Notes from the Quad Spring 2004

Notes from the Quad

SPRING 2004

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CONTENTS
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  • Pastor of Excellence Scholarship - DEADLINE EXTENDED
  • Annual Fund Update
  • March Events
  • “Speaking of Faith” in DC
  • “Reflections” Re-Launched

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THE NEWS
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DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR PASTOR OF EXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIP

Until April 1, Nominate Your Pastor For a Yale Divinity School Summer Term Scholarship

If you think your pastor is one of the best in the country, you may want to nominate him or her for a scholarship to Yale Divinity School Summer Term in June, 2004.

The Summer Term is a series of one-week courses - in subject areas from history to the arts to Biblical scholarship - taught by the faculty of Yale Divinity School, The Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. Courses will be held on the YDS campus in New Haven.

Ten scholarships of $1000 are available to defray fee, room, board and travel expenses. Check out the Web site (http://summerstudy.yale.edu/) for course information and to fill out a nomination form. Deadline for nominations is March 1, 2004. Please call (203) 432-6550 with questions or to register.

Courses include:

  • Major Poets in the Christian Tradition
  • Ministering to those Called to the Marketplace: Overcoming the Sunday-Monday Gap
  • Pauline Ethics
  • Writing Workshop: Poetry as Theology
  • The Book of Revelation
  • Outreach Ministries of Black Churches: From Prayer to Practice
  • Preaching from the Lectionary
  • Heavenly Glory on Earth: The Art of Icon Painting in the Orthodox Church: Theory and Practice
  • Mentoring as a Practice of Ministry
  • Johann Sebastian Bach’s Vocal Music: New Findings, New Editions, New Understandings
  • Planning and Presiding in the Post-Modern World
  • Anglican Spirituality
  • The Psalms and Hours of Prayer in the Christian Tradition: The Historical Sources and Present Day Traditions
  • Interreligious Dialogue: The Parliamaent of World Religions

ANNUAL FUND UPDATE

So far, so good. We have raised over $300,000 to date, but we still need $150,000 to meet our goal by June 30th.

Scholarship gifts make an enormous difference in the life of a student. For some, the amount of their scholarship offer will determine their ability to attend YDS. For others, the amount they had to borrow for their Divinity School education will determine their debt burden for years, sometimes decades, after graduation.

You can make a difference by providing scholarship support for students through the YDS Annual Fund, 100% of which provides direct support for student scholarships.

Rededicate yourself to YDS just as you help YDS celebrate its own Season of Rededication. 

BIG EVENTS ON CAMPUS IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS OF MARCH

March 25 & 26 - Conference on Religion and the Media

March 25
The Belief Beat: How the American Media Cover Religion
Panel discussion with Journalists
7:00 p.m.
Marquand Chapel
Reception Following

How does the news impact religion, and how does religion shape the news?
Is it possible for journalists who cover religion to keep their faith and profession separate?
Why does the media seem interested in religion only when there is controversy?
Is there a pro- or anti- religious bias in the news generally?
How well do the media cover the religious dimensions of contemporary political stories?

These are just some of the questions that will undoubtedly come up in Yale Divinity School’s panel on religion and journalism, featuring a discussion with a panel of respected journalists.

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March 26
Faculty Panel Discussion of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of Christ”
Featuring A.J. Levine and William Fulco, plus Yale faculty
1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Marquand Chapel

On Ash Wednesday, the much-anticipated film, The Passion of the Christ opened in theaters across the country, ending a year of speculation as to how the movie’s creator, Mel Gibson, has painted the final 12 hours of the life of Jesus Christ. On Friday, March 26th, YDS and ISM will host a scholarly discussion of the film.

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March 30
SPECIAL EVENT
Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State
“The Mighty and the Almighty: American Foreign Policy and God”

4:00 pm
Marquand Chapel
Reception Following

Madeleine Korbel Albright served as the 64th Secretary of State of the United States. She was the first woman Secretary of State and is the highest ranking woman in the history of the US government.

As Secretary, Dr. Albright reinforced America’s alliances, advocated democracy and human rights, and promoted American trade and business, labor, and environmental standards abroad.

Accomplishments during former Secretary Albright ’s tenure included the expansion and modernization of NATO and NATO’s successful campaign to reverse ethnic cleansing in Kosovo; the promotion of peace in the Balkans; the reduction of nuclear dangers from Russia; the expansion of democracy in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America; the expansion of our multifaceted relationship with China including trade as well as human rights; and the growth of trade in the Americas, in Africa through the African Growth Opportunity Act, and through the conclusion of hundreds of other agreements that facilitated American business overseas. In June 2000, she and representatives from every region of the world convened the first ever conference of democracies.

Please contact James Ebert to receive more information:
(203) 432-3871 or email james.ebert@yale.edu

YDS PROFESSOR MIROSLAV VOLF ON MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO’S “SPEAKING OF FAITH”

Last month, YDS professor, Miroslav Volf was interviewed by “Speaking of Faith” host and YDS alum, Krista Tippett in front of a live audience of 200 at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The show, which focuses on violence and Christianity, airs this week (March 11).

“Speaking of Faith” is a regular series of programs produced by Minnesota Public Radio and distributed by Public Radio International. Speaking of Faith does not always have “religion” itself as a subject, but it grapples with common and larger themes of American life—asking how perspectives of faith might offer illumination.

As a journalist, Krista Tippett has observed the difficulty of journalism—which is necessarily objective and critical in tone—to penetrate intellectual and spiritual subjects and communicate the integrity of perspectives of faith. Deeply religious ideas often sound extreme or trivial when presented in an objective news format. The stridency of religious language in headline news has only made educated people of faith more hesitant to speak in openly religious ways—even when religious belief and practice are their best resources for moral commentary and civic engagement.

“Speaking of Faith” asks how perspectives of faith might illuminate the universal questions of humanity. What fresh vocabulary might they offer us? What distinctive perspectives could they contribute to our public dialogue? What new ways forward?

Click here to see where and when the show airs in your town.

“REFLECTIONS” RE-BORN

After nearly a decade of hibernation, the YDS scholarly magazine, “Reflections” is back. In this first issue, we look at violence and theology. Essays on the topic by YDS professors, including John J. Collins, Serene Jones, Miroslav Volf and Siobhan Garrigan are accompanied by poetry, book reviews and a CD of Professor Volf’s appearance on “Speaking of Faith.” Alumni and friends who receive “Spectrum” can look forward to receiving “Reflections” in early April.

March 9, 2004