The tenth Veninga Lecture on Religion and Society is just a few weeks away!

The tenth Veninga Lecture on Religion and Society is fast approaching and we can’t wait! Make sure you save the date for:

Tenth Veninga Lecture on Religion and Society:
“Citizen as Witness: A Theology of Grief and Solidarity for a Wounded World.”
The Rev. Dr. Veninga
May 23, 2022 at 7 p.m.
UW Center for Civic Engagement
Veninga Theater
Wausau, WI
And via live stream on the WIPPS Facebook page

WIPPS is proud to welcome Dr. Jennifer Veninga, daughter of the late Dr. Jim Veninga, WIPPS founder and for whom this lecture series is named. This lecture is in person but it will also be live streamed on the WIPPS Facebook page.

The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Veninga, daughter of the late Dr. Jim Veninga, will speak on “Citizen as Witness: A Theology of Grief and Solidarity for a Wounded World.” Drawing on research for her current book project and her recent experience as a hospital chaplain, she will discuss how we are called to bear witness to the historical and present collective trauma and suffering of others.

Jennifer (Jenny) Elisa Veninga has served as a professor in the Department of Religious and Theological Studies at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, for over a decade. The author of “Secularism, Theology and Islam: The Danish Social Imaginary and the Cartoon Crisis of 2005-2006” (Bloomsbury, 2014), her research and teaching interests include Søren Kierkegaard and existentialism, Scandinavian religion and politics, religious pluralism, and feminist and queer theologies.

Jim Veninga, former UW-Marathon County dean, religious studies professor and a founding father of WIPPS, created this annual lecture series to help engage people on religion and its relationship to society. His vision was to bring nationally acclaimed experts in the field to address topics that often are emotionally charged. Although he died in January 2014, his vision lives on through all of WIPPS programs, but most especially through his namesake religion and society lecture series.

The Veninga Lecture is made possible through the support of Bremer and Trollop Law Offices, UW-Stevens Point at Wausau, Mark and Ann Bradley, Christine and Paul Bremer Muggli, Linda and Lane Ware, and Wisconsin Public Radio.