T he Religion-in-Life lecture series is one avenue through which Furman University examines the moral and religious aspects of contemporary issues. Lectures in this series are free and open to the public.

Religion-in-Life is under the direction of the chaplains and a committee of faculty and students. Some of the programs in this series are a part of the Cultural Life Program (CLP) at Furman. 

Financial support for this series comes from the C. Dorsey Horton and Maxine Horton Lecture Fund, the Edward A. McDowell Fund, the Hesburgh Lecture Series, and Furman University's Religion-in-Life Fund. Questions about the lectures may be addressed to Susan Bennett, Administrative Assistant in the Office of the Chaplain at 864.294.2133.

Religion in Life Schedule 2009-2010;

September 21, 2009: Miroslov Volf (Daniel Chapel at 7:00 pm)   "The Pope and the Prince:  Is Islam a Religion of Violence or a Religion of Love?" 

Dr. Volf is Professor of Theology at Yale Divinty School and Founder and Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture.  A native of Croatia, Professor Volf has forged a theology of forgiveness and non-violence in the face of the horrendous violence experienced in Croatia and Serbia in the 1990's. 

October 5, 2009: Shane Claiborne Lecture (Daniel Chapel at 7:00 pm)  "Resurrecting Church". 

Shane Claiborne lives among the ruins of an abandoned catherdral where homeless families have lived for years.  Among these families, Shane and his community embarked on a fresh vision of what "church' might mean.  This lecture exlores the struggles of the modern church as we know it and the possibility of what a new vision might mean.  Shane graduated from Eastern University and did graduate work at Princeton Seminary.  He is a founding partner of The Simple Way, a faith community in inner city Philadelphia that has helped to birth and connect radical faith communities around the world. 

October 26, 2009:  Jim Crenshaw; Lilly Lecture  (Daniel Chapel at 7:00pm)

October 29, 2009: LD Johnson "What Really Matters...?" Lecture--Dr. Marion Soards (Daniel Chapel at 7:00 pm). 

Dr. Soards is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Professor of New Testament Studies at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.  He is active in a number of scholarly societies and associations and a frequent lecturer at conference and schools throughout the United States and a much sought after guest preacher and teacher.  Dr. Soards is a 1974 Furman alum and received the Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary in New York City.  He has published dozens of articles, reviews and sermons in leading theological dictionaries and professional journals worldwide.  

April 13, 2009: LD Johnson "What Really Matters...?" Lecture--Dr. Margaret Oakes (Daniel Chapel at 7:00 pm) 

Dr. Oakes is an Associate Professor of English at Furman University.  An Illinois native, she earned the B.A. degree in English at the University of Illinois at Urbanna-Champain, the J. D. also at Illinois, the M.A. in English at Northwestern University, and the Ph.D. in English and Humanities at Stanford University.  She has taught at Furman since 1996, specializing in early modern British literature, but teaching everything from Oedipus to Candide in the Freshman Humanities sequence.  Prior to her academic career, she was a securities regulation lawyer in Chicago for four years.