In partnership with Brent House (The Episcopal Center at the University of Chicago), the Chicago Roundtable on Science and Religion will seek to foster open, focused, and respectful interdisciplinary conversations among local faculty, researchers, and religious leaders. The Roundtables focus on the questions and shared concerns of the various fields of science and the various modes of understanding religious life, practices, beliefs, and experiences, with the aim of building mutual relationships of trust and creativity. Faculty Roundtables are made possible by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. 

Faculty Roundtables began in 2002 and have since hosted thousands of faculty members at Harvard, MIT, Yale, Brown, and other universities. The goal is to foster cross-disciplinary community and dialogue among faculty that explores the intersection of current scholarship with various ethical, worldview, and religious or non-religious perspectives. The former Dean of Harvard College, Harry Lewis, commented that Roundtables are “the kind of night that should be the norm in academia — serious conversation among smart people about contested issues, with pretty much everyone who spoke and counter-spoke both witty and civil.”

it is hoped that these dinner meetings will provide opportunities for people to step outside their “silos” and develop new appreciation for the work that scientists and religious leaders do. If you are a faculty member interested in participating and/or would like further information on the Roundtable, please contact them at roundtable@brenthouse.org

For more information, please visit their website here.