Prof. Leonard Swidler
The Dialogue Institute co-sponsored* a special symposium at Temple University, October 27, 2017, in recognition of the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's call for reform: Transcending the Reformation-Counter-Reformation - A Contemporary Dialogue.
The program began with a keynote address by Dialogue Institute (DI) Founder and President Leonard Swidler (also Professor of Catholic Thought and Interreligious Dialogue at Temple) on From Reformation to Transformation, followed by two panel discussions and time for questions. His address will also appear as an editorial in the Fall 2017 issue of the Journal of Ecumenical Studies (52:4), due out soon.
DI Director of Education Rebecca Mays participated in the first panel, focusing her reflections on the "Radical Reformation." Other panelists' contributions included: the implications of the Reformation and Counter-reformation in Europe; perspectives on the Reformation from a non-European lens; Luther and the Peasants' War; Luther's enduring impact; and Martin Luther as the father of modern German Hochdeutsch.
Rebecca Mays
For more reflections on the Reformation, check out the Spring 2017 (Volume 52, Number 2) issue of the Journal of Ecumenical Studies - featuring a special section on "Commemorating the Reformation" from the North American Academy of Ecumenists 2016 Conference.
* The event was co-sponsored by the Temple University College of Liberal Arts: Global Studies program, Department of History, Department of Religion, Department of French, German, Italian & Slavic (FGIS), and Office of International Affairs.
