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3A publication of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom at Virginia Wesleyan University S P R I N G 2019CRUCIALconversationsno more timefor outrageor silenceMEDIATING RELIGIOUS CONFLICT NEXUS INTERFAITH DIALOGUE CALENDAR OF EVENTS
1P R O G R A M M I N G & PA RT N E R S H I P SCRUCIALCONVERSATIONSNo More Timefor Outrage or SilenceThe final scene of the 1966 Spaghetti Western “The Good, the Bad,and the Ugly” consists of a showdown—a prolonged, tense, three-wayshootout—between the titular characters, played by Clint Eastwood,Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach. They face each other, revolversholstered, as each one’s eyes dart impatiently, waiting for the other tomake the first move. When one hand finally slightly stirs, bullets fly.At too many homes in the United States, Thanksgiving and otherholiday dinners recently provided equal suspense. Some individualswere silently steaming, with eyes nervously darting around thetable. Tongues remained holstered, but without the saftey engagedbecause they eventually were going to be used. There was enoughof a sense of decency that nobody wanted to be the first to draw, butindividuals around the table were eagerly looking for signs that theycould claim were initial forays into conflict.In terms of meaningful dialogue on tense issues, we are not experiencing America’s finest hour. Through comments at the bottom of onlinearticles, through letters to the editor, through responses to one anotheron Facebook, our distance from each other—frequently through a wallof social media—has resulted in sharper comments, less empathy, anda fractured town square. Debate, derision, and outrage frequently havereplaced dialogue and the desire for reconciliation.“What can I do?” is a comment we frequently hear. This semesterwe have two hopes.First, we hope that you come to our training sessions. We needtraining to listen, to be self-aware, to help others think more clearly, andto recognize how we might actually communicate and not just broadcastour thoughts.Second, we hope that you will pay attention to voices other thanyour own. Our programs this semester create opportunities for peopleon different sides of issues to better understand what informs their ownand others’ perspectives.Outrage and silence are unhealthy responses to conflict.The conversations we need to have in the United States are crucial.We look forward to your joining us at our programs and training sessionsas all of us work away from the bad and the ugly to hope for the good.MEDIATINGFebruary 14 7-8 PMHow People Use Fake News inSocial Media to Fuel Divisiveness(and What We CanDo to Stop It)LESLIE CAUGHELLFake news always hasexisted. However, the useof social media in sharingthat news has resulted inincreased personal, social,and political challenges. In this program,Leslie Caughell, author of the forthcomingPolitics in the Era of Fake News: The Damageand Effects of Fake News and What We Can Doto Stop It (University of Toronto Press, 2019),highlights specific examples of how socialmedia sometimes fuels divisiveness, and howwe might respond.Dr. Leslie Caughell is a political communicationsscholar and Associate Professor of Political Scienceand Gender and Women’s Studies at VWU.February 21 11-11:50 amJerusalem as a Case Study for theChallenges of Mediating ReligiousConflictJONATHAN SCHANZERJews, Christians, and Muslims all claim Jerusalemas a spiritual home. Suchclaims result in politicaland religious challenges,so when President Trumpdeclared that the U.S. embassy would bemoved to Jerusalem, the response was deeplyemotional. In this lecture, Jonathan Schanzerhighlights how challenges in the region canbe understood by focusing on the symbolicimportance of Jerusalem.Dr. Jonathan Schanzer is a scholar in Middle EasternStudies, senior vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and is a frequent mediacommentator on issues regarding the Middle East.Sponsored in partnership with the Community RelationsCouncil of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater aspart of the Israel Today 2018-2019 series.
