Breaking Ground

Human Flourishing in a Technological Age: A Christian Perspective
2021-02-05 12:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
Being human in our technological age requires not merely technical skills but—more importantly—intellectual capacity to navigate a rapidly changing philosophical milieu. Join us this winter for our online lecture series, Human Flourishing in a Technological Age, to learn from leading scholars about key aspects of what it means to be human in a technological age: personhood, embodied cognition, leisure, transhumanism and more.
Please join us on Friday, February 5 as we welcome Very Rev. Dr. John Behr who will give the lecture “Being Human in a Technological World: Pointers from Patristic Anthropology.”
In this lecture, Father Behr will examine what challenges the erasure of death from the horizon of sight in the modern Western world raises for our understanding of ourselves as embodied human beings. As Hervé Juvin notes in the last lines of his study, The Coming of the Body (2010), which examines the various ways in which our experience of embodiment has changed over the last century: ‘Alone, the body remembers that it is finite; alone it roots us in the limits, our last frontier (for how long?); and even if—especially if—it forgets, the body alone still prevents us from being God to ourselves and others.’ Bringing together insights from Martha Nussbaum (‘Transcending Humanity’) and his own recent work on the Gospel of John and the theology of Irenaeus, Behr will argue that the technological advances of the past century provide a unique, and precious, opportunity for us to recognize the important connection between mortality, being human, and the incarnation of God.
Very Rev. Dr. John Behr is Professor of Patristics, teaching courses in patristics, dogmatics and scriptural exegesis at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, and also at Fordham University, where he is the Distinguished Lecturer in Patristics. After completing his first degree in Philosophy in London in 1987, Fr. John spent a year studying in Greece. He finished an M.Phil. in Eastern Christian Studies at Oxford University, under Bishop Kallistos (Ware), who subsequently supervised his doctoral work, which was examined by Fr. Andrew Louth and Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury. While working on his doctorate, he was invited to be a Visiting Lecturer at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in 1993, where he has been a permanent faculty member since 1995, tenured in 2000, and ordained in 2001. He served as Dean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary from 2007 to 2017, and in 2016 he was also appointed as the first (part-time) holder of the Metropolitan Kallistos Chair of Orthodox Theology at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam. His published works include The Way to Nicaea (SVS Press 2001), The Mystery of Christ: Life in Death (SVS Press 2006), and Becoming Human: Meditations on Christian Anthropology in Word and Image (SVS Press 2013).

Being Human in a Technological World: Pointers from Patristic Anthropology
2021-02-05 15:30 - 16:30
Being human in our technological age requires not merely technical skills but—more importantly—intellectual capacity to navigate a rapidly changing philosophical milieu. Join us this winter for our online lecture series, Human Flourishing in a Technological Age, to learn from leading scholars about key aspects of what it means to be human in a technological age: personhood, embodied cognition, leisure, transhumanism and more.
Please join us on Friday, February 5 as we welcome Very Rev. Dr. John Behr who will give the lecture “Being Human in a Technological World: Pointers from Patristic Anthropology.”
In this lecture, Father Behr will examine what challenges the erasure of death from the horizon of sight in the modern Western world raises for our understanding of ourselves as embodied human beings. As Hervé Juvin notes in the last lines of his study, The Coming of the Body (2010), which examines the various ways in which our experience of embodiment has changed over the last century: ‘Alone, the body remembers that it is finite; alone it roots us in the limits, our last frontier (for how long?); and even if—especially if—it forgets, the body alone still prevents us from being God to ourselves and others.’ Bringing together insights from Martha Nussbaum (‘Transcending Humanity’) and his own recent work on the Gospel of John and the theology of Irenaeus, Behr will argue that the technological advances of the past century provide a unique, and precious, opportunity for us to recognize the important connection between mortality, being human, and the incarnation of God.
Very Rev. Dr. John Behr is Professor of Patristics, teaching courses in patristics, dogmatics and scriptural exegesis at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, and also at Fordham University, where he is the Distinguished Lecturer in Patristics. After completing his first degree in Philosophy in London in 1987, Fr. John spent a year studying in Greece. He finished an M.Phil. in Eastern Christian Studies at Oxford University, under Bishop Kallistos (Ware), who subsequently supervised his doctoral work, which was examined by Fr. Andrew Louth and Rowan Williams, now Archbishop of Canterbury. While working on his doctorate, he was invited to be a Visiting Lecturer at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in 1993, where he has been a permanent faculty member since 1995, tenured in 2000, and ordained in 2001. He served as Dean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary from 2007 to 2017, and in 2016 he was also appointed as the first (part-time) holder of the Metropolitan Kallistos Chair of Orthodox Theology at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam. His published works include The Way to Nicaea (SVS Press 2001), The Mystery of Christ: Life in Death (SVS Press 2006), and Becoming Human: Meditations on Christian Anthropology in Word and Image (SVS Press 2013).

