Upcoming Events
In the Footsteps of Faith and Freedom: The Spiritual Roots of Revolutionary Philadelphia
This tour is promoted by the Main Line School Night, but is open to anyone. There are separate prices for members and non-members.
Under William Penn’s "Holy Experiment," Philadelphia became a sanctuary where diverse faiths didn't just coexist - they shaped the moral and intellectual landscape of a new nation. These walking tours take you through the cobblestone streets where the fight for spiritual and civil liberty intertwined. Discover how the nation's founding documents were influenced by our city's religious and cultural diversity: believers, dissenters, and reformers who demanded a society built on conscience. Entrance to venues subject to availability. (3 Feet: Extensive Walking and Lengthy Periods of Standing.)
North of Market: Christ Church, Arch Street Meeting House, Mikveh Israel, Old First UCC, St. George’s UMC, St. Augustine’s Catholic Church. The tour will be led by historian Dr. David Krueger of the Dialogue Institute.
In Pursuit: Philadelphia and the Making of America
Film + conversation examining how Philadelphia’s past and present continue to shape the American story.
Join us at St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church on Monday, September 21, from 6:00–8:30 PM for a special screening of In Pursuit: Philadelphia and the Making of America, the landmark documentary series exploring the people, movements, and defining moments that shaped both Philadelphia and the nation. St. Augustine's is itself a site of that history — the original church was burned to the ground during the Nativist riots of 1844, a defining moment of anti-Catholic violence in American history. This evening invites audiences to step into that history and reflect on the enduring fight for freedom, equity, and civic power.
Following the screening, guests are invited to stay for a powerful conversation with panelists:
Katie Oxx, Ph.D., St. Joseph’s University
Father Christopher J. Drennen, O.S.A. of St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church
Rev. Bill Wilson of St. George's United Methodist Church.
Conversation to be moderated by David Krueger, executive director, Dialogue Institute.
Conscience and Conflict: Religious Responses to the American Revolution
What role did Philadelphia’s faith communities play in the American Revolution? This panel discussion will feature experts on the varied ways faith leaders and communities thought about and responded to the revolution in light of their theological commitments and ethnic and racial identities. Following a series of brief presentations, panelists will discuss what lessons can be learned as we reflect on the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Introduction and moderation by Dr. David Krueger, executive director of the Dialogue Institute and Religious Freedom Trails project.
Panelists:
Rev. Dr. Christopher Micklewright – Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) (Lutherans/Episcopalians)
Zach Biro – Christ Church (Anglicans/Episcopalians)
Sean Connolly – Arch Street Meeting House (Quakers)
Admission is $12, which includes a drink ticket for a beverage of your choice (alcoholic or non-alcoholic). Advanced tickets are available at a discounted rate of $10 each until the day before the program.
This program will take place inside the church sanctuary, followed by a reception in Riverside Hall. For a modest donation, you can taste delicious gourmet desserts paired with wine, coffee, or tea.
Jewish and Muslim Experiences in America, Past and Present
How have religious minorities fared in a nation that has long had a Christian majority? How do Jewish and Muslim experiences in the U.S. intersect, and how do Jews and Muslims see themselves as part of the American story?
This panel will include presentations by scholars of Jewish and Muslim history, as well as a discussion with contemporary interfaith leaders.
Beth Wenger, Historian and Professor, University of Pennsylvania
Zain Abdullah, Historian and Associate Professor Emeritus, Temple University
Ari Gordon, American Jewish Committee, Director of Muslim-Jewish Relations
Majid Alsayegh, Co-director of Penn's Office of Religious and Ethnic Interests
Film Screening and Conversation: Revolution
Join us for a film screening and conversation at Temple University. Episode 8 (Revolution) of In Pursuit: Philadelphia and the Making of America covers the tumultuous time period of 1962-1968.
Two West Virginia transplants from the Great Migration attack the racial segregation and subjugation at the heart of American urban life. Rumors lead to an uprising of anger and violence in North Philadelphia, which will be called the first urban “riot” of the Civil Rights era. Students demand that African history and the consequences of slavery be taught in their high schools, and men and women stage the first protests for gay rights as a backlash builds against the revolution.
Panelists:
Bryant Simon, Laura H. Carnell Professor of History, Temple University
Timothy Wellbeck, Director of the Center for Anti-Racism, Temple University
Moderator: David Krueger, Executive Director of the Dialogue Institute
There will also be a special appearance by documentary producer and writer, Nathaniel Popkin.
This program is co-sponsored by Temple University’s Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, Advocacy, and Leadership (IDEAL) and the Dialogue Institute.
The Promise of Pluralism: Religious Life in America at 250
How has religious pluralism defined American society for the last 250 years?
Religious pluralism has long been at the heart of the American experience. The Declaration of Independence (1776) grounds one’s rights in the language of natural law, divorcing them from any particular church. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution (1787) states that “no religious test shall ever be required” for individuals to hold federal office. Individuals with diverse religious affiliations and spiritual traditions—Jews, atheists, Christians, and Muslims, among many others—have remade the fabric of American life. This panel, made up of leading scholars of law, history, and religious liberty, will reflect on how pluralism has defined and continues to define the American experience.
The Feast of Reason
Carpenters’ Hall, in partnership with the Dialogue Institute at Temple University, will host a “Feast of Reason” dinner series reimagined for our time. Over a family style meal, participants will be guided through a brief history of our evening’s topic, followed by a respectful and thoughtful discussion, guided by experts.
