John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics Annual Report 2012-2013 Mission the Center Serves As an Ideologically Neutral John C
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics Annual Report 2012-2013 Mission The Center serves as an ideologically neutral John C. Danforth Center venue for fostering rigorous scholarship and informing on Religion and Politics broad academic and public communities about the Annual Report 2012-2013 intersections of religion and U.S. politics. Contents Founding 2 Letter from the Chancellor 4 Letter from the Center Director 5 Leading 6 People 8 Faculty Director Faculty Center Founders Postdoctoral Fellow Staff National Advisory Board 16 Washington University Executive Committee 18 Engaging 20 Public Events 22 Academics 24 Courses Religion and Politics Minor Colloquium Students 28 Online Journal 30 Supporters 32 Looking Ahead 34 New Appointments 36 Faculty Associate Director Graduate Students Coming Events 40 B John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics Founding The John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics owes its existence to the tremendous generosity of the Danforth Foundation, founded in 1927 by Mr. and Mrs. William H. Danforth. The Foundation’s commitment to funding St. Louis-based initiatives is well known, and in 2009 it announced a major gift to Washington University to establish the Center. John C. Danforth, former Senator from Missouri and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, was particularly engaged in the Center’s founding and remains a member of its National Advisory Board. This gift reflects Senator Danforth’s specific interest in religion and politics, as set out in his 2006 book, Faith and Politics: How the “Moral Values” Debate Divides America and How to Move Forward Together (Viking). Letter from the Chancellor Letter from the Center Director profound issues on which American citizens The John C. Danforth Center has now completed sometimes disagree. its third full year of operations, and what a marvelous year it has been! Over the past year, the Center has certainly accomplished its mission. It has engaged the Two new faculty members, Mark Jordan and public by hosting more than 1,300 community Darren Dochuk, joined us in the summer of 2012, members at a varied program of lectures by along with our first postdoctoral research fellow, visiting professors and nationally recognized Anne Blankenship. In the course of the year, personalities. The online journal Religion and we hired another stellar faculty member, Laurie Politics celebrated its first year by garnering Maffly-Kipp, and another postdoctoral fellow, notable awards and more than one million page Lerone Martin, along with the Center’s new views. It has continued to recruit new faculty and Associate Director, Rachel M. Lindsey. staff members, increased the number of course Religion and Politics—two subjects that can elicit offerings from 3 to 7, and now offers a minor in All the while we were building a brand new un- founding gift from the Danforth Foundation and emotion and initiate debate across all levels of Religion and Politics for undergraduates. This past dergraduate curriculum in religion and politics; the extraordinary graciousness of Senator John C. our society, and two subjects that are historically year the Center also launched the Colloquium establishing a dissertation fellowship program Danforth, other gifts have increased our endow- bound together in American democracy. In the on American Religion, Politics, and Culture. This for visiting Ph.D. students; our online journal ment and enabled us to do still more to increase three years of its existence, the John C. Danforth research-oriented, community-building workshop reached more readers than ever before; and our the resources and possibilities of this innovative Center on Religion and Politics continues to featured 16 scholars from 12 different universities diverse public programming drew thousands Center. To those who have given generously and fulfill its mission of providing an ideologically and multiple disciplines who came together to to the Washington University campus and our sacrificially to the Center, know that we will use neutral place where dialogue on these subjects explore topical issues at the core of the Center: online streaming services. these gifts wisely and well. can be freely expressed, with respect for different church/state relations, religion and secularism, the points of view and belief systems, and with the role of religion in national elections, and the rise This year, the Center hosted seven public lectures, This year, we have been especially humbled by the focus always on providing excellent scholarship of the Religious Right, to name just a few. including two accomplished figures from across generosity of Dr. William Neaves, who established and encouraging relevant, thought-provoking the political spectrum. George F. Will’s December a professorship in the Center to honor his beloved discussion for the community. It is clear that the Center is contributing greatly 2012 keynote address earned us much praise and and highly accomplished wife. In early 2013, Mark to the quality and