2021 Sankofa Black Alumni Preaching Series #2
2021-02-09 11:35 - 12:15
Feb. 9 Speaker: Rev. Camille Glover
Throughout February, the Office of Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School will feature the 2021 Sankofa Black Alumni Preaching Series to celebrate the distinct contributions of the school’s alumni of African descent. Alumni will preach during four Tuesday worship services online from Goodson Chapel at 11:35 a.m.
The preachers for this year’s series are: the Rev. Dustin Pickett, M.Div. 2016, campus minister for Christian Diversity and Ecumenical Ministry at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio; the Rev. Camille Glover, M.Div. 2013, an attorney in Washington, D.C.; the Rev. Raymonda Speller, M.Div. 2012, senior pastor of Community Congregational Church (UCC) in Montgomery, Ala.; and the Rev. Regina Henderson Moore, M.Div. 1997, owner of the Riverside Consulting Group in Columbia, S.C.
The Sankofa Black Alumni Preaching Series was established in 2014 during Black History Month. The word “sankofa” derives from the Akan language of Ghana and translates as “reach back and get it.”

Traditioned Innovation: A Leadership Foundations Town Hall Series
2021-02-10 10:00
Is it possible to bring together old and new and recover things that have always been? Make sure to register now for the new 6 part LF Town Hall series “Traditioned Innovation” beginning on January 27. We have an amazing lineup of guests joining us to examine how the knowledge of the past positions us to make progress towards the future. We will explore those ancient traditions and practices that can be rediscovered and operationalized in fresh ways as we move forward.
February 10 speaker: Rev. Jen Bailey, Founder and Executive Director of the Faith Matters Network. Jen was named one of 15 Faith Leaders to Watch by the Center for American Progress, is an ordained minister, public theologian, and national leader in the multi-faith movement for justice.

Caring for Loved Ones During a Pandemic
2021-02-11 15:00
Online Discussion:
How COVID-19 Has Created an Urgent Need for Family-Friendly Work
COVID-19 has upended the lives of millions of Americans and highlighted the deficiency in family-friendly workplace policies. Caregivers are strained under the weight of life in these unprecedented times having to serve as workers, educators, and nurses. But, it does not have to be this way, we can design a system that works for all families
I’d like to invite you to join the Center for Public Justice’s Families Valued Team for a three-part discussion series on the impact of COVID-19 on caregivers and the opportunities to make changes to ensure the flourishing of all. The series begins on February 11.
We are delighted to host the following panelists for our first webinar: ‘Caring for Loved Ones During a Pandemic‘

Sharifa Stevens, writer, speaker, and singer

Mandy Arioto, President and CEO, MOPS International

Jua Robinson, Executive Director, Boston Collaborative

Regina Robinson, Dean of Student Affairs, Cambridge College

The Reunited States: Red & Blue Carpet Premiere
2021-02-11 20:00
Join us for an evening of lively discussion, special experiences and surprise guests to celebrate the launch of this timely documentary about bridging divides.

