Calendar

Dr. Tony Campolo is a nationally celebrated speaker, the author of 35 books and a media commentator on religious, social and political matters. Campolo will demonstrate how the “red letter” words of Jesus move us beyond the Republican/Democrat dichotomy and into a world where the crisis of AIDS, war and failing public schools can be tackled. His latest book is Red Letter Christians: A Citizen’s Guide to Faith and Politics. He has been a guest on the television programs The Colbert Report, Nightline, Crossfire, Politically Incorrect, The Charlie Rose Show and Larry King Live. Campolo is the founder and president of the Evangelical Association of the Promotion of Education and has worked to create, nurture and support programs for “at-risk” children in cities across North American and has helped establish schools and universities in several developing countries.

The opening Faculty Concert Series of Fall 2008 features internationally known “Zoro” in an evening of classic American rock drumming.

Freedom Sings, the brainchild of The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center, is a critically acclaimed multi-media experience featuring an all-star cast of musicians and an “only-in-America” story line. The presentation tells the story of almost three centuries of banned or censored music in America and invites audiences to take a fresh look at the First Amendment. This entertaining, irreverent and inspiring program is packed with live music and videos. It features hit songwriters and Grammy Award winners devoted to sharing the power, poetry and passion of music.

The 60s were over, but were they really? As the 70s began, the Vietnam War, the draft and Richard Nixon were still with us and so was some of the best rock music ever made. Drake will examine one of the most confusing, misunderstood and criticized decades in rock and roll history. Groups like Led Zeppelin, the Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd were just reaching their full potential in the early 70s. Singer-songwriters such as James Taylor, Elton John and Joni Mitchell would make rock music more personal than ever. Come early to get a good seat.

Dr. Stanley Hauerwas was named “America’s Best Theologian” by TIME magazine in 2001. Hauerwas will look at how a proper understanding of peace leads away from using violence

to advance God’s work in the world. His work cuts across disciplinary lines, linking theology, ethics and political theory. His book, A Community of Character: Toward a Constructive Christian Social Ethic, was selected as one of the 100 most important books on religion of the 20th century. Hauwerwas’ most recent book is The State of the University: Academic Knowledges and the Knowledge of God.

The Belmont Theatre Company in cooperation with Actor’s Bridge Ensemble will present the play Arabian Nights in multiple showing from September 18 through September 28. This adaptation offers a wonderful blend of the lesser-known tales from Arabian Nights with the recurring theme of how the magic of storytelling holds the power to change people. The final scene brings the audience back to a modern-day Baghdad with the wail of air raid sirens threatening the rich culture and history that are embodied by these tales.

Barbara Bradley Hagerty, the religion correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR), will explore how the media reports – and misreports – the crucial interplay of faith and politics. At NPR, Hagerty reports on the intersection of faith and politics, law, science and culture, with stories ranging from the impeachment hearing of President Clinton to the Florida election to the DNA revolution. Hagerty was the lead correspondent covering the investigation into the September 11 attacks. Her reporting was part of NPR’s coverage that earned the network the 2001 George Foster Peabody and Overseas Press Club awards. She has appeared on the PBS programs Washington Week in Review and The Lehrer News Hour. In her capacity as religion correspondent, Hagerty received the 2004 Religion Newswriters Association award for radio reporting.

Belmont faculty will participate in a debate discussing hot topics surrounding the presidential election.

The Center for Business Ethics and the New Century Journalism Program will host a lively dialogue centering on coverage of the presidential election. This program will feature John Seigenthaler, award-winning journalist and Founder of the First Amendment Center, and John Seigenthaler, Jr., Partner and CEO, Seigenthaler Public Relations New York, and former NBC news anchor.

Belmont students will gather to watch the first presidential debate on the big screen. After the debate, the Belmont College Republicans and Young Democrats will host a roundtable to discuss candidate performance and significant public policy questions. Faculty moderators will include debate coach Jason Stahl and political scientist Vaughn May.

Ken Burns has been making documentary films for more than 30 years. Since the Academy Award-nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, he has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made. Stephen Ambrose, the historian, has said of Burns’ films, “More Americans get their history from Ken Burns than any other source.” On Tues., September 30, Burns will address his approach to “history” and his perspective on the American experience and the following day will answer questions from students in a Q-and-A session.