P R O G R A M M I N G & PA RT N E R S H I P SRELIGIOUS CONFLICT SERIESALL DISCUSSIONS ARE HELD ON THURSDAYS IN BLOCKER HALL AUDITORIUM AND ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.Immediately after each of the following three presentations(April 4, 11, and 18), there is an optional twenty-minute smallgroup discussion and additional analysis from the speaker(s).April 4 7-8 PMTWO STORIES OF IMMIGRATION‘Whosoever saves one life.’The SS Quanza and the Battle Over JewishRefugees, 1940ERIC MAZUROne man—who lost a “turf war” against fellow governmentofficials—is all that stood between millions of people facinginternment or death and the United States of America, wherethey would be free of persecution and danger. The man wasBreckinridge Long; the “turf war” was the Portuguese shipSS Quanza; and the year was 1940.Dr. Eric Mazur is the Virginia Wesleyan University Gloria and David FurmanProfessor of Judaic Studies, and the Center for the Study of ReligiousFreedom Fellow for Religion, Law, and Politics.A Look into the Lives of Resettled Refugeesin Coastal VirginiaRABIA JAFRI and SAHER MIRZASince 1932, Catholic Charities of EasternVirginia has resettled thousands ofrefugees, from many different countries.They often arrive with very few possessions, having fled their home countriesin fear of persecution and death.Currently, many refugees are comingfrom Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.The arduous, often years-long,journey from refugee camps tothe Virginia Peninsula is daunting,but their challenges don’t stop whenthey arrive in the U.S.Join Rabia Jafri and Saher Mirzaas they offer insights and firsthandstories into the challenges faced byresettled refugees.Dr. Rabia Jafri works as a psychiatristin Newport News, VA and is founderof the Hampton Roads RefugeeRelief organization. Saher Mirzais a community volunteer andfounder of the “Coffee with aRefugee” program.April 11 7-8 PMPresumed Guilty: Why We Shouldn’t Ask Muslimsto Condemn TerrorismTODD GREENIn this lecture, Todd Green argues thatasking Muslims to condemn terrorist attacksis wrong for a variety of reasons, includingthat it misunderstands the role of religionin terrorism and it ignores the many instancesin which Muslims already condemn terrorism. Most important,asking Muslims to condemn terrorism functions as a distraction.Join us for a timely lecture.Dr. Todd Green is Associate Professor of Religion at Luther College.A nationally recognized expert on Islamophobia, Dr. Green served as aFranklin Fellow at the U.S. State Department in 2016-17, where he analyzedand assessed the impact of anti-Muslim prejudice in Europe on counteringviolent extremism initiatives, refugee policies, and human rights. April 18 7-8 PMPublic Policy and Healing Through PrayerChristian Scientists’ Practice in the21st CenturyRICHARD GEIGER and THOMAS JOHNSENIn the 1880s and 1890s, the emergenceof Christian Science as a new religious denomination raised significant issues at the borderbetween religious practice and public policy.Much has changed in the last 130 years, butquestions about the relationship between faith,science, healing, and medicine still stand out:What is the place of serious religious, or Christian,healing in today’s high techworld? Do Christian Scientists recognize public healthconcerns such as vaccination? Can common groundbe found on care of childrenand similar deeply universalvalues?Christian Science practitionersRichard Geiger and Dr. ThomasJohnsen serve in the denomination’s ministry of healingthrough prayer.23
3P R O G R A M M I N G & PA RT N E R S H I P SEQUIPPINGAGENTS OFCHANGEConflict is a natural part of life.It affects and influences dailyexistence in minor and major ways.At its best, it motivates and inspiresprogress. Too often, however,the ways in which we respondto conflict and disagreement—personally, communally, nationally,and globally— damages relationships,widens divides, and diminishesprospects for finding solutions.These sessions provide training to develop skillsneeded for improving contentious relationships,transforming heated debate into meaningfuldialogue, and finding peaceful solutions todifficult problems.Space is limited and registration is required forthese trainings. To register, please contact KellyJackson at kjackson@vwu.edu or 757-455-3129.Don’t miss these opportunities to learn newskills and have the tools you need to influencepositive change and create a better future.Thursday, January 31 7-9 PMGESC ROOM 155 Registration required.VCIC Diversity and Dialogue Facilitation TrainingPAULA L. BAZEMOREDuring two distinct training sessions, Bazemoreprepares participants for more active roles as agentsof change. The first session provides a frameworkfor understanding the cycle of prejudice—howprejudice arises and builds, sometimes leading tolife-threatening acts. The second session focuses onbest practices in facilitation. Open dialogue abouttough issues is crucial, but it also requires proper facilitation. This trainingdiscusses the conditions for effective dialogue and equips participants withtools needed to lead conversations in a manner that is inclusive, informative,and effective.Paula L. Bazemore is the Hampton Roads Program Manager for the Virginia Centerfor Inclusive Communities, an organization that works with schools, businesses, andcommunities to achieve success through inclusion.
