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Previous Episodes

Marcia Hermansen, Ph.D. - April 14, 2008 (Apr 17 08 1:09 PM)

Marcia Hermansen, Ph. D. spoke as part of the Chapel Lecture Series on Monday, April 14, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. in Madonna della Strada Chapel. The title of her presentation was "Cultural Worlds/Culture Wars: Islam, Christianity, and Culture in the 21st Century."

Christians and Muslims live their faith today in many cultures. This diversity raises similar, important challenges for members of these religious traditions as well as for those who wonder about religion's role in 'culture wars.' While neither the Bible nor the Qur'an addresses "culture" directly, they both incorporate a broader concept of the "world."

Dr. Hermansen highlighted corresponding debates and positions among Muslims, both in classical works and in contemporary America. Dr. Hermansen also considered how Islam itself has become a polarizing element in 21st century American "culture wars".

Dr. Marcia Hermansen is Professor of Theology at Loyola University Chicago where she teaches courses in Islamic Studies and World Religions. She received her Ph. D. from the University of Chicago in Arabic and Islamic Studies. Her book, The Conclusive Argument from God, was published in 1996. Dr. Hermansen has also contributed numerous academic articles in the fields of Islamic Thought, Sufism, Islam and Muslims in South Asia, Muslims in America, and Women in Islam.

Thomas Reese, S.J. (Apr 11 08 10:38 AM)

Thomas Reese, S.J. spoke as part of the Chapel Lecture Series on Monday, March 10, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. in Madonna della Strada Chapel. The title of his presentation was "Faithful Citizenship."

Red states and blue states. Clinton/Obama or McCain? Catholics have voted for the winner in almost every presidential election since Franklin Roosevelt was elected. What are the "Catholic" issues in the 2008 election? What is the role of the Catholic bishops?

Thomas Reese is a Roman Catholic priest of the Society of Jesus - the Jesuits. He was editor in chief of America Magazine from 1998 to 2005. While editor of America, he redesigned the magazine, hired the first woman editor, increased circulation, established a Web edition and published articles on a wide variety of issues facing the church and the world.

Tom is a widely recognized expert on the U.S. Catholic Church and is frequently cited by journalists. He is author of numerous books including Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church.

Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. - November 12, 2007 (Nov 13 07 9:35 AM)

In the United States the Church suffers wounds of division and incomprehension, which mar the witness of the Church to Christ's peace. In this lecture Timothy Radcliffe OP will look at how we can understand these and seek to overcome them.

Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. is a member of the community at Blackfriars, Oxford, and was Master of the Order of Preachers from 1992 to 2001. He is the author of 4 books, the latest being "What Is the Point of Being A Christian?"

Simone Campbell, SSS - September 17, 2007 (Oct 17 07 3:06 PM)

For many years the political rhetoric in the United States has been polarized, divisive and fear-based. This has driven people further and further apart, while making security and the War on Terrorism the basis of political campaigns. During this time, the United States has drifted further and further from the founding notion of the common good. Sister Simone Campbell explores this fear-based reality from her inside Washington perspective and propose an alternative view based in the Gospel, the pain of our time and the challenge to a faith that lives hope.

Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK since 2004, is a religious leader, attorney and poet with extensive experience in public policy and advocacy for systemic change. In Washington, she lobbies on issues of peace building and economic justice. Around the country, she is a noted speaker and educator on these public policy issues.

Prior to coming to NETWORK, Simone served as the Executive Director of JERICHO, the California interfaith public policy organization that work s like NETWORK to protect the interests of people who are poor. Simone also participated in a delegation of religious leaders to Iraq in December 2002, just prior to the war. Since returning, she has spoken and written extensively on her experience.

Before JERICHO, Simone served as the general director of her religious community, the Sisters of Social Service. She was the leader of her sisters in the United States, Mexico, Taiwan and the Philippines. In this capacity, she negotiated with government and religious leaders in each of these countries.

In 1978, Simone founded and served for 18 years as the lead attorney for the Community Law Center in Oakland, California. She served the family law and probate needs of the working poor of her county.

John Dear, S.J. - October 15, 2007 (Oct 17 07 3:08 PM)

Interfaith nonviolence is our future, John Dear will tell us. All the religions are rooted in nonviolence, even Christianity, and each one of us is called to work for a new world without war, poverty or nuclear weapons, a new world of nonviolence. John Dear, S.J. spoke about the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and other modern peacemakers and their legacy of nonviolence as our only hope, as the only way to look at the world, as the best political solution for each of us personally, nationally and globally. John Dear, S.J. is a Jesuit priest, pastor, peace activist, organizer, lecturer, retreat leader, and the author/editor of 25 books on peace and justice. His most recent book is "Transfiguration." He is also a weekly columnist for the National Catholic Reporter.