David Callahan has written extensively about American history, business and public policy. He is author of The Cheating Culture: Why More Americans Are Doing Wrong to Get Ahead. Callahan's numerious articles have been published in such places as The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and The American Prospect. He has also been a frequent commentator on televesion programs on CNN, CBS, PBS, MSNBC and Fox News and has been a regular guest on radio talk shows across the United States, including appearances on such NPR programs as Morning Edition, The Connection and The Tavis Smiley Show. Callahan lectures frequently about issues of ethics and integrity to universities, associations and businesses.

Have you wondered what it would be like to have a career in politics? Plan to hear an impressive panel of recent Belmont grads who are pursuing careers in politics. The grads will share their personal stories and give their insight about working in politics today.

This panel will explore key legislative developments that impact children's health and education at both the state and federal levels. Panelists include advocates and practitioners from the fields of education, healthcare, and social work. Discussion topics will focus on how the 2008 elections might impact policies around children's issues in 2009 and beyond.

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

Freddie O'Connell, WRVU talk show host, will discuss the phenomenon of talk radio, which has dramatically influenced the way American debates have been framed in recent years.

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

Dr. Masood Raja will consider the historical, cultural and contemporary context of jihad and its complex relationship to Muslim politics, male subjectivity and global paradigms of power. Raja, a Belmont graduate, holds a Ph.D. from Florida State University and teaches in the English department at Kent State University. He specializes in Postcolonial Literature and Theory with an emphasis on South Asia and the Islamic world.

The Vote Smart mobile research center is a 45-foot bus equipped with a digital projection screen and 22 seats where visitors can watch a short video about Project Vote Smart. Students will begin their experience by watching a short video. They will then be able to use a laptop computer to learn first-hand about the different methods to research political candidates and current elected officials.

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

Dr. Michael Berube will ask how people can find ways to agree to disagree - and will suggest why people should agree to form societies in which such disagreement is possible. Berube is the Paterno Family Professor in Literature at Pennsylvania State University. He is is the author of six books and a widely published essayist in academic and popular publications.

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

Featured speakers Dr. Masood Raja, Dr. Daniel Frick and Dr. Michael Berube will continue the discussion in a panel on the Humanities Symposium's themes. Dr. Bonnie Smith and Dr. David Curtis will moderate.

Political Scientist Carol Swain will be on hand to tackle issues of race and conservative politics.

Why do we have government? The answer to this question drives our conceptions of what government should and should not do. Come investigate these answers and their consequences with Dr. Nathan Griffith of the Department of Political Science.

BU political science alum Tim Adgent will be on hand to discuss his experiences in Middle Eastern affairs.

Complaints are everywhere heard bemoaning the low rate of voter turnout in the United States. Is our turnout rate really that low? Answering that question requires us to ask why, in the first place, we should vote. Join us as we ponder this with Dr. Nathan Griffith of the Department of Political Science.

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

Dr. Bonnie Smith and University Media Writer April Hefner (M.A. '07) will lead a discussion of two episodes of The West Wing that focus on preparing for a presidential debate. We'll view "Debate Camp" and "Game On" (originally aired in October 2002) and discuss the importance of language in political discourse, especially the "10-word answer" and the problematic prevalance of bumper sticker politics.

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

Dr. Bonnie Smith will deliver the first address of the Humanities Symposium. What is an argument? Why are we here to think and talk together about debate, dissent and dialogue? And why are these concepts important not only in this political season but in the university, in our relationships and in our community?

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

In 1550, two of the most relevant wise men of their time, De las Casas and Sepulveda, met at Valladolid (Spain) to debate about a topic that affected, and affects, millions of people. The result of that debate could change their lives forever (or not).

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

In The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. DuBois asserted that "[h]onest and earnest criticism from those whose interests are most nearly touched, - criticism of writers by readers, of government by those governed, of leaders by those led, - this is the soul of democracy and the safeguard of modern society." Yet many political and corporate structures in contemporary U.S. culture discourage or prevent outright these beneficial types of criticism. Citing a number of especially literary examples, Curtis will discuss how, despite these obstacles, U.S. writers have historically pursued dissent, and how the responsibility to revive and preserve this heritage is incumbent upon all who would consider themselves citizens.