The first dinner will be held on September 10th and will address public monuments and statues. We will discuss the question “How should communities decide what monuments should stand and what should be taken down?” A representative from the Monument Lab will be present to help provide context to and guide the conversation. An application is required to ensure that we have a multitude of political backgrounds and perspectives present at the meal. If you are chosen to participate in our September 10th meal, you will be notified on Friday, September 4th. If you accept, you will be invoiced $40 for dinner, including alcohol, or $30 for dinner without alcohol. Please reach out to Alyssa Constad with any questions, alyssaconstad@carpentershall.org.
Thank you to The Kauders Foundation for their generous support of this project.
TOUR: Religion and Freedom in Historic Germantown
Join us for a fun in-person tour exploring Germantown’s rich history of religious freedom!
This two-hour walking tour will begin at the Pastorius Statue in Vernon Park and follow Germantown Avenue along the northern edge of the Germantown Colonial Historic District, highlighting the various religious and intellectual groups who were present in early Germantown, including Quakers, Mennonites, Moravians, Reformed Lutherans, and natural scientists.
This tour will include the site of the Battle of Germantown and an episode during which Benjamin Franklin's militia confronted vigilantes in Germantown to protect the religious freedom and lives of Lenape Moravian converts. Germantown was a site of early abolitionism and an early version of the Underground Railroad, as well as a hub for early American free thinkers and scientists who observed and cataloged the natural order. The tour will be led by Kime Lawson, professor at Thomas Jefferson University. Cost is $20 per person. Attendance limited to 20 people. The tour will end in the vicinity of Germantown Ave. and Upsal Street, near the Cliveden Mansion.
Philadelphia: Birthplace of American Religious Freedom
Join the Dialogue Institute for a two-hour walking tour that explores the struggle for religious freedom during the founding period.
Join the Dialogue Institute executive director, Dr. David Krueger, for a two-hour walking tour that explores the struggle for religious freedom during the founding period. Dialogue Institute tours unearth stories of Philadelphia’s early religious diversity, which included a dizzying array of Protestants (including Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Mennonites, Moravians, etc.), as well as Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Deists, Freethinkers, and those who practiced indigenous religions. Encounters among these groups sometimes lead to conflict but also to cooperation and innovation. While the benefits of religious freedom were not always shared equally, Pennsylvania’s "holy experiment” profoundly influenced the nation’s founding commitments to religious freedom.
Speaker Series: Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?
Join us and author John Fea for a thought-provoking conversation exploring one of the most enduring and debated questions in American history: Was America founded as a Christian nation?
Drawing from his book Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?: A Historical Introduction, Fea examines the topic through a careful historical lens, moving beyond modern political rhetoric to explore the complex realities of the nation’s founding. Rather than arguing for one side or the other, Fea invites audiences to engage directly with the historical record, offering a nuanced perspective grounded in primary sources and scholarship.
This free speaker series event will explore the intersections of religion, democracy, history, and national identity, while encouraging thoughtful dialogue about how we understand America’s past today. Dr. David Krueger of the Dialogue Institute at Temple University will facilitate the conversation.
Dr. Fea is a Distinguished Fellow at the Lumen Center and the author or editor of six books, including Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump and Why Study History?: Reflecting on the Importance of the Past. His work has appeared in publications including The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Christianity Today, and USA Today, and he has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, C-SPAN, and NBC News.
This event is free and open to the public. June 22 at 7:00pm.
Location: Christ Church, 20 N. American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106.
In Pursuit: Philadelphia and the Making of America
Join us at Philadelphia’s Christ Church Neighborhood House for a special screening of Episode 4 of the documentary “In Pursuit: Philadelphia and the Making of America.” Following the screening, producer Nathaniel Popkin will facilitate a conversation with Dr. David Krueger (Dialogue Institute), Dr. Kirsten Lee (1838 Black Metropolis), and Farah Jimenez (Philadelphia Education Fund) about religion, civic engagement, and the struggle for an inclusive democracy.
Episode 4 of “In Pursuit” examines Philadelphia as the young nation’s capital, where the ideals of self-government are tested in everyday life. As political divisions deepen and crises like the Yellow Fever epidemic strain the city, free Black Philadelphians build institutions and assert their rights, with leaders like Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and James Forten shaping a growing movement for equality and reform.
The episode then follows the rise of abolitionism and public education, as Black and white reformers work together to expand opportunity and challenge injustice. Yet these efforts provoke fierce resistance, culminating in mob violence, the destruction of Pennsylvania Hall, and the stripping of Black men’s voting rights.
In a city striving to create shared civic space, this program asks a central question: how can common ground be sustained when democracy itself remains unequal?
America Beyond 250: Reclaiming the Promise of Pluralism
What kind of nation are we? And what kind of nation do we want to be? We're answering these questions — and more.
America Beyond 250: Reclaiming the Promise of Pluralism is an event that will address the challenges posed by Christian nationalism to American civic life and advance a vision of a more inclusive and democratic future. Dialogue Institute Executive Director, Dr. David Krueger, will join Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (181st District of Pennsylvania), Bishop Dwayne Royster (Faith in Action), Maggie Siddiqi (Interfaith Alliance), and others for a day of dialogue at Philadelphia’s Arch Street Friends Meeting House.
At a time when debates over history, identity, and belonging are intensifying at all levels, this event brings together advocates on the front lines, public thinkers, historians, scholars, and community leaders to confront the stakes of our current moment and to imagine what comes next — and what we need to do to make the vision a reality.