TRAINING SESSIONSThursday, February 28 8-9:30 AMBATTEN STUDENT CENTER PEARCE HOSPITALITY SUITERegistration required. Continental breakfast provided.Protecting Ourselves and Our World from Our FiveGod-like Technological PowersPAUL K. CHAPPELLIn this discussion geared to clergy and people of faith, Paul K.Chappell explores how technology has evolved faster than ourcompetency in our own humanity. He looks at the challengeswe face from the “world of electric light” (i.e., interactive digitalmass media, virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and the 5g network), and shows how Peace Literacy canescalate our competency in being human and give us the skillswe need to navigate our inner world, outer world, and the world of electric light inboth its current and future forms.Thursday, February 28 7-9:15 PMBLOCKER HALL AUDITORIUM Registration is not required for this session.The Journey from Rage to Radical Empathyand Realistic HopePAUL K. CHAPPELLPeace Literacy frames peace not merely as a goal, but as a practical skill-set thatallows us to increase realistic peace in our personal lives, communities, country, andworld. In this workshop, Paul K. Chappell provides an empowering framework forunderstanding the root causes of violence and rage, and for more fully developingour human capacity for empathy, conscience, reason, and realistic hope. During anera when humanity has the technological capacity to destroy itself, Peace Literacymeans survival literacy.PEACEis not theabsenceof conflict,but theability tocope with it.— MAHATMA GANDHIPaul K. Chappell is an international peace educator, author of the seven-book Road to Peaceseries, and serves as the Peace Leadership Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.He graduated from West Point, was deployed to Iraq, and left active duty as a captain.Thursday, April 25 7-9 PMGESC ROOM 155 Registration required.From Dialogue to Action: An Interactive WorkshopSUSAN FEIT and TERESA STANLEYPractitioners in community organizing and conflict resolution, Feit and Stanleyhighlight important ingredients for moving from dialogue to action. Hear real-lifesuccess stories of diverse groups who have found common ground and taken actiontogether, and participate in an interactive exercise designed to demonstrate thistransformative process.Susan Feit is a Social Justice Strategist and Teresa Stanley coordinates the InterspiritualEmpowerment Project, a Joint Plan of Work Program of Virginia Organizing.43
5P R O G R A M M I N G & PA RT N E R S H I P SHonoring theLegacies ofPeacemakersIn the early hours of October 31, 2018, Robert “Bob” C.Nusbaum died at the age of 94. Bob was the inspirationbehind the 1996 founding of the Center for the Study ofReligious Freedom. In a letter dated November 14, 1995,Bob wrote, “I venture to guess that more persons have beenslaughtered in the name of religion than from any othercause In this continuing saga of man’s inhumanity to man,the one bright light that goes beyond mere tolerance is Jefferson’s Statute for Religious Freedom. It laid the foundationfor the First Amendment, and has served as a beacon for allenlightened constitutions ever since.”Bob’s death came on the heels of the killings at theTree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg, the deadliest attack onthe Jewish community in U.S. history. How tragic that, morethan 200 years after the passing of the Virginia Statute forReligious Freedom, hate speech and acts of violence againstminority faiths are on the rise.This semester, the annual Cookson Religious Freedomlecture, America’s First Freedom Conflicts Then and Now:Musical Theatre and the Founding Fathers, celebratesthe Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom and honors thevisionary legacies of Bob Nusbaum and Catharine Cookson,the Center’s first director.In Sara Sewell’s presentation, Religious Ways to JustifyGenocide, we are reminded of the fragility of religiousfreedom and warned against the devastating dangers ofdevaluing people of other religions and races.As we reflect on the lessons of history, and as we honorthe legacies of two humble peacemakers, may we look intoour own hearts to find the resolve to embrace our sharedhumanity and create hope for the future.challenge of the Center“is soTheimmensebecause the issueis a timeless issue. We’re dealingwith public perceptions andpressures and what neighborsdo to each other out of fear.