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

Following a viewing of the film Amazing Grace, we will discuss the life of William Wilberforce and his fight to end the slave trade, as well as ways in which his real life differs from his reel life. In the process we will also touch on dissent in the English political scene at the end of the 18th century and, hopefully, shed some light on how debate and indirection worked in Parliament at this time.

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

Professor Sue Trout will discuss Robert Penn Warren's masterpiece, All the King's Men, especially how Willie Stark uses the "language of the people" and the "language of power."

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

Local politicians and activists Larry Woods, Bob Tuke (candidate for U.S. Senate), Representative Beth Harwell, Eric Stansell (candidate for State House District 52) and WRVU talk show host Freddie O'Connell discuss how we debate, dissent and dialogue with one another on a variety of local issues.

Reception 6-7 p.m. in the Leu Center for the Visual Arts Lobby.

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

Belmont historians Dr. Jeff Coker and Dr. Peter Kuryla will discuss dissent in the Nixon era, paying special attention to the student and black power movements.

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

Conflicting stories about and images of Richard Nixon have haunted U.S. popular culture for nearly half a century. But what motivates this national obsession with reinventing Richard Nixon in literature, film, cartoons, music and other media? More than just dispuitng the former president's significance in history, these competing representations of Nixon battle one another in promoting certain cultural values and in defining a particular vision of national identity - what the country was, what it is and what it should be. In other words, when we disagree about Nixon, we are debating about the meaning of America.

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

As Argentina suffered and later emerged from the nightmare of its last military dictatorship, artists sought both to undermine the regime's monologic discourse of national identity and to promote more profound, humane conversations about Argentine identity and reality. In this context, the historical and fictional storyteller emerges as a transformative force whose power resides in his/her ability to help civil society re-imagine itself through dialogues.

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

Dr. Mark Anderson will lead Philosophy students and anyone else who wishes to participate in a conversation about issues raised by the symposium.

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

We will screen Good Night, and Good Luck and Dr. Rich Tiner will lead us in discussion about dissent and the media. Nominated for six Oscars, Good Night, and Good Luck is a 2005 film about journalist Edward R. Murrow's showdown with Wisconsin Senator Joe McCarthy. The film stars George Clooney (who also directs), David Straithairn and Robert Downey, Jr., and the film's tagline is "We will not walk in fear of one another."

HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

Dr. Maggie Monteverde will lead faculty panelists and students in a conversation about what we've learned from our symposium and where we might go from here.

Al Staggs will be performing as Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Staggs has a unique ability to bring famous characters to life in a way that turns two dimensional readings into a vibrant, life-changing experience.

Built around the concept of team effort, ThinkFast is a trivia-based game show that utilizes the Fleetwood Wireless Keypad. It incorporates as many teams as you require, various sizes of rear projection screens, MTV-style staging, professional sound and lighting. Because the screens are a focal point of the game, they are available for branding and the trivia may also be customized. This interactive event will engage the entire audience from start to finish. There will be a few rounds of questions, Political Theme, as well as some pop culture questions. A cash prize will be awarded to the winning team.

World renowned Christian author, speaker, and leader Shane Claiborne will be speaking in the Collins Alumni Auditorium, on the campus of Lipscomb University. Shane will be speaking on his latest book, Jesus for President.

There will be a live taping of "Tokens: The Politics of Jesus," on September 2 at Shamblin Theater, hosted by Lipscomb Assoc. Professor Lee Camp. Musical guests include Derek Webb, Buddy Greene and Odessa Settles, accompanied by the Most Outstanding Sinai Mountain Boys (Jeff Taylor, Aubrey Haynie, Pete Huttlinger, Chris Brown and Byron House), plus pre-recorded interviews with Jim Wallis, best-selling author of God's Politics and founder of Sojourners; Randall Balmer, professor of American religious history at Columbia University and author of God in the White House: A History; and Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw on their new book Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals. And the Tokens Radio Players will be back cooking up no telling what fun with the presidential election just around the corner. The early show is sold out, but tickets are still available for the late show at 9 p.m. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster, or you may purchase tickets in person at the Lipscomb University Box Office located at Allen Arena (call 615.966.7075 for box office hours). If you would like to be notified about upcoming "Tokens" programs, please sign up at www.TokensShow.com.