New York Encounter 2021: When Reality Hits
2021-02-12 - 2021-02-14
Broadcast live from New York City
Available online to everyone, wherever you are
An annual three-day public cultural event in the heart of New York City, offering opportunities for education, dialogue, and friendship
The 2021 edition will be online, available to everyone. All conferences and performances will be broadcast live from New York City and visible on the Encounter YouTube channel. So, the Encounter can happen where you are! And you can also build it with us by sharing the Encounter YouTube channel link with family, friends, and coworkers.
When February comes, if local regulations allow, we may even organize small gatherings where the Encounter events can be publicly shown, followed by informal discussions. If that happens, a list of these local gatherings will be posted on our website, so please check if you’d like to join one near you!

Who Am I? Personhood, Technology, and Human Flourishing
2021-02-12 15:30 - 16:30
Being human in our technological age requires not merely technical skills but—more importantly—intellectual capacity to navigate a rapidly changing philosophical milieu. Join us this winter for our online lecture series, Human Flourishing in a Technological Age, to learn from leading scholars about key aspects of what it means to be human in a technological age: personhood, embodied cognition, leisure, transhumanism and more.
Please join us on Friday, February 12 as Regent’s Dr. Jens Zimmermann will give the lecture “Who am I? Personhood, Technology, and Human Flourishing.”
In this lecture, Dr. Zimmermann will address modern understandings of human consciousness, including Trans- and Post- humanist visions for the future of human society, and will argue that contemporary notions of the human person presume a reductive model of human identity rooted in an already defunct scientific epistemology. As a counterpoint to this construction, Dr. Zimmermann will offer a robust model of human consciousness that is grounded in the philosophically and theologically informed theory of personalism—a personalism that, in the Christian tradition, is validated in and through the Incarnation.
Dr. Jens Zimmermann is J.I. Packer Chair of Theology at Regent College/UBC and Research Associate at the Centre for Theology and Modern European Thought (CTMET) in Oxford. As a philosophical theologian, Dr. Zimmermann’s main intellectual interests are philosophical anthropology (who we are) and epistemology (how we know). He has pursued these two central questions across a broad range of interests that include theological anthropology, patristic and modern theology, hermeneutics (theological and philosophical), European literature, Martin Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Hans Urs von Balthasar. In addition to many scholarly articles, Zimmermann has authored and edited numerous books, including Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christian Humanism (Oxford UP, 2019), and Re-Envisioning Christian Humanism: Education and the Restoration of Humanity (Oxford UP, 2017). Recent editing work includes Acts of Interpretation: Scripture, Theology, and Culture (co-edited with S. A. Cummins, Eerdmans, 2018), and Sources of the Christian Self: A Cultural History of Christian Identity (co-edited with James Houston, Eerdmans, 2018). Zimmermann’s current major research project examines the impact of technology on human identity with particular focus on the concept of personhood.

Not By Profit Alone
2021-02-13 12:00
Online conversation on rethinking work, business, and economy in a post-Covid world, with Raghuram Rajan, the Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Ratna Sahay, deputy director, Monetary and Capital Markets Department, International Monetary Fund, and Stefano Zamagni, professor of Economics, University of Bologna and president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, moderated by Anujeet Sareen, portfolio manager, Brandywine Global
Which are the lessons to be learned from the pandemic for economists, financial operators, international institutions, and small and big businesses? What to expect in the short and long term in the job market and in the economy? How should the economy change in the wake of COVID and what can bring about that change? Do we need new economic models or a new vision? Speakers will discuss the above questions.

The Core of Our Humanity
2021-02-13 14:00
An online dialogue on the Encounter theme with Paolo Carozza, professor of Law and Director of Kellogg Institute for International Studies, the University of Notre Dame, and Charles Taylor, philosopher and professor emeritus, McGill University
The events of the past months have shattered our illusion of control and humbled pride. Have they also revealed something of value in our humanity which we were neglecting? And, as Stephanie Zacharek asked in her article in the special issue of Time dedicated to the year 2020, “After a year of so many changes, will we change radically too? We learned a lot in 2020–but what, exactly, did we learn?”
Paolo Carozza will dialogue on these questions, and delve into the Encounter 2021 theme, with world renowned philosopher Charles Taylor.

