The A.D. Bruce Religion Center Speaker Series provides the UH community an opportunity to learn more about Faith, Religion, and Spirituality in a framework not often discussed. The various speakers will invite you into a discussion that will introduce a new perspective while acknowledging the complexities of navigating societal issues from a faith-based perspective.

Past Events:

Topic: "Nones' and the Changing Nature of Black Religion"

• • Thursday, August 29th, 2024
  • Time: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
  • A.D. Bruce Religion Center, University Chapel
  • In the United States, to be a Black American is to be a Black Christian. And there’s something to this assumption in that the vast majority of African Americans are Christian. However, recent years are marked by a growing number of African Americans who claim no particular religious affiliation—i.e., Black Nones. And of these Black Nones, the most public and vocal are those who claim to be humanists. It’s surprising how little attention Black humanists have received in both popular and academic publications. Based on the growth of this population of nonbelievers, and the way their numbers are beginning to change the influence of Black churches as well as Black life in general, ignoring them is a mistake. What does it mean to be a Black humanist? What do Black humanist believe, and what do they do? This talk seeks to answer these questions.

Topic: "Is This Yoga?: History, Translation, and the Problem with Authenticity"

• • • Tuesday, April 9th, 2024
    • Speaker: Anya Foxen, Ph.D
    • In Collaboration with UH Religious Studies & CalPoly, SLO, California
    • A.D. Bruce Religion Center, Meditation Chapel (Room 201)
    • Time: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
    • What makes something “yoga”? Recent scholarship has shown that modern yoga is neither the direct continuation nor, indeed, a corruption of any single unified pre-modern tradition. Instead, like all complex cultural phenomena, it is the product of an ongoing process of reinterpretation, recombination, and synthesis. This talk focuses on spiritual breath and movement practices as they existed in North America and Europe on the eve of yoga’s worldwide popularization at the outset of the twentieth century, and compares and contrasts them with the yogic practices of contemporary India. It then traces the ways in which these two systems intertwined and blended to produce the global practice we call “yoga” today.

Topic: Crosses & Turntables: Christianity's Influence on Hip-Hop

• • •   In Collaboration with UH African American Studies, Dr. Timmie Foster, Dr. Lekesha Barnett - Attuqayefio, Nate "The Beatbreaker" Robinson, Lucius Hoskins, Flash Gordon Parks, Varion "Se7en" Howard, Dr. Christopher "Cruise Control" Williams
      • Click here for more information about the panelists
    • Join us for an engaging and thought-provoking panel discussion that explores the dynamic relationship between Christianity and hip-hop culture. Crosses & Turntables brings together industry greats, artists, and scholars to explore the ways in which Christianity has influenced and continues to shape the world of hip-hop culture.
    • Speaker: Dr. Rev. Thich Hang Dat (Trung Huynh)
    • Mindfulness practice includes present-focused awareness, acceptance, nonjudgment, and being kind toward oneself and others. Studies showed that mindfulness practice can serve as an extremely powerful protective factor against mental health challenges, i.e., stress, anxiety, depression, and others. Join this speaker series to learn how mindfulness practice can help you improve mental well-being and be successful in school.

Topic: ON SIN & SALVATION:  Navigating the Christian and Islamic Traditions to Find Truth

• • • Speakers: Fahad Tasleem & Thabiti Anyabwile

Topic: Sacred Fire: Preparing for Healing & Reconciliation

• • • Speaker(s): Laura Marshall Clark and Claire Mummert
    • Indigenous peoples of the Gulf Coast region inhabited these lands for thousands of years before first contact with Europeans. Join us as we explore together the impact of the troubled history of Texas, the great loss of Native American lives, and the erasure of tribal cultures
    • View the Sacred Fire Flyer

Topic: De-mystifying Divination: African Spirituality in the Americas

• • • Speaker: Carlie Pierre
    • A discussion on the history of African spirituality throughout the Americas, common myths, and inclusive practices when learning about religious and non-religious spirituality outside of the Western civilization.

Topic: Abortion in Jewish Law

• • Speaker(s): Rabbi Kenny Weiss, Houston Hillel Executive Director and Lecturer in Jewish Studies at the University of Houston
  • An overview of abortion in Jewish law from the perspective of traditional and liberal Jewish authorities.