In our time at Concordia, a divide among Christian students across campus has always been present. Different Christian groups, such as The Remedy, Cru (the campus ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ), and Campus Ministry Commission, are all well-established on our campus and populated by students looking for worship experiences, service opportunities, Bible studies and…
The beginning to finding the answer is by bridging gaps through storytelling. The author of “Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious,” Chris Stedman, urged everyone in the Centrum last Sunday night to find a way to understand religious differences though sharing their own stories. Senior Andreas Rekdal had talked to Stedman…
In a quiet classroom tucked in the halls of Bishop Whipple, a new student organization has been meeting: a secular club. Despite the administration’s failure to bestow official recognition on the group, the Concordia Student Secular Community has already made its mark by helping bring in Chris Stedman last Sunday, and has plans to continue…
Our semester opened with a renowned interfaith speaker—“Acts of Faith” author Eboo Patel—and has closed with another one: Chris Stedman, author of “Faitheist.” My first column this semester, following Patel’s opening convocation talk, opined that there was still much work to be done in order to meet the praise that Mr. Patel attributed to this…
Students will delve into learning about collapsed cultures in next semester’s new religion class “Encountering Despair and Radical Hope.” The class was awarded a grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities last March. “We’ll look at the way individuals have responded to radical cultural breakdown,” said Stewart Herman, professor of religion and one of…
Both a new film studies minor and a new religion concentration were passed at last month’s Faculty Senate meeting. The motion to approve a new film studies minor was carried unanimously the Oct. 15 meeting. “I think it will be very exciting for faculty to have a film minor,” said Richard Gilmore, professor of philosophy….
When I think of what I tolerate, a few things come to mind. I tolerate long lines at Starbucks to receive my passion tea lemonade. I tolerate commercials during my favorite TV shows. I do not, however, simply “tolerate” those with religious beliefs, sexualities, or ethnicities that differ from my own. Tolerance, on the surface,…
The Concordia Secular Student Community submitted its intent to be an official student organization September 26th, starting the one- to two-month process for recognition. Controversy looms large over the group according to the group’s founder and faculty advisor, leaving it questionable as to whether or not the club will gain official recognition. “Seculars are a…
Concordia students want to talk about religious pluralism, but some students do not feel accepted on campus, according to results from a recent survey. A campus religious and spiritual climate survey conducted last spring and released last month showed that 99 percent of student respondents had a medium to high rate toward religious pluralism, or…
When you think of sports, you probably think some of the following: body paint on a middle-aged man’s beer belly; chest-bumps; foam fingers that read “#1”; a 300-plus-pound behemoth of an athlete nicknamed Tiny; and religion. Whoa, wait; double-take. Religion? That’s exactly right. After the 2011-2012 National Football League season, it’s probably true for many…