Christianity, Spirituality, and Belief: Challenges and Responses
January 8: Listening and Responding to “The Nones,” the “Dones” and Others
Eden Seminary professor Mai-Anh Le Tran will lead a discussion on understanding and responding to a growing number of persons who are identified as the “nones” in religious polls as well as others who are called the “dones,” those who say they have multiple religious affiliations, and those who say they are “spiritual but not religious.”
January 15: Religious Identity in the “Next Christendom”
The continuously changing cultural and religious landscape of the United States is a reminder that “religion” has always been pluralistic, polarized, and racialized. In this conversation, Dr. Mai-Anh Le Tran will help us discover what it means to negotiate religious identity and belonging within these winds of change and to reckon with the increasing global nature and non-Western centers of Christianity.
January 22: Contesting Religious Belief
Dr. Matt Schunke from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will lead us in addressing these questions: What does it mean to say we live in a secular age and how do we negotiate living in a time in which religious belief is contested? How has the secular age led to movements such as the New Atheists?
January 29: Listening and Responding to the Claims of Atheists
Dr. Matt Schunke from SIUE will address more questions: What is new about the New Atheists in comparison to classical atheism? What is the value of looking at various critiques of religion? Can it help strengthen and deepen belief?