Author: Timothy Knepper

On Thursday, November 18 (2027) at 6:00 pm in Aliber 101 (2847 University Ave), Dr. Waleed El-Ansary, Helal, Hisham and Laila Edris El-Swedey University Chair in Islamic Studies at Xavier University, will lecture on “Holistic Work and Islamic Economics.”

The title of this talk suggests three questions: 1) What is holistic work? 2) How is it related to Islamic economics? and 3) Why does it matter and why is a new paradigm needed? Turning to the first question, holistic work is work that is spiritually, psychologically, and materially efficacious. It fulfills a hierarchy of spiritual and other human needs, including the need for meaning, self-realization, and participation in the community, and stands in contrast to what I shall term “deformed work,” that is, work that fulfills only materials needs, at least in the short to medium terms. In the long term, deformed work has arguably sown the seeds of dissatisfaction underlying many socio-economic and environmental crises at both national and international levels, as we shall see. Turning to the second question concerning how this subject relates to Islamic economics: a traditional Islamic economy is based on holistic rather than deformed work. This distinction has significant implications for the critique of both industrial capitalism and communism, economic systems structured largely on deformed work as viewed from an Islamic perspective. This distinction, in turn, calls into question some of the foundational assumptions of modern economic theory. Although I discuss the need for a new economic paradigm in the context of Islamic economics, the principles offered in this presentation resonate with the ethical and spiritual concerns of other major world religions. As such, they point toward the need for a broader, interreligious framework to confront shared global crises on the social, economic, and environmental levels. In this way, the significance of holistic work in Islamic economics speaks directly to the third question of why it matters today.

Dr. Waleed El-Ansary is the Helal, Hisham and Laila Edris El-Swedey University Chair in Islamic Studies at Xavier University, where he teaches courses on Islamic studies, Islamic economics, and religion and science. He holds a Ph.D. in Islamic and Religious Studies from George Washington University and M.A. in Economics from the University of Maryland. His research focuses on the intersection of religion, science, and economics. He has authored numerous publications, including “Islamic Environmental Economics and the Three Dimensions of Islam” in his co-edited volume Muslim and Christian Understanding: Theory and Application of A Common Word. His most recent book with Alexis Blum, Grand Rabbi Emeritus of Neuilly, and Bishop Claude Dagens, Bishop of Angouleme, is Know the Religion of Thy Neighbor, which was arranged through the UNESCO-based Aladdin project to help train young rabbis, priests/preachers, and imams (as well as any other interested parties) about the Abrahamic traditions for greater mutual understandi

On Thursday September 24 at 6:00 pm in Aliber 101 (2847 University Ave), we host our first event of our 2026–2028 series on Prophets & Profits, a panel dialogue featuring local insurance industry executives. We are very grateful to the Joel W. Peterson Trust for support of this event and the entire series.

Insurance does more than calculate probabilities and pay claims. It determines how uncertainty, vulnerability, and financial loss are shared—and who will be protected when catastrophe strikes. Decisions about pricing, coverage, exclusions, claims, and capital therefore involve not only technical and commercial judgments, but also fundamental questions of fairness, responsibility, trust, and human dignity.

This opening panel in the Prophets & Profits series will bring together experienced insurance executives to explore how their personal moral and religious convictions inform the difficult decisions they face as leaders. How do they balance actuarial discipline and financial sustainability with compassion and social responsibility? Are there ethical limits to risk-based pricing, even when it is economically justified? What responsibilities do insurers have to individuals and communities facing risks they cannot reasonably bear alone?

Drawing on both personal experience and professional expertise, the panelists will consider how these tensions shape their leadership, their organizations, the insurance industry, and the communities they serve—especially in a world confronting growing climate volatility, healthcare costs, and interconnected economic risks.

Panelists include:

Scott Jean is President and CEO of EMC Insurance Companies, where he has served since beginning his career as an actuary in 1991. A graduate of Iowa State University, he is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Nick Gerhart is Chief Operating Officer of Homesteaders Life Company and previously served as Chief Administrative Officer at FBL Financial Group and Commissioner of the Iowa Insurance Division. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and both law and health-administration degrees from Saint Louis University.

Christian Walk is Senior Vice President, Legal and Associate General Counsel at Global Atlantic Financial Group, as well as a respected leader in Iowa’s insurance community. An attorney with a divinity degree, he brings a distinctive perspective on the intersection of professional responsibility, faith, and ethical leadership.

Jason Giles is a shareholder at Nyemaster Goode whose corporate practice encompasses insurance, mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, governance, and risk assessment. A Drake MBA and law graduate, he is active in his church and religious organizations and previously served a two-year mission in Ecuador.

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We are pleased to announce that online/zoom participation in this event is now possible. Here is the link: https://drake-edu.zoom.us/j/89843070727. And here is a QR code for this link:

On Sunday, July 12 at 3:30pm in Meredith Hall 101 (1316 28th Street), we will screen the digital stories created by our campers at our 2026 Interfaith Youth Leadership Camp. A brief reception will follow.

Below please find information about this year’s camp:

This year (July 8-12) marks the 10^th consecutive year of the interfaith youth leadership camp that we program in partnership with the Des Moines Area Religious Council. Campers at the camp learn about religious traditions and interfaith leadership, visit places of worship throughout the metro area, and create digital stories about personal faith experiences (that are screened for the public the last day of the camp). Through generous funding from Drake and DMARC, we provide housing (in the dorms at Drake), food (through Drake’s food service and the places of worship we visit), and a $250 “scholarship.” 

Below, you can find a short “teaser” video from past camps and flyers for this year’s camp.

(Click here for an archive of digital stories created at our last nine camps.)

This year (July 8-12) marks the 10^th consecutive year of the interfaith youth leadership camp that we program in partnership with the Des Moines Area Religious Council. Campers at the camp learn about religious traditions and interfaith leadership, visit places of worship throughout the metro area, and create digital stories about personal faith experiences (that are screened for the public the last day of the camp). Through generous funding from Drake and DMARC, we are able to provide housing (in the dorms at Drake), food (through Drake’s food service and the places of worship we visit), AND a $250 “scholarship.” 

(June 2 note: the application process is now closed.) Currently, we are accepting applications for this year’s camp. Campers are usually 16-18 years of age (with upper-class Drake students serving as counselors), i.e., rising juniors and seniors in high school and entering first-year college students. (Applicants need not be religious; we’ve had plenty of non-religious campers in the past.)

If you know of anyone who might be interested, please encourage them to reach out to comparison.project@drake.edu and/or apply through this link: www.dmarcunited.org/camp. There is over a month to apply, as the deadline is not until Sunday, May 31.