Recognizing the numerous centers of Christianity in the world today, the George W. and Joan O. Braswell World Religions and Global Culture Center works alongside of ministerial students at Campbell University Divinity School to strengthen them emotionally, intellectually and spiritually by cultivating opportunities for them to learn different ways of practicing and articulating personal faith through the diverse experiences of believers around the world.
2025 Annual Symposium
“Retelling our Stories of Peace and Justice”
February 19, 2025 | 9:00 am – 3:30 pm
Oscar N. Harris Student Union
Ballroom A & B
Keynote Address by Dr. David Emmanuel Goatley, President of Fuller Seminary
The symposium this year promises to give us a constructive platform for a credible dialogue through symposia and keynote address on critical questions of interpretations of religion and spirituality. Interreligious dialogues will continue to find greater resonance among devotees of every religious tradition. When we have dialogues this can lead to an enlarged sense of religious community and mutual spiritual transformation.
Symposium Schedule
Refreshments
9:00am – 9:30am
Join us for light refreshments as we gather for a day of listening and dialogue.
Morning Session: Keynote Lecture & Roundtable Discussion
9:30am – 11:45am
Following a time of welcome and opening prayer, the keynote lecture will be delivered by Dr. David Emmanuel Goatley, President of Fuller Seminary. Attendees will then be invited to participate in roundtable conversations. Watch via livestream.
Fellowship Lunch & Panel Discussion
11:45am – 1:45pm
Enjoy fellowship around the table as a community of faith- all are invited. Be sure to register to save your spot for lunch! During the lunch hour, hear from panelists Rabbi Eric Solomon, Sister Rose Marie Tresp, and Dr. Jerusha Matsen Neal. Watch via livestream.
Break
1:45pm – 2:00pm
Afternoon Session: Conversation
2:00pm – 2:40pm
Join us for a conversation between Imam Saif Morad and Rev. Katrina Tatum facilitated by Dr. Caleb Oladipo. Watch via livestream.
Break
2:40pm – 3:00pm
Symposium Conclusion
3:00pm – 3:30pm
The day will conclude with a time of Q&A where symposia attendees may pose questions to any of the participating speakers and panelists. Watch via livestream.
Location:
All events will be held in the Harris Student Union | Ballroom A and B.
Parking:
More details forthcoming.
Livestream Link:
Join via livestream.
Meet Our Speakers
Dr. David Emmanuel Goatley was inaugurated as the sixth president of Fuller Seminary on January 21, 2023. Prior to his appointment, he served as the associate dean for academic and vocational formation, Ruth W. and A. Morris Williams Jr. Research Professor of Theology and Christian Ministry, and director of the Office of Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School. For nearly four decades he has served in leadership roles in organizations dedicated to justice advocacy, Christian mission, and global ecumenism. He earned his BS in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Louisville and holds two degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: an MDiv with an emphasis in pastoral care and counseling, and a PhD in Theology.
In addition to his articles, essays, and book chapters, Goatley is the author of Were You There? Godforsakenness in Slave Religion and A Divine Assignment: The Missiology of Wendell Clay Somerville, as well as the editor of Black Religion, Black Theology: Collected Essays of J. Deotis Roberts. His current research focuses on flourishing in ministry and thriving congregations, most recently working on projects funded by the Lilly Endowment and the Duke Endowment.
Rabbi Eric Solomon has served as the rabbi of Beth Meyer Synagogue in Raleigh since 2005. He currently serves on the City of Raleigh Human Relations Commission and the Interfaith I-CARE Team of the Raleigh Police Department. He holds the title of Senior Rabbinic Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and previously served as the national co-chair of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.
He is married to Rabbi Dr. Jennifer Solomon, who also serves Beth Meyer Synagogue, and together they have three children.
