CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION

Bishop John Shelby Spong will lead the 2 p.m. audiences through a week-long (June 28-July 2) conversation based on his newest book: Eternal Life: A New Vision— Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven and Hell. This week having been inspired by the Eileen and Warren Martin Lectureship Fund for Emerging Studies in Bible and Theology, Jack Spong, in his unique style, will make accessible to the ordinary layperson emerging understandings within contemporary theology, as well as offer new ways in which to engage with traditional concepts.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution Department of Religion Director Joan Brown Campbell discusses the Week 1 theme, "Eternal Life: A New Vision."

In a reprise of 2008’s “Week 3”, Chautauqua’s most popular week ever, Roger Rosenblatt returns with even more friends for another week-long conversation and celebration of the literary arts. Humor, pathos, new worlds are here to explore, with some of today’s most prominent authors, interviewed by a master at getting to the heart of the story.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution President Tom Becker discusses the Week 1 theme, "Roger Rosenblatt and More Friends."

Staying on the topic of the week, the Department of Religion will examine “The Ethics of Leadership” from the perspective of well known civic and religious leaders. These leaders will share angles of vision that define ethical leadership as a social responsibility that safeguards the foundations for the flourishing of civil society.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution Department of Religion Director Joan Brown Campbell discusses the Week 2 theme, "The Ethics of Leadership."

What constitutes leadership? When one is designated a “leader,” what are the particular obligations of leadership? How are these responsibilities expressed in ethical terms? Does ethical leadership imply social responsibility? Is leadership different age to age? In our annual Applied Ethics exploration, we will examine leadership from the points of view of business and politics, education and sports, from those who make headlines and from those who lead by following.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution President Tom Becker discusses the Week 2 theme, "The Ethics of Leadership."

Varying the theme for this week, the 2 p.m. Interfaith Lecture Series is inviting five women from the Middle East to present the unique and specific experiences of women in this part of the world—women who lead as well as women who hold civil society together beneath the radar of the media and the political decision-makers. Invited to this conversation are women from Israel, Palestine, Iran, Afghanistan, and Lebanon.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution Department of Religion Director Joan Brown Campbell discusses the Week 3 theme, "Women of the Middle East."

Considering the geographic expanse from Asia to the Middle East, this week will examine the exchange and flow of capital, oil, and natural gas between India and China on one hand, and the Middle East as represented by the Arab gulf and Iran on the other. We will ask how tensions in Pakistan and Afghanistan, peace-making efforts from Turkey, and the Arab-Israeli conflict influence diplomacy in this huge area of the world where great wealth and greater conflict coincide.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution President Tom Becker discusses the Week 3 theme, "From Asia to the Middle East: Energy, Capital and Conflict."

Nuclear disarmament has long been the heart-felt cry of the religious community. The Department of Religion will bring both religious and non-religious voices to the 2:00 pm podium to examine who, if any, has the right “to have and to hold” nuclear weapons. The issue of who holds the reins of power on this issue is of deep concern to the world community – more critical at this time than ever.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution Department of Religion Director Joan Brown Campbell discusses the Week 4 theme, "Nuclear Disarmament."

Building on some of the primary components of Week Three, this week will investigate the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the increasing use of nuclear power as a source of energy. With particular attention paid to Asia, the Middle East, and Russia, we will examine the front-end investment required to develop nuclear power, and the international challenges implicit in its use. We will learn more about the nations who currently have nuclear capacity, how the concerns about nuclear waste check the development of beneficial applications, and what controls are available and necessary to secure the future of the planet.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution President Tom Becker discusses the Week 4 theme, "Nuclear Power & Nuclear Weapons: The Right to Have & to Hold."

Expanding the theme for this week, the 2 p.m. lectures will examine the ethical lens of photography through which to see the issues that hold us accountable as humans for the quality of life among us and for our stewardship of the planet that we share as home. Ethical issues revealed by photography will include war and genocide, marketplace and commerce, technology, journalism, and religion – and the power of photography to engender spiritual activism will also be explored.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution Department of Religion Director Joan Brown Campbell discusses the Week 5 theme, "The Ethical Dimensions of Photography."