Defenseless?
2021-02-13 18:00
A conversation on the power of big tech corporations, free information, and social media censorship with Matt Stoller, director of research at the American Economic Liberties Project and a visiting lecturer in the Department of History at Columbia University, and Matthew Taibbi, author, journalist, and podcaster, moderated by Brandon Vaidyanathan, chair of the Department of Sociology, Catholic University of America
Today, more than ever, large corporations are exercising forms of power that traditionally were the monopoly of the state. In particular, big tech companies control the flow of news and information and have power of censorship over what gets published or broadcast (e.g., Facebook’s and Twitter’s censorship of politically undesirable news, Amazon’s ability to marginalize books, etc.). Ultimately, no matter which side of the political spectrum one belongs to, what is at stake is democracy itself and, at a deeper level, free conscience and individual liberty. Speakers will address these dramatic issues and what can be done, if anything, to protect these essential aspects of our individual and social life.

When You Hit Reality
2021-02-13 21:00
A roast of 2020 with comedians Vince Fabra, Jeremy McLellan, and Tom Shillue, and special guests Jeannie Gaffigan and Greg Iwinski, Emmy-nominated comedy writers, with music intermission by Andrea Domenici
How can we joke about anything after 2020, a year that contained so much suffering and frustration? What does it mean to laugh in the face of hardship?
Living through 2020, we experienced life as dramatic, intense, and often heartbreaking. Yet at certain points—while donning a mask before walking into a convenience store, gazing adoringly at our stockpile of toilet paper, or scrambling to re-learn algebra one day ahead of a struggling 8th grader—we realized that life could also be absurd.
Saturday night of the Encounter will feature a roast of 2020, a moment to revel in the absurdity of certain situations and take joy in the glimmers of light of a difficult year.

A Desperate Cry for Justice
2021-02-14 14:00
Seeking a truly human path to racial justice with Anika Prather, professor, Howard University, Eugene Rivers, Pentecostal minister, and Jacqueline Rivers, director of the Seymour Institute for Black Church and Policy Studies, moderated by Jonathan Liedl, journalist
Many people in the US today are seeking ways to heal the wounds of racism and move forward. However, this requires traveling a narrow road between two cliffs. On the one side, there is the danger of denying or ignoring both the past and present racial injustice in our country. On the other side, there is the temptation of reducing all our human experience to a matter of power, which inevitably perpetuates violence. Speakers will share their experience of traveling this narrow road, and also of opening the way for others.

Hope Always Surprises Me
2021-02-14 18:00
Stories of new beginnings with Mikel Azurmendi, sociologist, Carolina Brito, school principal, Fr. Dustin Feddon, founder of Joseph House, Matthew Laracy, founder of the Magnificat Home, Juan Tapia-Mendoza, founder of Pediatrics 2000 and member of SOMOS Community Care, and Gabriel Tunage-Cooper, resident at Joseph House, followed by concluding remarks by Julián Carrón, president of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation
Is it reasonable to hope when we look back at 2020, with all its hardships, uncertainty, injustice, divisions? Yes, if we recognize that the radical neediness we experienced revealed an expectancy, which expresses itself as the desire to keep walking. Even in the worst suffering, even in deepest pain, something in us looks forward. Deep inside us, there is inscribed the promise of a better future. Fr. Giussani once said, “Reality, as it emerges in experience, is so positive that it presents itself as inexorably appealing. Instead of appealing, we might use another word … promising.” Speakers in our last event will share stories of new beginnings.

2021 Sankofa Black Alumni Preaching Series #3
2021-02-16 11:35 - 12:15
Feb. 16 Speaker: Rev. Raymonda Speller
Throughout February, the Office of Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School will feature the 2021 Sankofa Black Alumni Preaching Series to celebrate the distinct contributions of the school’s alumni of African descent. Alumni will preach during four Tuesday worship services online from Goodson Chapel at 11:35 a.m.
The preachers for this year’s series are: the Rev. Dustin Pickett, M.Div. 2016, campus minister for Christian Diversity and Ecumenical Ministry at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio; the Rev. Camille Glover, M.Div. 2013, an attorney in Washington, D.C.; the Rev. Raymonda Speller, M.Div. 2012, senior pastor of Community Congregational Church (UCC) in Montgomery, Ala.; and the Rev. Regina Henderson Moore, M.Div. 1997, owner of the Riverside Consulting Group in Columbia, S.C.
The Sankofa Black Alumni Preaching Series was established in 2014 during Black History Month. The word “sankofa” derives from the Akan language of Ghana and translates as “reach back and get it.”

