Author: Timothy Knepper

Richard H. Davis
Professor of Religion and Asian Studies, Bard College
Thursday, March 29, 7:00pm
Sussman Theater, Olmsted Center, Drake University

In several classical Sanskrit works, the god Krishna is presented as a human incarnation of the Supreme Being, Vishnu. Yet he grows up in humble circumstances within a community of nomadic cowherders. They are not appraised of the divinity living among them, and only gradually come to recognize his more-than-human capacities. The narratives of his early life play with the ironic distance between the knowing reader and the unknowing cowherders. When the child Krishna performs acts that clearly display superhuman strength, the cowherders struggle to comprehend these phenomena. The drama of these accounts revolves around the difficulty of recognizing miraculous actions of a god, especially when that divinity is a baby. In this presentation I use the narratives of Krishna’s childhood among the cowherders to reflect on the use of “miracles” as a comparative category in the study of religion.

Richard H. Davis is Professor of Religion and Asian Studies Programs at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. Formerly he taught as assistant and associate professor at Yale University. His most recent publication is The Bhagavad Gita: A Biography (Princeton University Press, 2014). He is author of four other books: Ritual in an Oscillating Universe: Worshiping Siva in Medieval India (Princeton, 1991), Lives of Indian Images (Princeton, 1997), Global India, circa 100 CE: South Asia in Early World History (AAS, 2010), and A Priest’s Guide for the Great Festival (Oxford, 2010). He has edited two volumes, and also wrote the text for a catalog of Indian religious prints, Gods in Print: Masterpieces of India’s Mythological Art (Mandala, 2012). Currently he is continuing work on the reception history of the Bhagavad Gita, and on a history of religions in early South Asia.

 

Click link below for video of lecture:

https://vimeo.com/262580444

 

Mark Harris
Senior Lecturer in Science and Religion at the University of Edinburgh
Thursday, March 8, 7:00pm
Sussman Theater, Olmsted Center, Drake University

 

Harris’s lecture will discuss conventional assumptions in theological and philosophical discussions of miracle that science can be adequately dealt with simply by invoking ‘the laws of nature’, such that a miracle transgresses these laws. He will talk about the shortcomings of these assumptions, arguing that there is a need to address wider underpinning concepts in the philosophy of science, including naturalism, the uniformity of nature, and the unity of science. Harris will suggest new ways forward for thinking about miracles by bringing in insights from debates in geology.

Mark Harris studied geology at Cambridge University before moving into mainstream physics in Oxford, first in a postdoc at the University of Oxford, then in a staff position at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. For about 10 years, Harris established his interests in the physics of magnetic materials. After exploring a calling to ordination in the Church of England, Harris read theology at Oxford in the early 2000s, and moved into parish ministry and university chaplaincy. In 2012, Harris constructed the University of Edinburgh’s new master’s program in science and religion and has been a director of the program ever since. Harris’s teaching and research focus on the relationship between Christian theology and the physical sciences. He is especially interested in the impact of science on modern views of the Bible, especially in thinking on miracles and divine action. Harris is in the process of working on a book project on naturalism, and the ways that historical debates on naturalism in geology provide a new way of looking at miracles.

 

For video of lecture click link below

https://vimeo.com/259938839

 

This year’s Iowa Interfaith Exchange takes place over two days. 

• On Saturday, February 24th, from 8:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., there will be an all-day set of workshops for students at Simpson College

• On Sunday, February 25th, from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., there will be an opportunity to “make pilgrimage” to the “religions of Des Moines” at Drake University

For more information abotu both, please see: https://www.iowainterfaithexchange.com

Everyday Miracles: Above + Beyond Cancer Journeys
Thursday, February 15, 7:00pm
Cowles Reading Room, Cowles Library, Drake University

 

Dr. Richard Deming, founder and chairman of Above + Beyond Cancer, will speak about the small miracles he experiences with patients and survivors every day.  Dr. Deming is medical director of Mercy Cancer Center in Des Moines, Iowa. He received a bachelor’s degree at South Dakota State University and his medical degree at Creighton University. Dr. Deming is known in the community for the compassionate care he provides cancer patients and their families. He is involved in many national, state and community organizations and is the recipient of numerous awards. He was awarded the Lane Adams Award by the American Cancer Society for excellence and compassion in patient care. He is the recipient of “the one hundred” Award by Massachusetts General Hospital for his work with cancer survivors. He was awarded the Iowa Cancer Champion Award for his tireless efforts in the field of advocacy. He is dedicated to the principals of human dignity, social justice, and compassion. His greatest ambition is to encourage others to pursue lives of meaning, purpose, passion and compassion.

 

Michael Zimmerman will give a personal narrative about his own journey with cancer. Zimmerman is the Director and founder of RipRoar Events, a Des Moines-based company focused on endurance event creation and production. He also is a nationally recognized sports announcer commentating and inspiring endurance athletes from youth to professional. In 2016, Michael was diagnosed with a rare case of composite lymphoma with both curable and non-curable elements. For the past two years Michael has undergone both aggressive and moderate chemotherapy to stabilize and cure his disease. Michael’s documentation and intentional awareness throughout his cancer journey gives his journey a raw and authentic account.

Above + Beyond Cancer takes cancer survivors on incredible adventures, leading participants to places like Mount Everest Base Camp and the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.  But their work isn’t about getting to the tops of mountains. Through transformational journeys, participants inspire the public by devoting themselves to a life of advocacy and leading an example for healthy living and cancer prevention in their communities.

 

(photo credit: Dylan Hue)