In collaboration with Kodak and George Eastman House, this week will celebrate the history of photography, its contribution to and relationship with surrounding culture, its place in the art world, and its reflection of technological innovations that have reshaped the industry. We will meet photographers practicing their craft, and SEE this nexus of art, science, culture, biography, and history.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution President Tom Becker discusses the Week 5 theme, "Picture This: Photography."

A free and excellent public education is the right of every child, and a democratic society will only succeed if there exists an educated public. Public education is, therefore, a moral imperative—a process in which every child is enabled to reach his/her God-given potential. In this week the Department of Religion will bring to the conversation on this perspective on Public Education experts in the field of education from both the private and public sectors.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution Department of Religion Director Joan Brown Campbell discusses the Week 6 theme, "Public Education: A Moral Imperative."

Our nations founders believed that high-quality public education is a requirement for a robust and functioning democracy. This week will examine current efforts that are dramatically improving the performance of public education in the United States. Specifically, we will look at the impact of talented and motivated superintendents, leadership training for principals, trends in teaching teachers, and innovations in curricula. We will discuss the responsibilities, interactions, and support from national, state, and local government leaders, parents and grandparents, and local community groups. Well leave with a better understanding of what is required and what is working, and what each of us can do to fulfill the goal of greater academic excellence for students in our schools.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution President Tom Becker discusses the Week 6 theme, "Excellence in Public Education."

The Department of Religion will observe Abrahamic week by focusing on the most iconic of sacred spaces—considered by the three Abrahamic Faiths as the most holy of sacred places—Jerusalem. Invited from Jerusalem to participate in the conversation are members of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths who can impart both their understandings of how this penultimate sacred space came to be so regarded, as well as their visions of how it might be shared in peace.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution Department of Religion Director Joan Brown Campbell discusses the Week 7 theme, "Sacred Space: Jerusalem."

What makes space sacred? Legendary religious destinations? Natural or created beauty? Is sacred space defined by what happened there? This week, (in partnership with the World Monuments Fund), we will explore the confluence of religion, architecture, history, geography, and culture. We will learn about the sacred spaces of the Abrahamic traditions, the communal spaces that define civilization, and the sacred in the personal that provides peace amid chaos. Through the ten morning and afternoon lectures, we will visit some of the most important and threatened historically sacred sites of the world.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution President Tom Becker discusses the Week 7 theme, "Sacred Spaces."

Keynoted by Professor Diana Eck, founder and director of Harvards Pluralism Project, and concluded by Karen Armstrong, the worlds most prolific author on the worlds religions, the 2 p.m. Interfaith Lecture Series will explore the relevance to our shared future of the worlds great religions, about which most in the West know very little. In addition to the Abrahamic traditions, the Department of Religion will in this week focus on Hinduism, Buddhism, and the Bahai Faith.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution Department of Religion Director Joan Brown Campbell discusses the Week 8 theme, "Powering the Future."

As much of the world embraces the urgency for developing alternative sources of energy, and sources of fossil fuel become less reliable and more expensive, this week will explore the most promising new innovations and technologies currently in development for sustainable, affordable, and renewable power. Speakers this week will address these issues, as well as the science, economics, and politics behind bio-fuels, solar, wind, and clean-coal technology, and the critical role businesses and governments will play in creating a new energy paradigm.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution President Tom Becker discusses the Week 8 theme, "Powering the Future."

This week in which Chautauqua focuses on the highest court in our judicial system, the 2 p.m. lectures will present five legal issues of justice and equality which have had a wide impact on society, examining these issues both in terms of the law as well as the ethical / moral impacts of the questions.This week in which Chautauqua focuses on the highest court in our judicial system, the 2 p.m. lectures will present five legal issues of justice and equality which have had a wide impact on society, examining these issues both in terms of the law as well as the ethical / moral impacts of the questions.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution Department of Religion Director Joan Brown Campbell discusses the Week 9 theme, "The Supreme Court: Issues of Justice and Personal Rights."

This week will offer a historical analysis of the Supreme Court and its most notable Justices while examining the larger issues before the current court, including recent decisions, the agenda, and the process for appointments.

In this preview video, Chautauqua Institution President Tom Becker discusses the Week 9 theme, "The Supreme Court."