Traditioned Innovation: A Leadership Foundations Town Hall Series
2021-02-17 10:00
Is it possible to bring together old and new and recover things that have always been? Make sure to register now for the new 6-part LF Town Hall series “Traditioned Innovation” beginning on January 27. We have an amazing lineup of guests joining us to examine how the knowledge of the past positions us to make progress towards the future. We will explore those ancient traditions and practices that can be rediscovered and operationalized in fresh ways as we move forward.
February 17 speaker: Dr. Paul Pribbenow, President of Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN and a Trustee of LF’s Colangelo Carpenter Innovation Center.

Forgiveness and the Healing Practice of Communities: Science & Practice
2021-02-18 17:30 - 18:30
In this lecture, Dr. Robert Enright will present his groundbreaking scientific study of interpersonal forgiveness in the context of the family, school, workplace, house of worship, and world conflict zones. Scientific study has demonstrated how interpersonal forgiveness reduces the emotion of anger, while increasing psychological well-being.
Dr. Enright’s award winning book, “Forgiveness Therapy” (2015, with Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons, published by the American Psychological Association), describes his intervention approach. He has worked on interventions including women who have suffered discrimination, cardiac patients, and children in schools. He has developed ways to assess group forgiveness, that is, the forgiveness of one group by another. He has worked with sample populations in China and Taiwan, North and South Ireland, and with African-American and European-American groups. His work is just beginning to explore the role of forgiveness in the healing of communities.
This event is cosponsored with Divine Mercy University.
Free and open to the public. The event will take place via Zoom webinar. For questions or accommodations, please contact ihe@cua.edu.

Cancelled: Is Public Transgression Redeemable?
2021-02-18 20:00
A Conversation about Forgiveness and the Ethics of Cancel Culture

Speakers:
Christine Emba, Columnist at The Washington Post
Willie Jennings, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale University
Suzanne Nossel, Chief Executive Officer at PEN America
Moderated by Sung Kwang Oh and Lizzie Bond

Hope & Healing for a Hurting Culture: An Online Conversation with Jonathan Haidt & Peter Wehner
2021-02-19 13:30
On February 19 in partnership with Praxis Circle we are thrilled to welcome renowned social psychologist and author of the best-selling book The Righteous Mind, Jonathan Haidt, and New York Times columnist, The Atlantic contributing editor, and Trinity Forum Senior Fellow Pete Wehner.
We hope you will join us for a wide-ranging discussion on the impact of hyper-politicization and polarization, the temptations of illiberalism, the natural tendency towards bias and blind spots in our thinking, and the role of faith in bringing healing and hope to a hurting culture.
Special thanks to our sponsors:
Praxis Circle
Doug & Beth Heimburger
Quinn & Nancy Fox

Dr. Rowan Williams on 'Theology for the Life of the Church'
2021-02-22 11:00 - 13:00
The 2021 annual Anglican Episcopal House of Studies (AEHS) Study Day at Duke Divinity School will be virtual due to COVID-19 restrictions and feature Dr. Rowan Williams, the former archbishop of Canterbury, speaking on “Theology for the Life of the Church.”
The annual Study Day offers clergy, other ministry professionals, and students the chance to learn and reflect on a substantial topic relating to theology and ministry.
This free event is open to all. Registration details will be announced soon.

2021 Sankofa Black Alumni Preaching Series #4
2021-02-23 11:35 - 12:15
Feb. 23 Speaker: Rev. Regina Henderson Moore
Throughout February, the Office of Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School will feature the 2021 Sankofa Black Alumni Preaching Series to celebrate the distinct contributions of the school’s alumni of African descent. Alumni will preach during four Tuesday worship services online from Goodson Chapel at 11:35 a.m.
The preachers for this year’s series are: the Rev. Dustin Pickett, M.Div. 2016, campus minister for Christian Diversity and Ecumenical Ministry at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio; the Rev. Camille Glover, M.Div. 2013, an attorney in Washington, D.C.; the Rev. Raymonda Speller, M.Div. 2012, senior pastor of Community Congregational Church (UCC) in Montgomery, Ala.; and the Rev. Regina Henderson Moore, M.Div. 1997, owner of the Riverside Consulting Group in Columbia, S.C.
The Sankofa Black Alumni Preaching Series was established in 2014 during Black History Month. The word “sankofa” derives from the Akan language of Ghana and translates as “reach back and get it.”

