Understanding Religious Freedom | Spring 2024 by Virginia Wesleyan University

A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E R O B E RT N U S B A U M C E N T E R AT V I R G I N I A W E S L E YA N U N I V E R S I T Y

DIVERSITY

DIALOGUE

FAITH

FREEDOM

LEADERSHIP THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

SPRING 2024

LEADING FOR CHANGE

LEADERSHIP THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY L

eadership is a concern. In politics, the overwhelming majority of Americans do not want to see a rematch of the two 2020 presidential candidates. In terms of business strategies, Sam Altman and Elon Musk have been the focus of critical conversation on what constitutes effective leadership. In university leadership, former Harvard President Claudine Gay and former University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill have faced career-ending criticism. In global dynamics, many people are critical–or supportive–of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Hamas in ways that they aren’t as critical, in general, of Ukranians, Russians, Israelis, or Palestinians. Each of us has some idea of what constitutes ineffective–bad or ugly–leadership: sometimes specific traits or ideals; sometimes an inability to motivate others; sometimes a desire to appeal to people’s worst instincts; sometimes the intentional use of a leadership role to benefit oneself. We at the Center wanted to see how the majority of people who use the internet see “leadership.” So we went to Midjourney, a generative Artificial Intelligence program that can be used to create images based on the prompt submitted. When we typed the prompt “21st century leadership,” the images generated had almost an apocalyptic tone to them, in each case with one man looking to the future. When we submitted the prompts “men in leadership” and “women in leadership,” a marked difference between the two was evident. As you can see in the four-part images here, the “men in leadership” prompt resulted in four images of a solitary individual, clearly in charge and frequently in a military kind of setting. The prompt “women in leadership,” conversely, depicting women leaders not as individuals, but in a group or in aggregate. With all that in mind, this semester the Center focuses on what leadership means to us, why we seem to be particularly discontent with leaders at this time in American life, and how we might think about leadership in new ways. To that end, this semester we focus on failures of some leadership (for example, as seen in the Boy Scouts of America). In this centennial year of Adolf Hitler’s imprisonment, we look at how democracy was destroyed from within Germany. But we also see how humor and the fine arts are used in leadership, how women of faith have found creative ways to lead from within, how Artificial Intelligence can be used by anyone seeking to help others, how deliberative dialogue can lead beyond nonproductive arguments, how mediating conflict is an important tool, and how grassroots leadership–at the community level–is essential in making real change in the world. We look forward to your joining us for these important–and relevant–conversations. With appreciation,

Craig and Kelly

NUSBAUM LECTURE JUSTINE L. NUSBAUM LECTURE

Thursday, February 15 | 7–8 PM BROCK COMMONS

A Jew, a Christian, and Spiritual Audacity The Leadership of Allies during the Civil Rights Era MICHAEL PANITZ, PH.D. “At the first conference on religion and race, the main participants were Pharaoh and Moses… The outcome of that summit meeting has not come to an end. Pharaoh is not ready to capitulate. The exodus began, but is far from having been completed. In fact, it was easier for the children of Israel to cross the Red Sea than for a Negro to cross certain university campuses. ” With these words, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel established himself as a critically important ally of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Moreover, as a Jewish ally of the Civil Rights Movement, Heschel reminded Americans of all colors and creeds of the importance of direct action or activism. As he expressed it, “When I marched in Selma [Alabama], I felt my legs were praying.” This annual endowed lectureship pays tribute to the life of Justine Nusbaum, a local humanitarian who was born in 1900 and whose compassion and generosity reached people of diverse religions, races, and nationalities.

Heschel and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Arlington National Cemetery, February 6, 1968 Photo Credit: JOHN C. GOODWIN

Michael Panitz, Ph.D., has been Rabbi at Temple Israel, Norfolk, since 1992. He completed his Ph.D. in Jewish history at Jewish Theological Seminary in 1989, he researches and publishes regularly on Jewish history and theology, and he has taught as an adjunct professor at Virginia Wesleyan for 25 years. His leadership in interfaith dialogue was instrumental in establishing the Nexus dialogues at Virginia Wesleyan and in his having been honored with the Humanitarian Award of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities.

