Museum of the Bible and the John A. Widtsoe Foundation invite you to a day of interfaith dialogue, where you can hear from leaders of local religious groups and enjoy specially guided tours of the museum’s collections. Building on last year’s interfaith dialogue event at the museum, the event focuses on Jesus’s teachings in Matthew 5:43–48 on loving one’s enemies. The event, called “Hate and Healing: A New Testament Dialogue,” will feature three dialogue sessions with panelists from four different Christian communities — Baptist, Roman Catholic, Latter-day Saint, and Seventh-day Adventist — with a full 20 minutes for audience questions after each session. The panelists will consider three interrelated topics:
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how their community has interpreted this passage generally
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how their community has engaged with this passage during a particular period of intense opposition in their history
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the ways in which their community’s interpretation of the passage might contribute to healing our present culture of divisiveness.
Between the sessions, there will be two specially curated tours that highlight how the museum’s collections, exhibits, and educational programs intersect with the biblical passage. A special lunch reception will also be offered.
Guests are invited to attend “Hate and Healing: A New Testament Dialogue” on June 4 in person or watch the three dialogue sessions via livestream. In-person tickets are $17.99, livestream tickets to hear the three dialogue and Q&A sessions are $9.99. Check below to see the schedule and panelists’ bios. We hope to see you on June 4 for a day of meaningful dialogue on the topic of Christian responses to hate and how the Bible can help heal the divides in our communities.
Postponed from June 4th
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM EDT
In Person $17.99
Virtual $9.99
Schedule
9:00–10:20 a.m. — Dialogue Session 1 with Q&A
10:30–11:30 a.m. — Museum Tour: Transmission of the Bible
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. — Lunch Reception Sponsored by Local Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
1:00–2:20 p.m. — Dialogue Session 2 with Q&A
2:30–3:30 p.m. — Museum Tour: The Impact of the Bible
3:45–5:15 p.m. — Dialogue Session 3 with Q&A
5:15–5:30 p.m. — Closing Thoughts
Diana Brown
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Diana Brown, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the assistant director for Interreligious Engagement in Campus Ministry at Georgetown University, where she works on cross-chaplaincy management, interreligious programs, and outreach to religiously unaffiliated students. When she joined Campus Ministry in 2017, she worked for Muslim, Jewish, and Dharmic Life as the interreligious coordinator. Diana earned a BA and MA in sociology from Brigham Young University and is currently working on an MPS in public relations & corporate communications from Georgetown University. She enjoys connecting with students over both mundane and serious topics, such as navigating faith and its confusing intersections with family, religious culture, social issues, and philosophy.
Fr. John W. Cossin
Roman Catholic
Fr. John W. Crossin, OSFS, is a Roman Catholic moral theologian and ethicist. He was named executive director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs in 2011, where he staffed numerous bilateral and interfaith dialogues and developed new resources for ecumenical and interfaith education. Father Crossin served as executive director of the Washington Theological Consortium from 1998–2011, and as Consultor to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity from 2014–2020. He holds a PhD in moral theology and master’s degrees in psychology and theology from The Catholic University of America. He is widely published in theological journals and is the author of several books.
Orlan Johnson
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Orlan Johnson is the director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, where he directs the division’s outreach in the area of religious liberty for all people, interacts with public officials, and represents the church’s viewpoint to policymakers. Mr. Johnson has practiced law for over 25 years and has served in numerous positions in both the public and private sectors, including an appointment by President Obama to be chairman of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. He received his BA from Andrews University (National Honor) and his JD from Howard University. He is married to Zina Johnson, a gospel musician, and has three children.
Gareth E. Murray Jr.
Baptist
Gareth E. Murray Jr., a Baptist, has been in ministry for 16 years. Gareth spent nearly a decade overseas serving communities across Europe, Africa, and Asia as a pastor, church-planter, teacher, and musical artist. He brings these experiences with him as a pastor, speaker, writer, and educator. Gareth remains active in international leadership by equipping ministers-in-training and speaking around the world on the topic of theological education.