Through her senior project, Luther College alumna Maggie (Steinberg) Hagen examined Luther's history during key racialized moments in American history. That research led Hagen to delve further into the archives to understand the tensions she felt in her community during current historical moments.

Hank Pellissier, founder and director of the Brighter Brains Institute in San Francisco, California, will present "Nigeria: Religion and Humanism," 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 1, in Valders Hall of Science Room 262 on the Luther College campus.

Luther College senior Jane Clare took a look outside the "Luther Bubble" this summer in her research surrounding Buddhism in the Christian Midwest. According to Clare, it is important to be aware of and engaging in religions outside one's own in order to navigate the world around us. "I think it is always important to look outside of our own experiences and learn about others so that we can live in and embrace a larger community," she said.

Asking Muslims to condemn terrorist acts can lead to racist scapegoating, an act which prevents majority populations in the West from coming to terms with their own violent past and their ongoing complicity in a violent world order, according to Todd Green, Luther College associate professor of religion.

In her newest book, "The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World" Deanna Thompson, professor of religion at Hamline University, focuses on the potential of the digital revolution to help us better care for one another during the worst times of our lives. Thompson will discuss her new book and these ideas during a guest lecture at 4 p.m. Friday, May 4, in Valders Hall of Science Room 262, on the Luther College campus.

Deepening the interfaith dialogue on Luther's campus, Regina Mustafa, an interfaith activist from Minnesota, will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, in the Recital Hall of the Center for Faith and Life on the Luther campus.  Mustafa will describe her recent experience running for Congress and her work bridging the gap between religions, specifically addressing the challenges of Muslim women in interfaith activism.

Opportunity Saint Paul is an Interfaith program in the greater St. Paul, Minnesota, area that connects people with education-focused volunteering. Rebecka Green, a Luther College junior, spent her summer working as a program support and communications intern for the start-up program, which launched Aug. 17.

After spending a year as a Franklin Fellow at the U.S. State Department, Todd Green, Luther College professor of religion, will discuss his experience at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, in Valders Hall of Science Room 206 on Luther's campus. Victoria Christman of Luther's Center for Ethics and Public Engagement will moderate the conversation.

For many years, scientists have debated the nature and origin of consciousness. Many materialist scientists propose that consciousness originates in the neurons in the brain. However, scientific studies concerning near-death experiences (NDEs) give compelling evidence for the primacy of consciousness, that is, that its origin is independent of brain activity.

Martin Luther's concept of returning to the sources to analyze scripture sometimes conflicted with his concept of the singular authority of scripture. Katherine Shaner, Luther class of 1998, will examine the tension between these two concepts in Luther's interpretation of slavery in the New Testament at the college's 2017 Phi Beta Kappa Humanities Symposium.