Thursday, February 22 | NOON–1 PM | BROCK COMMONS

How Democracy was Destroyed from Within Interwar Germany, Hitler, and the Rise of Fascism SARA SEWELL, PH.D. On November 8/9, 1923, Adolf Hitler led the Nazi Party in a failed insurrection in Munich. Known as the “Beer Hall Putsch,” the attempted coup marked an effort to topple the nascent German democratic republic. One hundred years ago in spring 1924, Hitler was tried and convicted of high treason. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but by December 1924, he was released. While he was incarcerated, Hitler penned his semi-autobiographical political treatise, Mein Kampf (My Struggle), which laid out his Nazi or fascist ideology. This presentation will explain how and why the Germans dismantled their own democracy. Sara Sewell, Ph.D., is Professor of History and has been at VWU since 2002. Her research has focused in particular on German history, communism, fascism, and the Weimar Republic.

Adolf Hitler in Landsberg prison, 1924

PROGRAMMING Thursday, February 29 | NOON -1 PM BROCK COMMONS

Thursday, February 29 | NOON–1 PM | BROCK COMMONS

C.S. Lewis, Leadership, and Laughter

Narnia and Teaching Middle School Students CAROLINE JOSEPH, MAT; CARY JOSEPH, MAT; TERRY LINDVALL, PH.D.; AND BILL McCONNELL, PH.D.

n a world where TikTok is alluring, where Instagram can reduce attention spans, and where almost every student struggles with issues relating to their identity, Caroline and Cary Joseph show how humor can be an effective tool in the classroom, as it engages, excites, motivates, and creatively distracts students. Their father/father-in-law, Terry Lindvall, Ph.D., joins them in showing how the thought and wit of C. S. Lewis–even when it is 80 years old–provides helpful insights in 2024. Join us as these three reflect on education and humor in their book Laughter from Narnia: Teaching Laughter to Middle School Students, and as Bill McConnell, VWU’s Director of Teacher Education, offers additional insights and a response. Cary Joseph, MAT, and Caroline Joseph, MAT, have worked as fresh, innovative, and caring seventh-grade English teachers at Old Donation School for the Gifted, where they have had plenty of opportunities to recognize what works and what doesn’t work in the classroom. Their co-author, Terry Lindvall, Ph.D., has recognized the value of laughter in his teaching and work at VWU, and in his relationship with his daughter and son-in-law. Bill McConnell, Ph.D., is the Director of Teacher Education at VWU and taught for Chesapeake Public Schools for 18 years in three different schools before he came to VWU.

Thursday, April 11 | NOON–1 PM | PEARCE SUITE

Tell All the Truth, But Tell It Slant Leading Social Change through Urgency, Poetry of Witness, and Writing in the Face of Fear SARA RYAN, PH.D.

olitude, tranquility, silence–these are often words that arise as one imagines a poem being written or read. However, in the poetry of those who have survived extremity, disaster, or traumatic personal or historical events, the poetic language with which they relay their experiences speaks volumes and stirs social change. Poetry of witness, coined by Carolyn Forché, ”is a mode of reading rather than of writing, of readerly encounter with the literature of that-which-happened.” Poetry is how poets present their truth to the world, and in writing what they have witnessed, poets “tell it slant,” borrowing from Emily Dickinson’s adage, and present their truth, balancing the uncomfortable and comfortable with history and experience. This presentation will discuss the power of urgency, the weight of silence, and our myriad tasks as readers to receive and understand truth.

