in the professional world in a pluralistic society. For information, call 882-9257.

Public Speaking: CORP Director Debra L. Mason was a panelist speaking on “Gutenberg 2.0: Sharing the Gospel in the Information Age” at the Missouri Ministers’ School during the Missouri Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church Jan. 13-15, 2009. She also spoke Jan. 25, 2009, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Jefferson City on “Religion, Media and Meaning.”

Presentation: Brick Johnstone, head of CORP’s Spirituality and Health research team, spoke Feb. 15, 2009, at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Columbia on “Selflessness as a Neuropsychological Basis of Spirituality.” The talk was based on team research determining a link between brain function, spiritual experience and selflessness recently published in Zygon: A Journal of Religion and Science.

CO-SPONSORED EVENTS
Feb. 7-March 7, 2009 Exhibit: “Global Journalist, The Face of Conflict in Darfur, Central African Republic and Uganda,” photography exhibit by Gina Bramucci, award-winning journalist, photographer and humanitarian relief worker, recently returned from Eastern Congo. Presented by the MU Center for the Study of Conflict, Law and the Media; School of Journalism; Black Studies Program; Center for Arts and Humanities; and CORP; and numerous university, community, government and professional organizations. Lee Hills Hall Rotunda, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

March 10 Lecture: “The New Shape of Nuclear Danger” by Jonathan Schell, 2005 Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization; former New Yorker, Newsday and The Nation writer; and author of numerous books, including Pulitzer Prize-nominated “The Fate of the Earth.” Schell has taught at Emory, Princeton, New York and Wesleyan universities and now writes and speaks on the nuclear issue. Sponsored by the MU Peace Studies Program and CORP. Fisher Auditorium, Gannett Hall, 7:30 p.m.

OTHER CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EVENTS
March 7 Training: Multicultural Center’s Diversity Train the Trainers, a program to instruct participants on diversity exploration activities. Free. Registration required. Sponsored by the Multicultural Center. Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, call 882-7152.

March 9 Film: “Four Sheets to the Wind.” A young Native American man journeys to the city to fulfill a promise to his dead father. Featured at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Sponsored by Four Front, the MU Department of English, and the Multicultural Center. Free. Wrench Auditorium, South Memorial Union, 5 p.m.

March 13-15 Symposium: “Darwin’s Ongoing Revolution.” 5th annual MU Life Sciences & Society Symposium explores evolutionary research 200 years after Darwin’s birth and 150 years after publication of “On the Origin of Species.” Seven featured speakers, including Ron Numbers, University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of religious studies and of history of science and medicine, speaking on “Creation, Evolution, and the Boundaries of Science and Religion.” Meals, reception. Free and open to the public. Bond Life Sciences Center. See schedule.

March 15 Forum: “Care for Creation with Other Faith Communities.” Be a part of discussing how the creation care environmental movement moves forward. Free. Bring tea, instant coffee, or hot chocolate mix and fruit, cookies, or a treat to share. Missouri United Methodist Church, 204 S. 9th St., Columbia, 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (573) 443-4717.

CALLS FOR PAPERS
March 2 Deadline: Symposium on Religion and Human Rights in China. Focusing on the diversity of religious practice in China, Communist Party religious policy, the contributions of religion to human rights and civil society in China, and the connection between religion and dissent. Symposium to be held May 30, 2009, in Toronto. Hosted by the York Centre for Asian Research at York University, Centre for Asian-Canadian Theology and Ministry at University of Toronto’s Knox College, and Hudson Taylor Centre for Chinese Ministries at Tyndale College. For information, visit http://www.yorku.ca/ycar/Events/religion_human_rights_china.html

March 31 Deadline: Nida School for Translation Studies, a program of the E.A. Nida Institute for Biblical Scholarship at the American Bible Society, aimed at supporting advanced training and research into translation studies. Theme is “Translation and Culture.” Conference to be held Sept. 7-9, 2009, in Rimini, Italy. For details, visit http://www.nidainstitute.org/TheNidaSchool/NidaSchool2009.dsp.

April 1 Deadline: Restorative Justice Symposium. Focusing on restorative justice in adult criminal courts. Symposium to be held Nov. 13, 2009, at MU. Hosted by the Restorative Justice in Criminal Courts Committee of the Missouri Restorative Justice Coalition, MU School of Law’s Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution, and MU Peace Studies Program. For details, e-mail colemanl@missouri.edu.

April 15 Deadline: Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. Meeting to be held Oct. 23-25, 2009, in Denver. Papers and sessions accepted. For information, visit http://www.sssrweb.org.

April 30 Deadline: Symposium on the Social Study of Religion in China. Focusing on the globalization and localization of religion. Symposium to be held July 7-8, 2009, in Wuxi, China. For information, visit http://www.sssrweb.org/news.cfm?newsid=113.

CONFERENCES
March 6-7: Gender and Power in the Muslim World. Sarah Lawrence College. For more information, visit
http://www.slc.edu/womens-history/conference/.

June 11-17: Survey Research & American Religion seminar designed for graduate students and recent Ph.D. graduates. Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich. For more information, visit http://www.calvin.edu/henry/schedule/gradstudwkshp/2009announc.pdf.

RELIGION IN THE NEWS
Read what’s in the news about religion this week on CORP’s home page.

• Click links for more information about events.
• Bookmark CORP’s Web site here.
• See additional events here.
• Read our publication and promotion policy here.
• This newsletter comes out every three weeks. To subscribe to an e-mail version, send a request to whiteab@missouri.edu.

Religion and health research

by

Feb. 2brick6, 2009 – Religion and health research conducted by CORP-affiliated researchers has been published in the Missouri Medicine Quarterly. The article, “Spirituality, Religion and Health Outcomes Research: Findings from the Center on Religion and the Professions,” was authored by Dr. Brick Johnstone, head of CORP’s Spirituality and Health research team. The issue comes out in March 2009.

Citation:

Johnstone, B. (2009). Spirituality, Religion and Health Outcomes Research: Findings from the Center on Religion and the Professions. Missouri Medicine Quarterly, 106 (2), 63-66

Lecture: “Losing My Religion” by William Lobdell

by

Lobdell covelobdellmugred the religion beat for the The Los Angeles Times for eight years, first as a columnist and then as a religion beat reporter. He earned several national awards for his work. As a reporter, Lobdell covered the Catholic clergy abuse crisis and televangelist financial malfeasance, among other stories. In 2007, Lobdell published a column in the Times revealing that what he saw and experienced covering religion – and its failures – had caused him to lose his own Christian faith.

Lobdell asked for a new beat at the newspaper and became an editor in 2006. He left the paper in 2008. His memoir, “Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America — and Found Unexpected Peace,” was published in 2009. Lobdell also is a blogger, author and has been a guest lecturer for 12 years at the University of California, Irvine, where he teaches “Religion and the Media,” “Politics and the American Media” and “Blogs anlosingmyreligiond the Media.” Copies of Lobdell’s book will be available for sale and signing at the event.

Sponsored by the Center on Religion & the Professions. Free.

UPDATE:  See article in the Columbia Missourian April 9, 2009

April 7, 2009 – 7-9 p.m.
Fred W. Smith Forum, Reynolds Journalism Institute
Missouri School of Journalism