Dawe Lecture to explore how religious traditions can help political process
How can our religious traditions help repair the health of our civil discourse? How can we garner the wisdom of our Jewish and Christian traditions to guide us in restoring a rational and judicious political process? Randi Rashkover — associate professor of religious studies, director of Judaic studies, and director of graduate studies at George Mason University — will present a picture of Jewish and Christian comparative learning at Union Presbyterian Seminary’s Dawe Lecture March 23, 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., 1106 Westwood Avenue, Richmond, Virginia. The lecture is free and open to the public.
“Currently, much of American society is awash with anxiety. Democrats and Republicans alike sit on the edge of their seats waiting and wondering what Donald Trump will do in the first 100 days of his presidential term,” said Dr. Rashkover. “Arguably, much of this anxiety is rooted in the current breakdown in civil discourse as rhetoric overrides reason in social media news feeds. In this vacuum, sentiment and prejudice thrive at the expense of a vibrant discourse of rights and the democratic processes needed to properly care for the needs of all members of our society.”
Dr. Rashkover’s area of expertise includes Jewish philosophy, Jewish-Christian theological relations, and Jewish political thought. Her articles have appeared in journals including, “Modern Theology,” “The Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy,” and “The Journal of Scriptural Reasoning.” Together with professors Peter Ochs and Stanley Hauerwas, she is senior editor of the Stanford University Press book series entitled “Encountering Traditions.”
She is the author of “Revelation and Theozpolitics: Barth, Rosenzweig and the Politics of Praise” and of “Freedom and Law: A Jewish-Christian Apologetics.” And is the editor of several volumes including “Liturgy, Time and the Politics of Redemption” and “Judaism, Liberalism and Political Theology.”
The Dawe Lecture series is funded through The Donald and Nancy Dawe Fund for Emotional and Ethical Growth. The fund was established thanks to a generous gift from Dr. Coleman Longan honoring Donald and Nancy Dawe. Dr. Dawe was professor emeritus of Union Presbyterian Seminary until his death in 2012. The annual lecture series pays tribute to Dr. and Mrs. Dawe and promotes ethical and religious understanding. Because of Professor Dawe’s long-standing interest and commitments in the area of multi-religious and multi-cultural understanding and interfaith dialogue, this lecture series seeks to contribute to deepened awareness and insight in these areas of intellectual and especially practical religious concern.
