October 2017 | Upcoming Events

All events are free and open to the public. For more information, please contact the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom at Virginia Wesleyan University at 757.455.3129 or [email protected].
Voices of Faith Podcast

Hosted by Jim Bergdoll, guests Dr. Jeanette Hablullah, Educator in Islam and Muslim Community Leader, Dr. Michael Panitz, Rabbi of Temple Israel in Norfolk, and Dr. Craig Wansink, Joan P. and Macon F. Brock, Jr., Director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom, discuss immigration, monuments, and hate crimes. Click here to listen.
Gout, Tuberculosis, and Migraines: The Significance of John Calvin's Body on his Thought

REFORMATION SERIES
Thursday, October 19 l 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Blocker Hall Auditorium


How might John Calvin's health help us understand how he came to articulate his theology?  Dr. Craig Wansink shows how the health of John Calvin--the founder of Reformed theology--shaped both his life and theological influence. More...
Islam, Christianity, and Judaism as Instruments for Change in Coastal Virginia

NEXUS INTERFAITH DIALOGUE
Monday, October 23 l 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Boyd Dining Hall

Because society is imperfect, religions obligate followers to uphold and share values that will impact the broader community. In Coastal Virginia, what positive changes result from these efforts? How might such efforts harm public life? Panelists: Dr. Tahani Amer, Peninsula Islamic Community Center and Mosque and Islamic Center of Hampton Roads; Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz, Congregation Beth El (Conservative); Rev. Jack Howell, Trinity Presbyterian (PCA); Dr. Ahmed Noor, Mosque and Islamic Center of Hampton Roads; and Rev. Dr. Sharon Riley, Faith Deliverance Christian Center, Inc. More...
Mapmakers of the Reformation:  The Ascendancy of Protestant Cartographers in the 17th Century

REFORMATION SERIES
Thursday, October 26 l 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Blocker Hall Auditorium


From the late 1500s until the late 1600s, the defiantly Protestant Dutch, centered in Amsterdam, led the world in cartographic innovation, artistry, and publishing.  Looking at the maps and careers of several Dutch masters, William C. Wooldridge discusses how it happened that the greatest mapmakers all adhered to the Reformed faith. More...
Study Away with Purpose
Friday, November 3 l 12 - 1 p.m.
Clarke Hall, The Lighthouse Commons


As a result of working with refugees and others around the world--in areas ranging from Uganda, to Darfur, to Italy-Katie Paul, a senior at Walsh University, shares reflections on issues of immigration, genocide, nonviolence, and restorative justice, telling the stories of those individuals who so often go unheard and reflecting on their search for solutions that restore peace and justice to communities.
12th Annual One Love Festival

Saturday, November 4 l 1 - 9:30 p.m.
Virginia Wesleyan University Campus
 
Visit the One Love Festival website for additional details

Overcoming Bias: Building Relationships across Race, Religion, Gender Identity, and other Differences
1 - 2:20 p.m. l Monumental Chapel
Matthew Freeman

Waging Peace: Beyond Extremism to Our Muslim, American Neighbors Town Hall Discussion
2:30 - 4 p.m. l Boyd Dining Hall
Moderated by Barbara Hamm Lee, host of Another View radio program
 
Largest Drum Circle in the World: For Peace and Global Unity starting in Our Own Community
4 - 5:30 p.m. l Batten Student Center Marlin Grille
Led by Arthur Lopez, Drum Your Dream.com
 
Silently Sitting for Peace
4 - 6 p.m. l Batten Student Center Dance Studio
Participants are invited to sit silently for as long as they wish as an expression of unity and inclusion.
 
Evening Concert: A Tribute to Bob Young and Teens with a Purpose
7 - 9:30 p.m. l Batten Student Center Marlin Grille
Center for the Study of Religious Freedom
 
Dr. Craig Wansink, Professor of Religious Studies and the Joan P. and Macon F. Brock, Jr. Director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom

Kelly Jackson, Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom

Dr.  Eric Mazur, Gloria and David Furman Professor of Judaic Studies and Center for the Study of Religious Freedom Fellow for Religion, Law, and Politics