Dr. Jerusha Matsen Neal, Assistant Professor of Homiletics at Duke Divinity School, is an ordained ABC(USA) pastor who has served as a Global Ministries mission partner in the Fiji Islands through the United Methodist Church. She has spent her ministry preaching in cross-cultural spaces and bridging denominational communities. Her book, The Overshadowed Preacher: Mary, the Spirit, and the Labor of Proclamation (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2020) challenges preachers to leave behind false shadows of approval to embrace the overshadowing Spirit of God.
The book she is currently writing, Holy Ground: Preaching, Climate Change, and the Apocalypse of Place (Baylor University Press) engages the climate crisis through the sermons of South Pacific communities displaced by rising tides. A former actress and playwright, she has also authored a collection of dramatic monologues, Blessed: Monologues for Mary (Cascade, 2012).
Sister Rose Marie Tresp is the Director of Justice at Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, South Central Community in Belmont, NC.
Saif Morad, the resident scholar at the Islamic Association of Raleigh, hails from Toronto, Canada. He memorized the Quran at the age of 16 and pursued advanced studies at the University of Madinah, earning a diploma in Arabic, ijaza (certifications in Quranic and Islamic studies), a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Jurisprudence, and a master’s degree in Educational Administration with a focus on Leadership.
In addition to his academic background, Saif is a certified Master Life Coach with expertise in personal development and relationship coaching. He is also the founder of A Beautiful Marriage, a program that helps couples build strong and meaningful relationships through a blend of contemporary research and ethical principles.
Saif is passionate about fostering understanding, promoting well-being, and inspiring individuals to lead lives of purpose and excellence.
Rev. Katrina Tatum is a native of Eastern North Carolina. She earned her Master of Divinity from Campbell University Divinity School and is the Director of Ministries at Baptist Grove Church in Raleigh, NC. Rev. Tatum loves reading, spending time with her family, being outside in nature, and her favorite sports team is the Carolina Panthers.
A Word from the Center Director
Dr. Caleb Oladipo, Center Director, Braswell World Religions and Global Culture Center, is passionate about the growth and utilization of this center in the lives of Campbell Divinity students because of his own personal experiences with diverse expressions of the Christian faith.
“I was in a St. George Cathedral in Cape Town, when Archbishop Desmond Tutu conducted the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper in his native language as blacks and whites worshipped together. I was in India when Christians were singing in Malayalam language, and when I played my harmonica the church exploded in joyful celebration. I was in Buenos Aires, Argentina when Sarita Blanco asked me to join her Sunday School class of 7 and 8-year-old boys and girls, telling the children that my skin was darker because I was from Africa, and that God gave me this skin to protect me against the scorching rays of the African sun. She asked them to kiss me on the cheek and said that Christians in Africa pray for Christians in South America, just like Christians in Argentina pray for Christians in Nigeria and in North America. She told them that we all belong to God. Lastly, I was in Bukkittingi, West Sumatra, in Indonesia when an elderly gentleman testified that God loves the world and that we are connected as God’s creation whether we are from the North, South, East, or West. The socially constructed distinction between blacks and whites disappeared in my consciousness for a moment, as we became brothers and sisters of faith in God.” – Dr. Caleb Oladipo
Functions of the Center
- Encourage the integration of Christian faith with cross-cultural intellectual life.
- Support, encourage, and expect excellence in all undertakings at the Center.
- Provide a unique place for research on global academic Christian perspectives.
- Equip individuals to understand the confluence of knowledge across cultures in the Christian intellectual life.
- Facilitate the discovery of new knowledge in other religions that promotes and nurtures mutual respect and understanding.
- Anticipate and respond to changes in higher theological education in the world.
Contact Information
For information about the Braswell World Religions and Global Cultures Center, please contact:
Dr. Caleb Oladipo – Director of the Center
Snellings Chair of Evangelism and Missions
Campbell University Divinity School
B.A. in Theology – Wayland Baptist University
M.Div – Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
S.T.M. – Yale University Divinity School
Ph.D. in Theological Studies – Baylor University
Telephone: 1-800-760-9827 ext. 1805 | (910) 893-1805
E-mail: worldreligioncenter@campbell.edu