World religions scholar Stephen Prothero lectures at Messiah College on religious literacy
February 5th, 2008
GRANTHAM, Pa. (Feb. 5, 2008) — Stephen Prothero, prolific speaker, author and scholar, will present the spring Educational Issues Forum at Messiah College on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in Hostetter Chapel, located on the college’s Grantham campus. His most recent book, “Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know—and Doesn’t,” deals with religious illiteracy as one of America’s most concerning civil problems. The lecture, sponsored by Messiah College’s department of education and the Annual Religion and Society Lecture, is free and open to the public.
Prothero’s presentation centers on the thesis of “Religious Literacy”: that religion must become the “fourth R” of American education, offering high school and college students a chance to become knowledgeable about world religions with the intent of illuminating politics and world events. How, he asks, can Americans dialogue about the war in Iraq without knowing something about Islam? This and other questions form the driving force of his argument and lend his lectures sharpness and relevance for today’s world.
Prothero currently serves as the chair of the department of religion at Boston University. His first book, “American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon,” has taken its place among the finest religious books of the decade. A frequent guest on NPR, Prothero has also made an appearance on “The Today Show” and written for the “New York Times.”
Messiah College, a private Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, enrolls 2,800 undergraduate students in 55 majors. Established in 1909, the primary campus is located in Grantham, Pa., near the state capital of Harrisburg. A satellite campus affiliated with Temple University is located in Philadelphia.