Sara Ryan, Ph.D., MFA, is completing her first year at VWU as an Assistant Professor of English. She is the award-winning author of I Thought There Would Be More Wolves (Permafrost Poetry Book Prize 2020) and two chapbooks, Excellent Evidence of Human Activity and Never Leave the Foot of an Animal Unskinned. Her work has appeared in Kenyon Review, Brevity, Prairie Schooner, Poetry Northwest, and elsewhere.

N E X U S I N T E R F A I T H D I A LO G U E

Thursday, March 7 | 7–8:15 PM BROCK COMMONS

A dynamic group of women of faith share their experiences and insights on their journeys to become agents of change in the community. These remarkable women represent diverse backgrounds and serve as a testament to the transformative power of faith when combined with intentional and action-oriented initiatives. Join us for an evening of enlightenment, inspiration, and a shared commitment to turning faith into tangible action.

FAITH IN ACTION

Women Empowering Communities for Transformational Change PA N E L I S TS Rev. Dr. Veronica Coleman serves as the Senior Pastor of New Jerusalem Ministries in Virginia Beach and is a past president of the Virginia Beach Interdenominational Ministers Conference. Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill is an ordained Reconstructionist rabbi and is active in legislative advocacy through the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. She is the author of two books and editor of The Jewish Woman’s Book of Wisdom. Amanda Pine serves as Christian Faith Formation Director for King’s Grant Presbyterian Church in Virginia Beach and co-chairs the Interfaith Alliance at the Beach.

Teresa Stanley coordinates the Interspiritual Empowerment Project of Virginia Organizing. She has a long history of faith-based community organizing, including social justice ministry at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Virginia Beach and with the Catholic Diocese of Richmond Office of Justice and Peace. Areen Syed is a senior at Norfolk Academy and worships at the Muslim Community of Tidewater in Norfolk. She was named the 2023 Hampton Roads Youth Poet Laureate and uses her poetry as a tool for activism in the community. Sponsored in partnership with the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC)

Thursday, March 28 | NOON–1 PM | BROCK COMMONS

Beyond Scouts Honor Sexual Abuse, Leadership, and Institutional Failure DOUGLAS KENNEDY, ED.D.

n the Netflix documentary, Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America, Doug Kennedy reflected on his past, saying, “I thought Scouts was a great thing, I really did. It was Norman Rockwell. It was Mom, Pop, apple pie.” At the same time, the Scouts had a less than idyllic side. Dr. Kennedy–a VWU professor of sport and recreation professions since 1988–is an abuse survivor who experienced firsthand the institutional failure of the Boy Scouts of America, as leaders from top to bottom sought to protect their “product” and turned a blind eye to sexual abuse. Join us for a story about the failure of leadership and the need for vigilance in all youth-serving organizations. Douglas Kennedy, Ed.D., is Professor of Sport and Recreation Professions at VWU. In addition to being an award-winning professor and President of the Virginia Recreation and Park Society, he—on behalf of over 82,000 survivors—was appointed by the US Department of Justice to serve as Vice Chair of the Torts Claimants Committee in the BSA’s bankruptcy.

ENVIRONMENT

Thursday, April 18 | NOON–1 PM | BROCK COMMONS

ENVIRONMENTAL CHAMPIONS Young Leaders Navigating Challenges and Shaping the Future PA N E L I S TS Cecelia Aten ‘24, President of Marlins Go Green at VWU Maurica Bynum ‘16, ABD, MPH, REHS, CP-FS, Environmental Health Specialist with the Virginia Department of Health Mason Manley, Central Virginia Organizer for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network Hunter Noffsinger, Community Outreach Coordinator for the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club

GreenFest

Sunday, April 21 | 1–4 PM | BATTEN STUDENT CENTER

This panel discussion brings together inspiring young leaders who are making significant strides in addressing environmental challenges. Hailing from diverse backgrounds and representing various organizations, these environmental champions are at the forefront of driving positive change in the fields of environmental health, justice, clean energy, and grassroots organizing. Join us for an engaging panel discussion about the experiences, achievements, and ongoing efforts of these young leaders as they make a lasting impact in their respective fields.

