Community Events

October 1–2, 2007, October 8–9, 2007, October 15–16, 2007, and November 5–6, 2007

The Stone Lectures: “A Light That Shines in the Darkness: Evil, Egotism, and the Sacred in Film”
All films will be shown in the James Stewart Theater, Princeton University, 185 Nassau Street, Princeton (enter from the parking lot side).
All lectures will be held in the Cooper Conference Room, Erdman Center, 20 Library Place, Princeton.

The remaining schedule is as follows:

Film II: Frank Capra, Meet John Doe (122 minutes, 16mm, 1941); Monday, October 1, 7:30 p.m.
Lecture II: “Modern Horrors and Democratic Hope”; Tuesday, October 2, 7:00 p.m.

Film III: Lars von Trier, Breaking the Waves (159 minutes, 16mm, 1996, CinemaScope); Monday, October 8, 7:30 p.m.
Lecture III: “The Sacred Made Visible”; Tuesday, October 9, 7:00 p.m.

Film IV: Yasujiro Ozu, Tokyo Story (35mm, 1953); Monday, October 15, 7:30 p.m.
Lecture IV: “Now and Then”; Tuesday, October 16, 7:00 p.m.

Film V: Gregory Markopoulos, Bliss (6 minutes, 16mm, 1967); a preview excerpt from Gregory Markopoulos’s upcoming film, Eniaios (approximately 30 minutes, 16mm, premiere scheduled for June 2008 in Greece); Nathaniel Dorsky, The Visitation (18 minutes, 16mm, 2002); and Stan Brakhage, untitled handpainted film known as For Marilyn (11 minutes, 16mm, 1992); Monday, November 5, 7:30 p.m.
Lecture V: “All Mean Egotism Vanishes”; Tuesday, November 6, 7:00 p.m.

Free and open to the public
Speaker: Dr. Jeffrey L. Stout, professor of religion, Princeton University

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October 24, 2007

Continuing Education Book Series
Meet the Author of Failing America’s Faithful: How Today’s Churches are Mixing God with Politics and Losing Their Way

Now that we are well into what some have called “The Decade of Faith,” the role of religion in American society and in politics has perhaps never been more controversial. The Passion of The Christ may sell millions of tickets, voters may cast ballots based on “moral values,” and politicians may kowtow to religious extremists, but there is a growing sense out there that, while faith may have expanded its reach, it has also become narrower. Many people of faith are worried that the real needs of the people are not being met so long as religious and political leaders preach fear and intolerance rather than love and charity. Among those who are concerned is Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, whose new book, Failing America’s Faithful: How Today’s Churches Are Mixing God with Politics and Losing Their Way, combines spiritual memoir with a sharp, well-reasoned rebuke of current religious trends in America.

As a member of America’s most famous Catholic family, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend grew up with the idea that to be religious was to be part of a community, and that the purpose of faith was to improve the world. In Failing America’s Faithful, she recounts her father’s struggle to realize these goals admist the turmoil of the 1960s—in stark contrast to today’s politicians and religious leaders, who divide communities and preach personal salvation over the creation of a more just nation. She looks at the Catholic Church’s progressive tradition of social justice, and the way the Church’s mission was once to go beyond its own walls to improve—even complete—the world God created. She also explores the history of the progressive Protestant tradition, from the early settlers and abolitionists up to Martin Luther King Jr.

Kennedy Townsend is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Public Policy and is a visiting Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is the chairman of the Institute for Human Virology and currently serves on several boards including the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, the Points of Light Foundation, National Catholic Reporter, and the Character Education Partnership, among others. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

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October 26, 2007

The Joe R. Engle Organ Concert
8:00 p.m.
Miller Chapel
Free and open to the public
A concert of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs for organ, choir, and congregation featuring organist Aaron David Miller.

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October 29 through December 7, 2007

Erdman Art Gallery Exhibit: “Picturing Paradise: Textiles from the Peruvian Women of the Pamplona Alta as Visions of Hope”
Weekdays: 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Saturday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Sunday, 2:30–9:00 p.m.
Erdman Center, 20 Library Place, Center of Continuing Education
Free and open to the public

“Picturing Paradise: Textiles from the Peruvian Women of the Pamplona Alta as Visions of Hope” features textiles created by women of the Compacto Humano, a cooperative located in Pamplona Alta, a shantytown on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. The exhibit places emphasis on the women as artists and the way that their art reflects resilience, faith, and hope in the midst of poverty. It acknowledges the women’s unique insights and voices manifested in the colorful hand-sewn textiles.

The embroidered textile work is the result of two separate commissioned projects conducted over the past two years. Hopes and Dreams (January 2006) consist of fifteen cuadros reflecting each woman’s personal aspiration for herself, her family, or for the world. Inspirations and Motivations (January 2007) depict narratives illustrating the individuals or the communities they draw on for support and the experiences or events that sustain them.

An opening reception will take place on Thursday, November 1 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m in the Erdman Art Gallery, during which curator Rebecca Berru Davis will give a presentation about the exhibit at 5:00 p.m.

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October 29, 2007

The Toyohiko Kagawa Lecture: “The Forgotten Prophet: Rediscovering Toyohiko Kagawa for Japan and America Today”
7:00 p.m.
Main Lounge, Mackay Campus Center
Free and open to the public
Speaker: Dr. Anri Morimoto, Division of Humanities, International Christian University, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan

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