Department of Religious Studies

Tuesday, October 9
4:20 p.m.
Sierra Hall 268

"The Religion of jesus and its impact on families, politics and economics in first-century judea"

Recognizing the limitations of the Gospels' testimony, Professor Rick Talbott uses research tools from the fields of cultural and economic anthropology to describe the "historical" Jesus who lived as a Jew within Jewish society. Learn how this ancient vision of Israel's God brought Jesus and his earliest followers into conflict with village and eventually Roman authorities.

Tuesday, October 23
11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Whitsett Room, Sierra Hall 451

"religion and the election of american presidents"

As Mircea Eliade pointed out decades ago, “the study of religion is now of much more urgent usefulness in the politics of today than are economics or sociology." Recent world events clearly indicate that religion has become during this 21st century a powerful force that shapes politics and policies worldwide, especially the election of political officials. In order to shed light on the impact of this phenomenon in the US, the Global Village Forum along with the Department of Religious and the Center of Ethics and Values are organizing a panel on “Religion and the election of US Presidents.” Speakers include Bob Blair Kaiser, former journalism chairman at the University of Nevada, Reno, and the author of a best seller on the assassination of President Kennedy. Dr. Kaiser is also a religious correspondent for Newsweek, Time, and New York Times and worked as Vatican consultant for CBS-TV. Robert Brophy, Professor in the Department of English, CSU Long Beach, and Rabbi Jerry Brown, scholar in residence at Temple Ahavat Bhalom.

Thursday, November 15
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
The Little Theatre, Nordhoff Hall

Since the National Geographic Society published the first modern text of the Gospel of Judas in 2006, scholars and the public have taken great interest in this fascinating 'new' Gospel. Professor King has recently published a book (with Professor Pagels) entitled, "Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity". Professory King's lecture will explore the implications of the discovery of "The Gospel of Judas" for our understaind of early Christianity. (Flyer)