Building a Culture of Solidarity that Works for Mothers and Children
2021-02-23 12:00 - 13:00
The past few years have been a period of intense self-examination for America. Many of us are wondering why things seem to be falling apart, and how we can build a society designed around solidarity and mutual care. Amidst all of these moving parts, it’s vital that we remember to ask how mothers and children are faring in contemporary America. And as we work together to imagine a better country, what do we owe our children, and those who shepherd them into the world?
Panelists:
Jennifer Banks is Senior Executive Editor at Yale University Press where she has been an editor since 2007. A graduate of Cornell University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she has also worked at International Creative Management, Harvard University Press, and the Continuum International Publishing Group (now Bloomsbury). Her book Natality: Reflections on Birth is forthcoming from W. W. Norton. She lives with her husband and three children in New England.
Leah Libresco Sargeant is the author of two books, Arriving at Amen and Building the Benedict Option. She runs “Other Feminisms” a substack community focused on interdependence, not autonomy.
Anne Snyder is the Editor-in-Chief of Comment Magazine and the host of Breaking Ground, a collaborative web commons created in 2020 to try to inspire a dynamic cross-section of thinkers and practitioners to respond to the major crises of this year with wisdom, hope and courage. Anne is also a 2020 Emerson Collective Fellow and the author of The Fabric of Character: A Wise Giver’s Guide to Renewing our Social and Moral Landscape.

Traditioned Innovation: A Leadership Foundations Town Hall Series
2021-02-24 10:00
Is it possible to bring together old and new and recover things that have always been? Make sure to register now for the new 6 part LF Town Hall series “Traditioned Innovation” beginning on January 27. We have an amazing lineup of guests joining us to examine how the knowledge of the past positions us to make progress towards the future. We will explore those ancient traditions and practices that can be rediscovered and operationalized in fresh ways as we move forward.
February 24 speaker: Father James Martin, New York Times Best Selling Author and editor of America magazine. Martin’s books include The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life, and My Life With the Saints. His new book Learning To Pray is out in February.

Faithful Leadership: Race, Politics, and Evangelicalism in America
2021-02-25 - 2021-02-26
We are living in tumultuous times and need God’s wisdom in navigating the troubles we see. Recent events have uncovered the deep divides that not only exist in our nation, but also in the Church. Political divisions, racial strife, and deep polarization mark both the Church within the United States and the republic in which it exists. The CCCU’s Commission for Campus Ministry Directors has put together a conference for members of the CCCU and friends of our community to ask good questions and provide wisdom and guidance in these divided times.
Join Beth Moore, Mark Labberton, Robert Chao Romero, Justin Giboney, Nikki Toyama-Szeto, Russell Moore, Korie Edwards, Jeff Liou, Nathan Cartagena, Shirley Hoogstra, and CCCU campus ministry commissioners, including Lisa Ishihara, Laurel Bunker, Raymond Chang, Rob Fultz, Sarah Snodgrass, Guy Chmieleski, and Jamie Noling-Auth, for this virtual conference designed to equip individuals and teams to think Christianly and critically about topics like critical race theory, Christian nationalism, systemic racism, and how to move forward in truth and grace.

