Faith & Life Lecture Series
Three presentations on the theme:
"We Need to Build: Interfaith Skills for a Diverse Democracy"
with Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith America
All lectures are free and open to the public.
Entrance tickets required.
Feel free to attend one or all three events.
For more information, please call (440) 826-2193.
Lecture Schedule
Resistance and Rebuilding: Faith Heroes and Religious Organizations as Models for Democracy
Wednesday, April 17, 7:30 p.m.
Lindsay-Crossman Chapel
Various faith heroes throughout history have resisted injustice but also gone beyond criticism to build movements, communities and organizations that imagine the world as it could be.
Meanwhile, model religious institutions serve diverse communities by providing hope and sustenance as they work for the common good. Both resistance and rebuilding are needed for a diverse democracy, and these inspiring models can show the way.
Vulnerability and Strength: Faith-based and Interfaith Skills for a Diverse Democracy
Thursday, April 18, 10 a.m.
Lindsay-Crossman Chapel
Faith traditions can provide guidance for when to be vulnerable and when to be strong as we encounter people and positions different from our own and work across the aisle to build a better society. Drawing on examples from faith traditions and interfaith encounters, the overlap between interfaith skills and democratic values will be illuminated.
Interactive Session: Practicing Interfaith Skills for a Diverse Democracy
Thursday, April 18, 2 p.m.
Strosacker Hall, Sandstone Three
This session will be a guided exercise that will serve as an experiential opportunity to practice the interfaith skills that have been discussed in the previous lectures as we all work together to build a strong and diverse democracy.
About Eboo Patel
Eboo Patel is an author, speaker, educator, interfaith leader and civic leader who believes that religious diversity is an essential and inspiring dimension of American democracy.
Named "one of America's best leaders" by U.S. News and World Report, Eboo is the founder and president of Interfaith America, the leading interfaith organization in the United States. Under his leadership, Interfaith America has worked with governments, universities, private companies and civic organizations to make faith a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division.
Eboo served on President Obama's Inaugural Faith Council, has given hundreds of keynote addresses, and has written five books, including "We Need to Build: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy." He is an Ashoka Fellow and holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship. Eboo lives in Chicago with his wife, Shehnaz, and their two sons. Learn more >>
About the Faith & Life Lecture Series
The annual event brings national spiritual leaders to campus. It is designed to nourish spiritual life and enhance the influence of the various faith traditions at Baldwin Wallace University.
About the Voices of Discovery Lecture Series
Baldwin Wallace University is pleased to offer another "Voices" speaker series during the 2023-24 academic year, including a campus-wide Path of Totality Solar Eclipse event on Monday, April 8, 2024. All events are free, and some may have limited seating or require tickets. Guests may park in any BW lot. Please do not park on city streets.
The BW "VOICES" Tradition
With the support of generous donors and underwriters, BW annually brings to campus top speakers and performers, often around a theme, to challenge and inspire students.
In recent years, "Voices" lineups have featured award-winning actor Sterling K. Brown, CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, "Shark Tank" entrepreneur Daymond John and others.