Chicago, Illinois
Inaugural Event, May 1-2, 2003

To celebrate the inauguration of Antje Jackelén as the new director succeeding Philip Hefner, the Center hosted an Inaugural Event, “Religion and Science: The Questions That Shape Our Future.” Over the course of two days 200 participants enjoyed lectures from prominent scientists and theologians.

The first night (May 1) opened with a reception at the Adler Planetarium and Museum (Chicago), followed by a lecture by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, professor psychology and director of the Quality of Life Research Center at the Drucker Graduate School of Management of the Claremont Graduate University.

During the second day, which was held at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, participants heard from Willem Drees, chair in philosophy of religion, ethics, and encyclopedia of religion in the Department of Theology at the University of Leiden (Netherlands); Ursula Goodenough, professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis; Arthur Peacocke, Warden emeritus of the Society of Ordained Scientists and Honorable Canon and Honorable Canon at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford; and Mary Evelyn Tucker, professor of history of religions and Asian studies at Bucknell University and coordinator of Forum on Religion and Ecology.

Philip Hefner and Antje Jackelén, illustrating the past and future of ZCRS, teamed up to give a joint dialogue lecture.

Participants also heard from a panel made up of Ian Barbour, professor emeritus of science, technology, and society at Carleton College; V.V. Raman, professor emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology; Vítor Westhelle, professor of systematic theology, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago; Grace Wolf-Chase, research scientist in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago and astronomer at the Adler Planetarium; and Ann Pederson, associate professor of religion at Augustana College.

Adrian Wyard of the Counterbalance Foundation taped the lectures. Lectures by Csikszentmihalyi, Hefner/Jackelén, and few others are posted his website, www.counterbalance.org (look under ‘events’).