Celebrating Earth Day and Creating a Sustainable Future This immersive and engaging festival for all ages celebrates sustainability, community, and the beauty of our planet. All are welcome for a day filled with music, games, service projects, educational booths, and more, as we come together to foster a sense of environmental stewardship and create positive change for future generations. Together, let’s create a brighter and more sustainable future for our community and the world. Hosted by Wesleyan Engaged in collaboration with the Batten Honors College, Environmental Sustainability Council, Marlins Go Green Student Organization, Marlin Ministries, Robert Nusbaum Center, and Student Engagement.

GreenFest is made possible through the generous support of Dominion Energy.

AT T H E C H RY S L E R M U S E U M

Thursday, March 14 | 11 AM–NOON THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART NORFOLK (Participation is limited. Please register by March 7, by calling the Robert Nusbaum Center at 757-455-3129)

There’s Something About Mary Unusual Portrayals of the Mother of Jesus CRAIG WANSINK, PH.D.

fter looking at how the feminine is portrayed in the art of Hinduism and Buddhism, Dr. Wansink focuses on the figure of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the art of The Chrysler Museum. Join us to view unusual and subtle ways in which Mary was portrayed – with Jesus,… and others – and discuss the roles of women, the peculiar ways in which her son was understood,… and changes in theology and religious beliefs.

Craig Wansink, Ph.D., is Batten Professor of Religious Studies and the Joan P. and Macon F. Brock, Jr. Director of the Robert Nusbaum Center at VWU, and has studied at universities in Japan, Jordan, Germany, and Israel. Dr. Wansink also serves as Senior Pastor of Second Presbyterian Church, Norfolk.

WORKSHOPS Friday, March 15 | 1–3 PM GREER 155 Lecture from 1–2 PM and optional workshop from 2–3 PM (Participation is limited. Please register by Friday, March 1, by calling the Robert Nusbaum Center at 757-455-3129)

Artificial Intelligence and Faith A Talk and a Workshop on ChatGPT CRAIG WANSINK, PH.D.

What is Artificial Intelligence? Why does it matter? How might spiritual or religious people use it to meaningfully think about their own faith in new ways?

requently computers, electronics, and Artificial Intelligence separate humans from each other and God. In our time together, however, we will highlight how new trends in Artificial Intelligence (specifically ChatGPT and Midjourney) create opportunities to deepen prayer life, to study scripture in new ways (Old Testament, New Testament, or Quran), and to think more deeply about faith in general.

No background is required for this two-part workshop. Here we start from scratch. Feel free to attend just the first session or both. The first hour is an introduction to Artificial Intelligence, a reflection on the challenges it poses to religion, and the ways in which it can strengthen people in their faith life. For those who wish to stay, the second hour involves a workshop format where participants are encouraged to bring their own laptop computers to experiment together in a structured process.

WORKSHOPS

The Art and Science of Mediating Conflict SOME FIRST STEPS CRAIG WANSINK, PH.D. KELLY JACKSON

ecause we perceive things differently and have been shaped by different factors, conflict is normal. And frequently healthy. But why does caustic divisiveness and outrage seem to be on the rise? How can we respond to interpersonal situations that involve conflict? Using principles from counselors, hostage negotiators, and linguists, this workshop focuses on identifying sources of conflict (in society, work, politics, places of worship, and at home) and on developing the skills that both mediate and point to “third ways” during times of conflict. This workshop focuses on four important principles and five action steps that have served us–at the Robert Nusbaum Center–in ways that make us grateful. We hope you will join us as we explore what it means to seek to be agents of reconciliation, first in our own lives and then in our homes, places of worship, and society. Craig Wansink, Ph.D., and Kelly Jackson serve as director and associate director, respectively, of the Robert Nusbaum Center

Friday, April 26 | 3–5 PM GREER 155 (Participation is limited. Please register by Friday, April 19, by calling the Robert Nusbaum Center at 757-455-3129)

