Drake to host regional meeting of the American Academy of Religion in conjunction with the sixth annual Iowa Interfaith Conference April 12–14

Friday, April 12th, 2024

Drake University will host the regional upper-Midwest meeting of the American Academy of Religion in conjunction with the sixth annual Iowa Interfaith Conference April 12–14. All events are free and open to the public. View a schedule of events.

The regional upper-Midwest meeting of the American Academy of Religion involves papers, panels, and keynotes on the academic study and engagement of religion by scholars, graduate, and undergraduate students. These will occur in Meredith Hall on the Drake University campus from 4–5:15 p.m. on Friday, April 12, and from 8:15 a.m.–5 p.m. on Saturday, April 13.

Highlights of this program include:

• Saturday, April 13, at 2:30 p.m. – A keynote address by Sarah McCammon, IPR reporter and author of the recently published The EXvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church.
• Saturday, April 13, at 11:45 a.m. – A free screening at the Varsity Theater of digital stories created at interfaith camps hosted by Drake’s The Comparison Project and the Des Moines Area Religious Council.

The Iowa Interfaith Conference features site visits to local religious communities on Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday morning and afternoon. These sites include the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Iowa, the Islamic and Education Center: Bosniak, Wat Lao Buddhavath, the Hindu Cultural and Educational Center, St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church, and the Iowa Sikh Association. View the schedule of events which includes attire/etiquette information for each site visit.

Drake’s The Comparison Project engages in the practice of comparative philosophy of religion, increases understanding of local-lived religion, and cultivates interfaith literacy and leadership. It is supported by Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Drake’s Center for the Humanities, Drake’s Stringellow and Hay Lectureships, Drake’s Slay Fund for Social Justice, Drake’s Principal Cener for Global Citizenship, Humanities Iowa, and Cultivating Compassion: The Dr. Richard Deming Foundation.

For more information about The Comparison Project, visit: comparisonproject.wp.drake.edu or email: comparisonproject@drake.edu.