impact of our University, and also some criticism. In February, we co-sponsored D. Jordan assumed the Reverend Priscilla Wood The Center seeks to deepen the academic and it is equally apparent that its endeavors are of a public lecture by Sandra Fluke, whose admirers Neaves Distinguished Professorship (page 33). public understanding of religion and politics use, interest, and value beyond the Washington and critics were no less vocal. Research universi- in America. Its ongoing commitment is to University community. We are grateful to Senator ties, like our Center itself, have always stood for I invite you to visit us online or in person, to see consider multiple and sometimes conflicting Danforth, a true visionary, whose strong belief the airing of truly diverse viewpoints; and in what we’re doing, and to share your ideas about perspectives and to contribute rigorous, unbiased that we can move forward together despite having these polarized times, engaging rigorously with how we may do it better. We will never stop trying standards and scholarship to these discussions. divergent opinions on matters of politics and perspectives that challenge one’s own has never to improve. Thank you again for your critical At the launch of the Center, former Senator religion is an aspiration that continues to guide us. seemed more urgent. feedback and support. and Ambassador to the United Nations John C. Danforth stated, “The more light that is shed Mark S. Wrighton None of these achievements would be possible R. Marie Griffith on a subject, the healthier we are.” The Center’s Chancellor without the concrete support of our growing Director goal is to shed light by encouraging and sustain- number of benefactors and donors, all of whom ing civil discourse and respectfully addressing we have listed at the end of this report. Since the 4 John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics Annual Report 2012-2013 5 Leading Our Commitments: To support and enhance outstanding scholarly research on the historical and contemporary intertwining of religion and politics. To disseminate excellent scholarship to students and the broad public by means of courses, lectures, and conferences. To foster debate and discussion among people who hold widely different views about religion and/ or politics. 6 John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics Annual Report 2012-2013 7 Faculty Director Faculty R. Marie Griffith Leigh Eric Schmidt R. Marie Griffith, the John C. Danforth Professor in the Divinity School, serving as well Leigh Eric Schmidt is the Edward C. Mallinckrodt the American Society of Church History. In Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at on the faculty committee for the History of University Professor in the Humanities at addition, Schmidt has served as co-editor with Washington University in St. Louis, is currently American Civilization program in the Faculty of Washington University in St. Louis. He joined the Sally Promey of American Religious Liberalism the director of the John C. Danforth Center Arts and Sciences. John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics (Indiana University Press, 2012), co-editor with on Religion and Politics. in 2011. Laurie Maffly-Kipp and Mark Valeri of Practicing Her first major publication was God’s Daughters: Protestants: Histories of the Christian Life in Professor Griffith earned her undergraduate Evangelical Women and the Power of Submission From 2009 to 2011, he was the Charles Warren America (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006), degree at the University of Virginia in Political (University of California Press, 1997), which Professor of the History of Religion in America and co-author with Edwin Scott Gaustad of The and Social Thought in 1989. She completed both examines the practices and perceptions of at Harvard University, and, from 1995 to 2009, Religious History of America (HarperOne, 2002). her M.A. and Ph.D. in the study of religion at contemporary evangelical women. Her next book, he taught at Princeton University where he Schmidt’s latest single- authored book is Heaven’s Harvard University. Upon earning her doctorate Born Again Bodies: Flesh and Spirit in American was the Agate Brown and George L. Collord Bride: The Unprintable Life of Ida C. Craddock, in 1995, she was awarded consecutive fellowships Christianity (University of California Press, 2004), Professor of Religion and served as chair of the American Mystic, Scholar, Sexologist, Martyr, and at both Princeton University and Northwestern explores the history of Christian-influenced Department of Religion. He has held research Madwoman (Basic Books, 2010). University. In 1999, she joined the faculty attitudes and practices related to embodiment in fellowships at Stanford and Princeton and at Princeton where she filled several roles. modern America, culminating in the evangelical also through the National Endowment for the His next book project explores how atheism and From 1999–2003, she was associate director of diet and fitness movement. These books, along Humanities, the American Council of Learned nonbelief have fared historically in American Princeton’s Center for the Study of Religion.