Galambush continues College's interfaith dialogue series

Feb. 25, 2010
Contact: Annie Standridge, Communications Assistant
865.981.8085; annie.standridge@my.maryvillecollege.edu

Dr. Julie Galambush, associate professor of religious studies at the College of William & Mary, will visit Maryville College March 1 for a presentation about the relationships between two faiths, Judaism and Christianity.

With her lecture, entitled "The New Testament: Jewish or Anti-Jewish?," Galambush continues the College's interfaith dialogue series "Many Faiths, One World." The March 1 event, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in the Harold and Jean Lambert Recital Hall of the Clayton Center for the Arts.

"Her lecture will contribute to interfaith dialogue by reminding people of both the close relationship between Christianity and Judaism and the tensions between the two great faiths," said Dr. Peggy Cowan, professor of religion at Maryville College. "In particular, her work acknowledges that Christianity began as a small sect within Judaism and it was only through a painful process of separation that the two became distinct traditions. In other words, Christianity is deeply rooted in Judaism, and appreciating that connection can open up avenues for considering shared ideas, convictions and traditions."

Galambush studied the New Testament throughout her educational career. Formally an ordained American Baptist minister, she converted to Judaism in the mid 1990s. In 2006, she published The Reluctant Parting: How the New Testament's Jewish Writers Created a Christian Book.

Cowan said she believes interfaith dialogue is important on college campuses because students, faculty and staff learn and grow by engaging people with different ideas and perspectives.

"Part of a liberal arts education is examining one's beliefs and assumptions in light of new knowledge, and that holds true for religious beliefs as well as understandings of science, literature, art and politics," she added. "[Maryville College's] Statement of Purpose says that we ‘listen humbly for the voice of God however God may speak,' and I think that means that other faiths have something to teach all of us. We are also committed to encouraging intercultural understanding and global citizenship, and those things require an understanding of religions as well as other facets of cultures different from our own."

Maryville College is ideally situated in Maryville, Tenn., between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Knoxville, the state‘s third largest city. Founded in 1819, it is the 12th oldest institution of higher learning in the South and maintains an affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Known for its academic rigor and its focus on the liberal arts, Maryville is where students come to stretch their minds, stretch themselves and learn how to make a difference in the world. Total enrollment for the fall 2011 semester was 1,078.