Veninga Lecture: When Faiths Collide

In recent decades, there has been increased scholarly and public interest in how religious beliefs, practices, and values shape societies, and the motivating factors behind these developments; therefore, this lecture series helps inform the public on the relationship between religious ideas, practices, and movements, and politics and the development of public policy. As a non-partisan program, it will represent a broad spectrum of perspectives and will have a statewide, national and global framework and impact. The Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service, a component of the UW Colleges and UW-Extension, seeks to address these and other issues of interest to the public by linking public scholarship, civic outreach, and student service to enhance community life throughout Wisconsin.

Speaking to the scope of the series, Veninga notes, “It is an honor for me, of course, but what is important is that we will have the opportunity to learn from some great scholars who have thought deeply and written widely about the connections between religion and politics, at home and abroad. I am hoping that the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service will pull from the presentations key ideas and help circulate those ideas to citizens across the state.”

The inaugural event will feature guest speaker Martin Marty, one of the most lauded public scholars of American religion in the world, addressing the topic “When Faiths Collide: What happens to the Common Good”. This event is scheduled for Oct. 17, 2012, at 7 p.m., at the UW Center for Civic Engagement Theatre on the UWMC campus. Dr. Marty is the author of “World Christianity: A Global History”, an ordained Lutheran minister, and a National Humanities Medalist and a medalist of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The Martin Marty Center, named in his honor as an arm of the University of Chicago Divinity School, is testimony of his mission to advance “public religious” endeavors. For more on Dr. Marty, see: uchicago.edu.

This lecture series project has received the endorsement of UW-Marathon County, UW-Marathon County Foundation, UW Colleges, and the B.A. and Esther Greenheck Foundation.