Forum on Religions, Spirituality, and Culture

In the academic year of 2015–16, the Faculty of the Department for Studies of Religions and Spirituality inaugurated its Forum on Religions, Spirituality, and Culture.  The Latin term “forum” originates from a Sanskrit term that means “door,” “gate,” or “passage.”  The Latin term literally refers to “the outside,” the “outdoors,” metaphorically signifying a public place or the marketplace.  In ancient Rome, the term “forum” designated an open space, a public place or courtyard, in which people could gather for discussion of, debate about, and deliberation on important issues, events, or decisions, a marketplace for the exchange of important ideas.

With this Forum, the Faculty in the Department for Studies of Religions and Spirituality aims to provide public opportunities in which to exchange information about important religious or spiritual experiences, phenomena, events, and ideas, offering such reports and research for discussion, debate, and deliberation.  In this venue, members from all major intersecting spheres of the academic community (faculty, staff, and students), as well as both scholars and practitioners of religions and spiritualities outside the community of the College, share and discuss their religious and spiritual experiences, their interests in academic studies of religions and spiritualities, and their research about religions, spiritualities, and cultures with diverse audiences on campus.

The Department of Religion typically holds this Forum several times during both the Fall and Spring semesters of each academic year.  This series of lectures, discussions, and presentations broadly focuses on ways in which religions and spiritualities emerge as expressions of the spiritual dimension of human culture.  The Forum examines instances in which religions and spiritualities, or other religious or spiritual phenomena shape or influence contemporary cultural concerns, on the one hand, and ways in which larger cultures shape or influence religious and spiritual cultural phenomena and concerns, on the other hand.

The Forum has provided public opportunities to consider a wide variety of religious and spiritual phenomena, experiences, events, ideas, and perspectives.  The following list of previous topics illustrates the wide range of interests and ideas that the Forum addresses:

  • Zack Thomas, “Why Ancient Greek Religion Matters,” Berea College, Draper Building, Room 114 (19 January 2016, 5:00 p.m.) (Co-Sponsor: The Center for International Education);
  • Hsiao-Lan Hu, Ph.D. (University of Detroit, Mercy), “Solidarity with the Deprived: Buddhism, Same-Sex Marriage, and Social Activism in Taiwan,” Berea College, Science Building, Room 106 (3 February 2016, 5:30 p.m.) (Co-Sponsors: Department of Asian Studies; and Department for Women and Gender Studies);
  • Jeff B. Pool, Ph.D. (Berea College), “Equine Spirituality: Heart of the Horse-Human Partnership,” Berea College, Draper Building, Room 114 (15 March 2016, 5:00 p.m.) (Co-Sponsor: Department of Health and Human Performance);
  • Sarah Caudill “LDS and LGBT? A Mormon Woman’s Experience,” Berea College, Draper Building, Room 114 (12 April 2016, 5:00 p.m.) (Co-Sponsors: Willis D. Weatherford, Jr. Campus Christian Center and the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies);
  • Samantha Drew, “EncouragementLink Internship: A Report,” Berea College, Draper Building, Room 114 (23 October 2018, 5:30 p.m.);
  • Madeline Rislow, Ph.D. (Missouri Western State University), “Re-Using Iconic Christian Art: Considering Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel as a Model for the Contemporary Precious Moments Chapel,” Berea College, Frost Building, Room 218 (29 October 2018, 6:00 p.m.) (Co-Sponsor: Department of Art and Art History);
  • Colton Honeycutt, “The Cultivate Network: Church Planting and Revitalization Today,” Berea College, Draper Building, Room 308 (7 February 2019, 5:00 p.m.);
  • Sunshine Cogar, “Chicago Crossroads: Re-Envisioning the Mission,” Berea College, Draper Building, Room 308 (21 February 2019, 5:00 p.m.);
  • Emma Reasoner, “Cheetahs and Christianity: Wildlife Conservation and Religion in Namibia,” Berea College, Draper Building, Room 308 (14 March 2019, 5:00 p.m.);
  • Sr. Mary-Reginald Anibueze, Ph.D., “To Be or Not to Be: Christian-Muslim Relations in West Africa, Nigeria,” Berea College, Draper Building, Room 308 (28 March 2019, 5:00 p.m.);
  • Emily Watkins, “Where Neighbors Help Neighbors,” Berea College, Draper Building, Room 308 (26 September 2019, 5:00 p.m.);
  • Anna Heremes, “Teaching in the Context of the Church,” Berea College, Draper Building, Room 308 (4 October 2019, 5:00 p.m.);
  • Brooke Willis, “Serving the Orphaned and Vulnerable,” Berea College, Draper Building, Room 308 (24 October 2019, 5:00 p.m.);
  • Jeff B. Pool, Ph.D., “On Spiritual Journeys,” Berea College, Draper Building, Fireside Room of Danforth Chapel (31 October 2019, 12:00 p.m.);
  • Mary-Margaret Curley and Maya Rosener, “Faith through Fun,” Berea College, Draper Building, Room 308 (7 November 2019, 5:00 p.m.); and
  • Thomas J. Oord, Ph.D., “Ten Reasons That the Science-and-Religion Dialogue Matters,” Berea College, MAC Building, Room 455 (14 November 2019, 6:00 p.m.).
  • Brent Walsh and April VanLonden (Earlham School of Religion), “Picking-Up the Pieces: Religious Engagement for Transgender and Non-Binary People,” Berea College, Draper Building, Room 308 (20 February 2020, 5:00 p.m.) (Co-Sponsor: Department of Women’s and Gender Studies);
  • Megan Hoffman, Ph.D., “Science and Faith,” Berea College, Draper Building, Room 308 (27 February 2020, 5:00 p.m.);
  • Britany Ortiz-Perez “Old Tom: A Summer in Utila,” Berea College, Draper Building, Room 308 (19 March 2020, 5:00 p.m.);
  • Dorothy Dean, Ph.D., “Freedom from Oppression: The Christian Liberation-Tradition,” Berea College, Draper Building, Room 308 (2 April 2020, 5:00 p.m.);