Luther College hosts Interfaith Forum on April 4-6

Luther College presents a three-day Interfaith Forum, where international scholars, partitioners of interfaith collaboration and faith leaders of the Midwest gather to help engage the campus in an assembly about the challenges of interfaith existence and collaboration. This event will take place on the Luther College campus from Thursday, April 4 to Saturday, April 6.

Intended to foster conversations and promote interfaith collaborations, Luther’s Interfaith Forum will include a collection of discussions, workshops, panels and classes.
The Interfaith Forum begins with the plenary “Challenges to Interfaith Collaboration,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4, in the Recital Hall of the Center for Faith and Life followed by a reception. This event will feature Arie Kizel, University of Haifa; Louis Komjathy, University of San Diego; and Nun Katherine Weston, Superior at St. Xenia Metochion Monastery. This event is open to the public with no charge for admission.

Friday will be a full day of activities including two sessions of workshops, such as Arie Kizel’s “How to Engage Holocaust Education Outside the Jewish Domain,” Louis Komjathy’s “Developing a Contemplative Approach to Interreligious Dialogue” and Nun Katherine Weston’s “Encountering the Other: Race, Faith and Culture.” There will be an interfaith chapel session between the workshop sessions at 10:30 a.m. in the Main Hall of the Center for Faith.

Two interfaith worship sessions will be held Friday afternoon. These worships will include a shamanic journey with Amy Chicos of Decorah, Iowa, a zen meditation with Laura Myoko Demuth of Decorah, Iowa, and a Hindu worship with Pt Upreti of the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center in Des Moines, Iowa. The day will end with a special topic event, “Religious Bigotry and Interfaith Collaborations in the Midwest,” led by Timothy Knepper of Drake University and Kathy Garms from the Abdelakder Project at 6 p.m. in Olin Hall, Room 102. This will be followed by a reception.

Saturday will include three panels with students from Luther College, Drake University and Simpson College. Along with these panels, Kathy Garms from the Abdelakeder Education Project will host two workshops and there will be two Inter-faith Youth Core discussions “Foundations of Interfaith Leadership” and “Tackling Challenging Conversations.”

This event is made possible by Luther College’s Center for Ethics and Public Engagement, Center for Intercultural Engagement and Student Success, College Ministries, Luther’s department of religion, and the women and gender studies program.

A national liberal arts college with an enrollment of 2,005, Luther offers an academic curriculum that leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree in more than 60 majors and pre-professional programs. For more information about Luther visit the college’s website: http://www.luther.edu.