The Rev. Dr. Andrea Ng’weshemi, assistant
professor of religion and Dana’s campus pastor, said
the topic of communication between Christians and Muslims was
inspired by on-going global events.
“ In the Nov. 2, 2004, issue of The Christian Century
magazine, part of an editorial comment reads, ‘Most Americans,
including most American Christians, are woefully ill-informed
about Islam.’” Recent studies suggest that one
in every five people worldwide is Muslim. With some 1.3 billion
believes, Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion,
spreading across the globe, with mosques mushrooming in America’s
major cities.
“ This development raises a number of questions,” Ngweshemi
said. “One may wonder, why is Islam growing at such pace
both globally and locally? In what ways does the American form
of Islam relate to or differ from Islam in the rest of the
world? What does such expansion of Islam mean to Christianity,
and how does Christianity respond to this situation? Are there
any ideas or practices that can bring Muslims and Christians
together for the common good? These are some of the issues
which Dr. Shelley will address.”
Shelley’s major address will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday,
April 21 in Trinity Chapel. He will also be the guest speaker
at the Service of the Word at 10:30 a.m., also in Trinity Chapel
on April 21. Other lectures will include a presentation to
Dana seniors at 11 a.m. on April 21 and a class discussion
at 10 a.m. on April 22 in the Gardner Lecture Hall. All lecture
locations are in the Margre Henningson Durham Center, and are
free and open to the public.
Shelley earned his bachelor’s degree from the University
of Toledo, his master’s of divinity from Trinity Lutheran
Seminary, his master’s of theology in mission and ecumenism
from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and his doctorate
in Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations from the University
of Birmingham, England. He served in Egypt under the ELCA’s
Division for Global Mission for 24 years. He lives in Chicago,
where he is interim director of the Doctor of Ministry Program
and visiting professor of world religions at the Lutheran School
of Theology at Chicago.
The Staley Distinguished Christian Scholar Series is a project
of the Thomas F. Staley Foundation of New York. This Lectureship
was established in the fall of 1969 by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
F. Staley of Rye, New York, in memory of their parents, Dr.
and Mrs. Thomas F. Staley and Judge and Mrs. H.H. Haynes. The
Thomas F. Staley Foundation is firmly persuaded that the message
of the Christian gospel, when proclaimed in its historical
fullness, is always contemporary, relevant and meaningful to
any generation. To this end, the Foundation seeks to bring
to the college and university campuses of America distinguished
scholars/artists who truly believe and can clearly communicate
the Christian gospel to students.
Dana College is a place where all students actively participate.
They make things happen — in their own lives and in the
lives of others. Through a highly supportive faculty and campus
community, Dana students develop interpersonal skills, leadership
abilities, and other important values and knowledge as they
make choices about their future. Dana’s outstanding academic
programs in business, education and social work, among others,
ensure that students have the knowledge, skills and experience
necessary to pursue challenging careers or placement in graduate
school.
Dana College is a private, liberal arts institution in Blair,
Neb. To learn more, visit www.dana.edu.
Dana College: Develop talents, Take charge, Build a future — We’re
with you all the way.
— END—
For more information contact:
Sarah Cavanah
Communications Coordinator
Dana College
(402) 426-7216
scavanah@dana.edu |