“- DR. CATHARINE COOKSON, CSRF Director (1998 -2004)Thursday, March 77-8:15 PM BLOCKER HALL AUDITORIUMCOOKSON LECTUREAmerica’s First FreedomConflicts Then and Now: MusicalTheatre and the Founding FathersROB LAUERIn 2003, award-winning playwright RobLauer was commissioned to write “FirstFreedom”—a musical play depictingthe events leading up to the passage ofThomas Jefferson’s Virginia Statutefor Religious Freedom. In the process, Lauer became convinced thatmusical theatre—a highly-stylized,American-born art form—was theperfect vehicle for not only presenting more nuanced depictions of ournation’s founders, but also for entertainingly exploring the philosophicalconcepts that animated them and forshowing how those concepts are at theheart of our current political and socialdivide. Music videos and a reader’s theatrepresentation from “First Freedom” areincorporated into this year’s Cookson lecture.Rob Lauer is an award-winning playwright, theatrical and television director, andthe host of two TV shows in Coastal Virginia. He authored the comedy “Geeks &Gangsters,” the musical “My Jo,” the musical “A Southern Christmas Carol,” and themusical “First Freedom.” He currently edits “The Shopper” in Chesapeake and hostsand produces “Portsmouth Insites,” “Portsmouth Now,” and “Museum Moments.”Thursday, March 147-8 PM BLOCKER HALL AUDITORIUMReligious Ways to Justify GenocideSARA SEWELLIf religious ideals represent appeals to people’sbest instincts, how and why do religious instinctssometimes become distorted in ways that lead not only to hatred andmurder of others, but even to systemic genocide? In the 20th and 21stcenturies, examples of such genocide are not limited to places likeNazi Germany and Myanmar. Join us as Sara Sewell highlights thecomplicated relationship between religion and genocide, and pointsus to concerning trends and the need for crucial conversations.Dr. Sara Sewell is Professor of History and Executive Director of the Lighthouse:Center for Exploration & Discovery at VWU.
S T U D E N T P R E S E N TAT I O N SConflict and PeaceinJordanFrom International Geopolitics to Individual IdentitySTUDY-AWAY PRESENTATIONTuesday, March 26 11–11:50 AMBATTEN STUDENT CENTERPEARCE HOSPITALITY SUITEStudying away in Jordan createsmany opportunities for reflection andexamination on peace as it relatesto national identity and allianceswithin the international community.Chambers offers personal perspectiveson identity, peace, and geopolitics.VWU Senior Selena Chambers ’19 is majoring inInternational Relations, with minors in Business,Philosophy, and Religious Studies. During fall 2018she studied international politics at the School forInternational Training in Amman, Jordan.Ethical Issuesand SocialJusticeETHICS BOWL DEMONSTRATIONThursday, February 77-8:30 PM MONUMENTAL CHAPELThe Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges’ (VFIC) annual Ethics Bowl competitionbrings together student teams from each of the 15 VFIC member institutions for livelydebate and consideration of applied ethics—real-world dilemmas that affect people’s lives inincreasingly complex ways. As the Virginia Wesleyan Ethics Bowl team prepares to competeat the VFIC Ethics Bowl, the CSRF hosts a debate demonstration, with the audience havingthe opportunity to interact, critique, and discuss. Please come to help students prepare forthe VFIC competition, hosted by Roanoke College on February 10-11.The Virginia Wesleyan 2019 VFIC Ethics Bowl team members are Brandon Foster ’19, Anitra Howard ’24,Alex Powers ’21 (team captain), Brianna Sandy ’21, and Joni Challenor ’19 (alternate), with VWU Professorof Communication Dr. Kathy Merlock Jackson as faculty coordinator.63