Facing the Anthropocene Webinar with Janet Soskice & Norman Wirzba
2021-02-25 12:00 - 13:00
In the Facing the Anthropocene webinar series, Duke Divinity School Professor Norman Wirzba interviews leading scholars in political economy, history, anthropology, theology, philosophy, environmental humanities, and law, in order to examine the conditions under which a hopeful future might be imagined.
In this webinar of the series, Wirzba interviews Janet Soskice, the William K. Warren Distinguished Research Professor of Catholic Theology at Duke Divinity School. For over 30 years, she was on the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge, where she is professor emerita of philosophical theology. In her work, Soskice explores philosophy of religion, especially religious language and philosophical theology, names for God, gender and ethics, and, in her current project, God and creation. Her books include Metaphor and Religious Language, The Kindness of God, and Sisters of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Discovered the Lost Gospels.
Wirzba is the Gilbert T. Rowe Distinguished Professor of Christian Theology at Duke Divinity and a senior fellow at Duke University’s Kenan Institute for Ethics, which is sponsoring the webinar series.

One Human Family: Christian Reflections on Racism and Science
2021-03-03 15:00 - 16:30
Interface at Regent College offers lectures, articles and other resources that probe and preserve the relationship between theology and science—working toward healing the breach between these disciplines as they have taken shape in our late modern age. In 2020/2021, the Interface project focuses especially on promoting the engagement with science in ministry education at Regent College.
Join us on March 3 as we welcome Dr. Deborah Haarsma, who will give a lunchtime lecture titled One Human Family: Christian Reflections on Racism and Science.
The last year has brought front and centre the ongoing systemic racism in our culture. Many factors contribute to our racism, and sadly, science and medicine are a part of it. Racial disparities in medical care and other services have caused COVID cases and deaths in the United States to be much higher among people of colour. “Science” has been misused to justify atrocities such as the Tuskegee experiments and eugenics. But the evidence from evolutionary biology and genetics does not justify racism. While genetics reveals minor differences in geographical ancestry groups, these genetic differences do not align with cultural racial categories such as “black,” “Asian,” and “white.” In fact, genetics shows that we are a remarkably unified species. The scriptures go further, teaching that every person is made in the image of God and we are to love every neighbour. Both God’s world and God’s word show us that we are one human family.
Dr. Deborah Haarsma is President of BioLogos. She is a frequent speaker on modern science and Christian faith at research universities, churches, and public venues, and her writing appears in several recent books. As a research astronomer, Haarsma has studied galaxy clusters and the expansion of the universe using telescopes around the world and in orbit. She holds a PhD in astrophysics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Haarsma will be giving another lecture on Tuesday, March 2 and participating in a conversation with Dr. David Robinson on Wednesday, March 3.
Learn more about Interface at Regent College here.
This event is made possible through the support of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER). Regent College is currently participating in their Science for Seminaries program.
If you would like to submit questions to Dr. Haarsma during the lecture, please email them to questions@regent-college.edu.

Christian Ministry in Pandemic Times
2021-03-03 19:00 - 20:30
Interface at Regent College offers lectures, articles and other resources that probe and preserve the relationship between theology and science—working toward healing the breach between these disciplines as they have taken shape in our late modern age. In 2020/2021, the Interface project focuses especially on promoting the engagement with science in ministry education at Regent College.
Join us on March 3 for a conversation between Dr. Deborah Haarsma and Regent’s Dr. David Robinson.
The pandemic has dramatically increased the levels of polarization and politicization around science. The word “science” has become a weapon in the culture wars; scientists are vilified and their findings ignored, while conspiracy theories go viral. Sadly, these dynamics are reaching our churches and are even magnified by faith leaders. Yet we must be discerning about science; scientists don’t always get it right and we need far more than science to make good public policy decisions. When should and shouldn’t Christians listen to science? How can Christians bring a faithful witness to the public square? How do we address tensions and misinformation in our churches? Used well, science and medicine can be gifts from God to enhance the church’s ministry in proclaiming the truth, caring for the sick, loving those we disagree with, bringing hope, and discipling the next generation.
Dr. Deborah Haarsma is President of BioLogos. She is a frequent speaker on modern science and Christian faith at research universities, churches, and public venues, and her writing appears in several recent books. As a research astronomer, Haarsma has studied galaxy clusters and the expansion of the universe using telescopes around the world and in orbit. She holds a PhD in astrophysics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Prior to this conversation, Dr. Haarsma will be giving two lectures, the first on March 2 and the second on March 3.
Learn more about Interface at Regent College here.
This event is made possible through the support of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER). Regent College is currently participating in their Science for Seminaries program.

