Global Philosophy of Religion in the Local Des Moines Community
On Sunday, March 16 from 11:00am–1:00pm (roughly), we will join the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center (33916 155th Lane, Madrid) in the annual celebration of Holi. Guests will be able to tour the temple, observe the Holi fire ritual (Holika Dahan), throw colored powered at one another, and dance. Please dress accordingly if you are …
On Thursday, March 27, at 6:00 pm, in Drake's Sussman Theater (lower level of Olmsted Center), Dr. Julia Watts Belser, Professor of Jewish Studies at Georgetown University, will deliver a lecture on "Radical Rest: Jewish Sabbath Practice as Resistance to Ableism." We live in a world pitched toward productivity, where we often face intense pressure …
Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event is now being held on Zoom from 2:00-3:30pm. To register for the event, go here: https://drake-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/r2IkhO0vRnGanQ_YgnCwhw. (Note that you will need to have an active zoom account to register, but that if you don't, you can sign up for a free zoom account here: zoom.us/signup.) On Saturday, April 5, …
7:30-9:30: Interfaith Breakfast and Prayer -State Capitol Rotunda 6:00–9:00 pm: Evening Symposium on the Role of Religion in Peacemaking -World Food Prize Building Please see link for more information.
On Thursday, April 17, at 6:00 pm, in Drake's Sussman Theater (lower level of Olmsted Center), Dr. Max Thornton, independent scholar, will deliver a lecture on "Getting What We Deserve: Theologies at the Intersection of Disability and Work." Dr. Thornton's lecture will think through some of the connections between disability, work, and the theological ideas …
On Sunday, April 20, we will celebrate the annual holiday of Vaisakhi from roughly 12:00 to 2:00 pm with the Sikh gurdwara in West Des Moines, the Iowa Sikh Association (1115 Walnut St.). The service will include many of the elements of a typical Sunday worship service: the signing of hymns (kirtan), reading from sacred …
This year marks the ninth consecutive year of our interfaith youth leadership camp. From July 9-13, youth campers of various religious traditions will be learning about the religions of the world and visiting seven different religious communities in the metro area. Also, they will each be writing, recording, and producing a digital-story about an impactful …
On Thursday, September 25, at 6:00 pm in Drake's Sussman Theater (lower level of Olmsted), Dr. Devan Stahl, Associate Professor of Bioethics and Religion at Baylor University, will lecture on “The Protestant Work Ethics, Eugenics, and Quality of Life Measures.”
On Saturday, September 27, 2025, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, we celebrate the grand opening of the Es-Selam mosque in Granger (at 17630 Bosniak Lane). More information when available!
We are honored to host a lecture on October 1, 2025 by Zilka Spahić Šiljak entitled "Two Idealized Cosmologies of Gender Relation in Islam." The lecture will occur in Sussman Theater on the lower level of the Olmsted Center on Drake's campus (2875 University Ave). "Two Idealized Cosmologies of Gender Relation in Islam" explores two …
On Thursday, October 23, we celebrate the birth of the founder of the Baháʼí faith, Baháʼu’lláh. This event, a "19 Day Feast" consisting of Devotional, Administrative, and Social components, will occur from 5:00–5:50 pm, just prior to the lecture at 6:00 by Herbert Moyo, at the Harkin Institute.
On Thursday, October 23 at 6:00 pm in the Harkin Institute (2800 University Ave), Dr. Herbert Moyo, Associate Professor of Theology at University of KwaZulu-Natal, will lecture on "Ukukhubazeka (Disabilities) in the Nguni Cultural Worldview.”