7N E X U S I N T E R F A I T H D I A LO G U EMonday, March 4Our NEXUS programs this7 – 8:30 PMBAT TEN STUDENT CENTERPEARCE HOSPITALITY SUITEsemester focus on “The Roleof Scripture in Faith.” TheDIVORCE, the Bible,andReligious Faithpurpose of the programs isto get people to think about,and to recognize, howdifferent people or branchesof a religion reflect onscripture in different ways.The program is not a debatein any sense of the word.Informed individuals talkfor about 20 minutes each,highlighting how they readscripture (or how peoplewithin their tradition readscripture) in light of the issue.This is followed by a time ofquestions, and then structureddiscussion and dialogue.The Nexus Interfaith Dialogue series issponsored in partnership with the VirginiaCenter for Inclusive Communities (VCIC)and Hands United Building Bridges (HUBB),a multi-faith clergy group.Rabbi Michael Panitz, Rabbi of Temple Israel in Norfolk, Father Jim ParkeRoman Catholic Priest, retired, and Rev. Christa Springstead ’07, Pastor ofThe Garden United Methodist Church in Norfolk, serve on a panel and leaddiscussion on how people within their respective traditions understand thepassages in scripture that condemn divorce. With divorce affecting over 50%of marriages in the U.S., and with religious individuals not unaffected by thosedynamics, how do people understand those scripture passages that seemunequivocally against divorce?Monday, April 157 – 8:30 PM BATTEN STUDENT CENTER PEARCE HOSPITALITY SUITESame SexRelationships,the Bible, andChristianitySame-sex relationships are legal inthe United States, but for some peopleof faith, such relationships still raisequestions. Rev. Brandon Nichols ’12,Pastor of Jolliff United MethodistChurch in Chesapeake, and Dr. CraigWansink, Senior Pastor of SecondPresbyterian Church in Norfolk,discuss how they read the Bible—and how Christians in general readthe Bible—when thinking about therole scripture plays in discussionsof same sex relationships inthe church.
CAMPUS PROGRAMSThursday, March1411– 11:50 AM BLOCKER HALL AUDITORIUMTaking Back the BibleElizabeth Cady Stanton’s Scriptural BattleOn Behalf of Slaves and WomenThe 19th-century abolitionist Elizabeth Cady Stantonwas not a religious person, but she recognized howpeople in her day frequently used the Bible to justify slave huntingand the suppression of women’s rights.Using scripture then as a leverage point, she wrote two visceraland provocative works: The Slave’s Appeal (1860) and The Woman’sBible (1895, 1898). Join Craig Wansink and Jake Stokke ’19 as theyexamine how Stanton controversially used scripture, in ways that ledto a permanent schism with Susan B. Anthony, yet also fought bothslavery and the suppression of women’s rights.Dr. Craig Wansink is Professor of Religious Studies and the Joan P. and Macon F. Brock, Jr.Director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom at Virginia Wesleyan University.VWU senior Jake Stokke ’19 is majoring in psychology and religious studies.LIFEMattersIn “Life Matters,” members of the Wesleyan community offer autobiographical reflections on their emotional, intellectual, and spiritual experiences.These deeply personal talks create meaningful opportunities for greaterunderstanding and connection, encouraging each of us to think aboutwhat has shaped us and given our own life meaning.12-12:50 PMBATTEN STUDENT CENTER PEARCE HOSPITALITY SUITEPlease feel free to bring a bag lunch or purchase lunch in the Boyd Dining Center.Tuesday, March 12Thursday, April 4Thursday, April 25Professor of Management,Business, EconomicsHead Softball CoachProfessor of HispanicStudiesDave GarratyBrandon Elliott ‘03Dr. Mavel VelascoThe series is sponsored in partnership with the Chaplain’s Office and the Center forInnovative Teaching and Engaged Learning (INTEL) at Virginia Wesleyan University.RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THE CLASSROOMdigitalartAliberal arts education brings students to seeconnections between classroom learning andreal life issues. In encouraging that, the Centerregularly creates project-based partnerships withVWU courses in order to help students recognizehow religious freedom issues not only runthrough the curriculum, but also shape their dailylives and have broad impact at local, national, andglobal levels.This semester the Center is working withProfessor Sharon Swift and ART 204 Digital Artstudents who will create artistic representationsof our central theme: “Crucial Conversations: NoMore Time for Outrage or Silence.”Judges will determine the two best artisticrepresentations and the student winners will berecognized and receive an award at a reception inthe Center on Reading Day, May 9. Please stop bythe Center’s Office Suite in Clarke Hall anytimebetween 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to congratulatethe winners.83