Letting Go: How Philanthropists and Impact Investors Can Do More Good by Giving Up Control
2021-03-04 14:00 - 15:00
In Letting Go (forthcoming, March 2021), Ben Wrobel and Meg Massey tell the story of a growing reform movement inside philanthropy and impact investing – and a debate about power that has the potential to shape the way we fund activists and social entrepreneurs for years to come.
It’s an open secret: philanthropy today is top-heavy and insular. A glance at the world’s largest foundations and impact investment funds reveals that decision-makers tend to be disproportionately white, male, and from backgrounds of privilege. And decisions tend to be made in a closed, opaque way. The result is a competitive marketplace for social innovation, and a funding environment that favors larger, safer projects that don’t challenge the status quo.
This is the story of an alternative approach to funding social change: the grantmakers and investors who have chosen to “let go” by ceding decision-making power to people who have lived experience of the problem at hand. The stories range from a small business loan fund in South Boston that is entirely controlled by working-class residents, to a foundation run by young feminist activists.
As this book reveals, it’s not only possible to flip power dynamics in philanthropy and impact investing – it’s imperative in a world where inequality is reaching a breaking point.

The White Rose
2021-03-04 19:30
View recording of this past event.
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Yesterday marked the 78th anniversary of the deaths of Nazi resisters Hans and Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst, executed by the Third Reich in 1943. Next week, join us online to remember them and celebrate the launch of a new graphic novel telling their story.
As core members of the student group The White Rose, these young people were decidedly antifascist. But their convictions were, in many ways, quite distinct from most who claim the antifa label today. Devout Christians and passionate German patriots, they wrote and distributed a series of leaflets which sought to arouse Germans’ cultural memory and conscience, quoting Schiller, Goethe, Aristotle, and Novalis.
On March 4 at 7:30 PM ET, join Maximilian Probst, Christoph’s grandson; the philosopher Dr. Jennifer Frey of the University of South Carolina; activist Aimee Murphy of Rehumanize International; and youth educator Lisabeth Button for an online conversation to launch Freiheit!, Plough’s new graphic novel about the lives and deaths of the White Rose members. Plough Senior Editor Susannah Black will moderate.

Covid, the Courts, and Religious Liberty
2021-03-05 12:00
Because of the Covid pandemic, many jurisdictions have placed limits on religious worship. Protests that such limits infringe on the religious liberty guarantees of the First Amendment have reached the Supreme Court. What are the permissible limits on religious worship? How can we expect the Supreme Court to rule before its terms ends in June?
Join William Saunders, J.D., director of the IHE M.A. Program in Human Rights, and Mark Rienzi, president of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, for a Faith & Law Friday Forum on the pandemic, religious liberty, and the courts.
Mark Rienzi is Professor at The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, and President of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. He teaches constitutional law, religious liberty, torts, and evidence. He has been voted Teacher of the Year three years in a row, and he is widely published, including in the Harvard Law Review. Mr. Rienzi is Director of the Center for Religious Liberty at the Columbus School of Law. He has broad experience litigating First Amendment cases and represented the winning parties in a variety of Supreme Court First Amendment cases, including Hobby Lobby, Wheaton College, and Holt. Mr. Rienzi and his colleagues at Becket won several important religious liberty cases at the Supreme Court in the past year, including Our Lady of Guadalupe, Little Sisters of the Poor, and Agudath v. Cuomo.
William Saunders, J.D., is the director of the IHE’s M.A. in Human Rights Program at the Catholic University of America. He is a graduate of the Harvard Law School, who has been involved in issues of public policy, law and ethics for thirty years. A regular columnist for the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, Mr. Saunders has written and spoken widely on these topics. Mr. Saunders works closely with Chinese dissident and CUA Distinguished Fellow, Chen Guangcheng, on human rights issues, and he is co-director of the Center for Religious Liberty at the Columbus School of Law. His new book, Unborn Human Life and Fundamental Rights: Leading Constitutional Cases Under Scrutiny, was published in 2019.
