September 25, 2009 | The Saddleback Civil Forum on Reconciliation. Saddleback Church, Lake Forrest, CA. Professor Volf and President Kagame of Rwanda discuss the transformational power of reconciliation and how it reunified their people after genocide.
September 23-24, 2009 | Same God? Consultation. The God and Human Flourishing Project hosted its biannual consultation on the question of whether Muslims and Christians worship the same God.
June 4, 2009 | Miroslav Volf responded to President Barack Obama’s Address to Muslims. In a guest commentary on the Reuter’s blog FaithWorld, Miroslav Volf responded to the speech delivered by President Barack Obama in Cairo praising the President’s emphasis on the need to seek genuine commonalities while also acknowledging real differences, a concept central to the theology of reconciliation. Link to response.
April 30, 2009 | Joseph Cumming led a forum of the Commonwealth Club of California called “Is Peace Possible in the Middle East?” The forum came at a critical time—around 100 days into the Obama Presidency. The forum was jointly sponsored by the Association of Yale Alumni of Silicon Valley and the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco. Link to audio recording of presentation.
March 30-31, 2009 | Miroslav Volf and other leaders of the former C-100 unit of the World Economic Forum established a permanent high-level forum of global stature to be known as the C-1 World Dialogue. The new forum, dedicated to exploring the love of neighbor, would carry on the work of the disbanded C-100 unit. The forum produced an annual “Report on Religions and Values,” providing hard data for the advancement of practical interreligious initiatives. The forum’s executive committee comprises Miroslav Volf, as well as H.E. Dr. Ali Goma, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, and Dr. Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, among others.
February 14-16, 2009 | Joseph Cumming presented a paper at the U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar. The forum’s focus was on positive cross-cultural engagement, and its guests included key leaders in the field of politics, business, media, academia, and civil society. The forum continued to seek to address the critical issues dividing the United States and the Muslim world by providing a unique platform for frank dialogue, learning, and the development of positive partnerships between key leaders and opinion shapers from both sides. The forum was sponsored by The Brookings Institution.
February 8, 2009 | Miroslav Volf shares a message entitled “Behold, I Make all Things New” on the Crystal Cathedral’s “Hour of Power.” View the video online.
February 1-6, 2009 | Miroslav Volf gave a keynote address at the International Military Chief of Chaplains Conference in Cape Town, South Africa. This inaugural conference brought together military chief chaplains and military representatives of religion from over 100 countries. The theme of the conference was “The Role of the Chaplain in Reconciliation and Healing in Post-Conflict Reconstruction” and Professor Volf’s keynote was entitled “Agents of Peace in Theaters of War: Re-Thinking the Role of Military Chaplains.” Dr. Volf touched on the secondary and increasingly important role of chaplains to foster reconciliation in conflict zones. Seven representatives from world Religions respondende to Dr. Volf’s talk. The other conference keynote address was given by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.