9F R O M T H E S TA F FAN EXTENDED QUOTEATTRIBUTED TO AMONK AROUND 1100ILLUSTRATES OURCHALLENGES WELL:“When I was a young man,I wanted to change the world.I found it was difficult to changethe world, so I tried to changemy nation. When I found Icouldn’t change the nation,I began to focus on my town.I couldn’t change the townand as an older man, I tried tochange my family. Now, as anold man, I realize the only thingI can change is myself, andsuddenly I realize that if longago I had changed myself, Icould have made an impact onmy family. My family and I couldhave made an impact on ourtown. Their impact could havechanged the nation and I couldindeed have changed the world.”Kelly and Craig with Hanoch Piven in fall 2018 Creativity Workshop on Identity.Our mission statement at the Center emphasizes the importance of ourequipping individuals to be engaged leaders and citizens.We say that we want to help students and community participants bemore informed about issues that matter. That is true.We also say that we want to help them recognize why it is good to betransformed, to have hearts that are not impervious, but that are open tochallenges and inequalities in the world. That also is true.But knowledge and good hearts are not enough to make change.Well-intentioned people on multiple sides of any issue may know well andmean well, and still not make a difference. We all know too many individuals whoinvest hours making comments on Facebook in ways that have very marginalinfluence at best. To mix metaphors, the world is full of people who can describesymptoms of a problem but can offer no diagnosis, prognosis, or prescription.We know that we have a prescription that makes a difference. Again, as ourmission statement says, we want to equip individuals to be engaged leaders and citizens.Our training sessions this semester point to our movement in that direction.We want to increase capacity for our work by creating more opportunities forstudents and community members to develop skills. We are doing this locally andwe are doing this nationally, by developing case studies in Dayton, Ohio, as partof a Faith-Based Research Exchange through the Kettering Foundation.Thank you for your support of our common effort. We are very grateful foryour involvement, attendance, and engagement in the life and mission of the Centerfor the Study of Religious Freedom. If you are able to support us financially, pleaseuse the information below.We know that we are making a difference in the world during an importanttime. We appreciate your partnership and support.Craig and KellyWe appreciate your trust and support in our common mission. If you are able, please visit www.vwu.edu/giveonlineand make a donation. Designate your gift to the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom (CSRF).
CALENDAR OF EVENTSJANUARY31 VCIC Diversity and DialogueFacilitation Training*TRAINING SESSIONPaula L. BazemoreHampton Roads Program Manager, VCICThursday, 7–9 PM GESC Room 155FEBRUARYEthics and Social Justice7 ETHICS BOWL DEMONSTRATIONThursday, 7-8:30 PM Monumental Chapel14 How People Use Fake News in SocialMedia to Fuel Divisiveness(and What We Can Do to Stop It)MEDIATING RELIGIOUS CONFLICTDr. Leslie CaughellAssociate Professor of Political Scienceand Gender and Women’s Studies, VWUThursday, 7-8 PM Blocker Hall Auditoriumas a Case Study21 JforerusalemChallenges of MediatingReligious ConflictMEDIATING RELIGIOUS CONFLICTDr. Jonathan SchanzerSenior Vice President of Research,Foundation for Defense of DemocraciesThursday, 11-11:50 AM Blocker Hall AuditoriumSponsored in partnership with the CommunityRelations Council of the United Jewish Federation ofTidewaterrotecting Ourselves and Our28 PWorldfrom Our Five God-likeTechnological Powers*TRAINING