Everybody believes they are the good guy. – A FORMER CIA AGENT

Between stimulus and response, there is space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. – VIKTOR E. FRANKL

9 PAGEP9E- AFROM C E GTHE A R DSTAFF] E N Please use both pictures of Craig and Kelly (serious and playful)

SEEDS of HOPE Virginia Wesleyan’s Peace Garden Blooms with Creative Student Projects

mid global conflicts in regions such as Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine, Virginia Wesleyan’s Peace Garden has become a canvas for collective healing, inspiration, and hope. During Virginia Wesleyan’s January Term, some students engaged in a service-learning course on poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity taught by Professors Kathy Stolley and Robin Takacs, while others took a public art course taught by Professor John Rudel. In the service-learning course, students collaborated with the Season for Nonviolence Collective in Virginia Beach to create a “You Are Not Alone… Garden of Stones.” This visionary project transformed stones from symbols of weapons into tools for transformation and healing. A mentalwellness rock garden offers messages of encouragement, inspiration, hope, nonviolence, and peace and guides visitors to additional resources on Season for Nonviolence and National Alliance on Mental Illness websites. Simultaneously, students in the public art course were tasked with designing a unique bench for installation in the Peace Garden. The winning design was created with funding from the William Granville Sale, Jr. Peacemaking Award, which is sponsored by the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia Peacemaking Committee in honor of the late Bill Sale, Jr. We extend an invitation to visit the Peace Garden and join us in pursuing peace through purposeful acts that ripple outward, touching hearts and fostering a shared vision for a more harmonious and compassionate world.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS CALENDAR PAGE 10

MARCH N EXUS INTERFAITH DIALOGUE 7 Faith in Action: Women Empowering

FEBRUARY L. NUSBAUM LECTURE 15 AJUSTINE Jew, a Christian, and Spiritual

Audacity: The Leadership of Allies during the Civil Rights Era

Communities for Transformational Change

Michael Panitz, Ph.D. Thursday, 7–8 PM Brock Commons

ow Democracy was Destroyed from 22 HWithin: Interwar Germany, Hitler, and the Rise of Fascism Sara Sewell, Ph.D. Thursday, Noon–1 PM Brock Commons

Rev. Dr. Veronica Coleman, Rabbi Ellen Jaffee-Gill, Amanda Pine, Teresa Stanley, Areen Syed Thursday, 7–8:15 PM Brock Commons Sponsored in partnership with the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC)

here’s Something About Mary: Unusual 14 TPortrayals of the Mother of Jesus*

C.S. Lewis, Leadership, and Laughter Narnia and Teaching Middle School Students

Caroline Joseph, MAT, Cary Joseph, MAT, Terry Lindvall, Ph.D., Bill McConnell, Ph.D. Thursday, Noon–1 PM Brock Commons

Craig Wansink, Ph.D. Thursday, 11AM–Noon The Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk Please register by calling 757-455-3129

15 A Talk and a Workshop on ChatGPT* Artificial Intelligence and Faith

Craig Wansink, Ph.D. Friday, 1-3 PM (Lecture from 1–2 PM and optional workshop from 2–3 PM) Greer 155 Please register by calling 757-455-3129

eyond Scouts Honor: Sexual Abuse, 28 BLeadership, and Institutional Failure

APRIL “Tell All the Truth, But Tell It Slant” 11 Leading Social Change through Urgency, Poetry of Witness, and Writing in the Face of Fear

Sara Ryan, Ph.D. Thursday, Noon–1 PM Pearce Suite

nvironmental Champions: Young 18 ELeaders Navigating Challenges and Shaping the Future

Cecelia Aten ’24, Maurica Bynum ’16, Mason Manley, Hunter Noffsinger Thursday, Noon–1 PM Brock Commons

Celebrating Earth Day 21 GandreenFest: Creating a Sustainable Futuree Sunday, 1–4 PM Batten Student Center