In an age in which religion is associated as much with violence as benevolence, where propositions of faith are often framed as oppositional to modern science, and one-fifth of all Americans self-identify as “none of the above” with regard to religion, the Bannan Institute will publicly engage one the most significant questions of our time: What Good Is God?
Through a series of lectures and facilitated dialogues with scientists, philosophers, literary scholars, engineers, theologians, poets, artists, and educators, the Bannan Institute will explore the significance of secular and religious culture in civil society (fall quarter); engage the questions and resources of emergent scientific, technological, and religious paradigms (winter quarter); and consider the nature and role of religion within higher education (spring quarter).
Lectures will be held at:
Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, 95053
See listings for room locations.
Spring 2014: God and the University
Religion in Higher Education
Early universities within the United States were largely established to advance the ideals of liberal education within a religious moral framework. In the last century, however, the academy has become widely ambivalent about the place of “God” in the broader discourse of a university. This quarter’s lecture series will ask why, as we consider the role of religion within higher education in the United States.
| Apr 15 ,2014 The Fragility of Faith How Can a Thinking Person Still Believe in God? Michael McCarthy, S.J. |
McCarthy considers the role of “God” at academic institutions. – See more |
| Apr 22 , 2014 Containment or Engagement? The Shifting Role of Religion in Higher Education Julie Reuben, Jack Jacobsen, & Rhonda Hustedt Jacobsen |
Panel featuring Julie Reuben, Jake Jacobsen, & Rhonda Hustedt discuss the impact of educational reforms on university religious engagement and the increasing importance of such engagement. – See more |
| Apr 30, 2014 What Good is God outside of Religious Studies? Interdisciplinary Reflections on the God Phyllis Brown |
Panel featuring Brian Buckley, Kristin Kusanovich, Leilani Miller, & Tom Plante considering the question of “What good is God” from the perspective of their fields. – See more |
| May 7, 2014 What Good Is God for Grief and Loss? Psychology Meets Philosophy: An Interdisciplinary Research Study David Feldman & Robert Gressis |
This presentation considers the role of religious belief on experiences of loss and death anxiety. – See more |
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February 28 – March 1, 2014 Robert W. Scholla, S.J. and Sarita Tamayo-Moraga, Ph.D., 20 Jun 2014 – |
This retreat offers faculty and staff an opportunity for personal prayer and reflection as we begin the summer months. – See more |