SESSION Paul K. Chappell, Peace Leadership Director,Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Thursday, 8-9:30 AMBatten Center, Pearce Hospitality Suite The Journey from Rage to RadicalEmpathy and Realistic HopeTRAINING SESSIONPaul K. ChappellThursday, 7–9:15 PM Blocker Hall AuditoriumMARCHDivorce, the Bible, and Religious Faith4 NEXUS INTERFAITH DIALOGUE abbi Michael Panitz, Rabbi at Temple Israel,RFather Jim Parke, Roman Catholic Priest, retired,and Rev. Christa Springstead ‘07, Pastor atThe Garden United Methodist ChurchMonday, 7–8:30 PMBatten Center, Pearce Hospitality SuiteSponsored in partnership with VCIC and HUBBAmerica’s First Freedom Conflicts7 Then and Now: Musical Theatreand the Founding Fathers103Presumed Guilty: Why We Shouldn’t Ask11 Muslims to Condemn TerrorismMEDIATING RELIGIOUS CONFLICTDr. Todd GreenProfessor of Religion, Luther CollegeThursday, 7-8 PMBlocker Hall Auditorium C OOKSON LECTURE Rob Lauer, Award-winning PlaywrightThursday, 7–8:15 PMBlocker Hall Auditorium12 L IFE MATTERS: Dave GarratyProfessor of Management/Business/EconomicsTuesday, 12-12:50 PM Batten Center, Pearce Hospitality SuiteSponsored in partnership with VWUChaplain’s Office and INTELaking Back the Bible: Elizabeth Cady14 TStanton’sScriptural BattleOn Behalf of Slaves and WomenDr. Craig Wansink, CSRF Director andVWU Professor of Religious Studies, and VWUsenior Jake Stokke ’19Thursday, 11-11:50 AMBlocker Hall Auditorium Religious Ways to Justify Genocide Dr. Sara SewellVWU Professor of History and Executive Director ofthe Lighthouse: Center for Exploration & DiscoveryThursday, 7-8 PM Blocker Hall Auditoriumonflict and Peace in Jordan26 CFromInternational Geopoliticsto Individual IdentitySTUDY-AWAY PRESENTATIONSelena Chambers ’19Tuesday, 11-11:50 AMBatten Center, Pearce Hospitality SuiteAPRILL IFE MATTERS: Brandon Elliott ‘034 Head Softball CoachThursday, 12–12:50 PMBatten Center, Pearce Hospitality Suite Sponsored in partnership with VWUChaplain’s Office and INTELame Sex Relationships, the Bible,15 SandChristianity NEXUS INTERFAITH DIALOGUERev. Brandon Nichols ’12, Pastor ofJoliff United Methodist Church, andRev. Craig Wansink, Pastor at SecondPresbyterian ChurchMonday, 7–8:30 PMBatten Center, Pearce Hospitality SuiteSponsored in partnership with VCIC and HUBBublic Policy and Healing Through18 PPrayer:Christian Scientists’ Practicein the 21st CenturyMEDIATING RELIGIOUS CONFLICTRichard Geiger and Dr. Thomas JohnsenChristian Science PractitionersThursday, 7–8 PMBlocker Hall AuditoriumIFE MATTERS: Dr. Mavel Velasco25 LProfessorof Hispanic Studies, VWUThursday, 12–12:50 PMBatten Center, Pearce Hospitality SuiteSponsored in partnership with the Chaplain’sOffice and INTEL, VWUFrom Dialogue to ActionAn Interactive Workshop*TRAINING SESSIONSusan Feit, Social Justice Strategist, andTeresa Stanley, Coordinator of InterspiritualEmpowerment Project, Virginia OrganizingThursday, 7–9 PMGESC Room 155UnderstandingT WO STORIES OF IMMIGRATIONRELIGIOUS FREEDOMMEDIATING RELIGIOUS CONFLICTCRAIG WANSINK, PH.D.Joan P. and Macon F. Brock, Jr. DirectorKELLY JACKSON, Associate Director“Whosoever saves one life ” The SS Quanza and the BattleOver Jewish Refugees, 1940Dr. Eric MazurProfessor of Judaic Studies and CSRF Fellowfor Religion, Law, and Politics, VWU Challenges of RefugeesA Look into the Lives of ResettledRefugees in Coastal Virginia Dr. Rabia Jafri, Founder of Hampton RoadsRefugee Relief organization, and Saher MirzaFounder of “Coffee with a Refugee” program Thursday, 7-8 PMBlocker Hall AuditoriumALL CSRF EVENTS ARE FREE, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND ARE HELD ON THE VWU CAMPUS*Registration required for training sessions. Contact Kelly Jackson at 757-455-3129 or kjackson@vwu.edu.ERIC MAZUR, PH.D.Center Fellow for Religion, Law, and PoliticsEDITORCraig Wansink, Ph.D.MANAGING EDITORKelly JacksonART DIRECTORChristine HallPRODUCTION MANAGERJ
The conversations we need to have in the United States are crucial. MEDIATING RELIGIOUS CONFLICT SERIES Dr. Jonathan Schanzer is a scholar in Middle Eastern Studies, senior vice president of research at the Founda-tion for Defense of Democracies, and is a freque
