Duke Chapel Conversations

Three deans of Duke University Chapel—one current and two former—hold a public conversation about the role of preaching in public discourse. Fewer people are coming to church to hear sermons and yet religious language and elements of the sermonic style continue to be present in various types of public speech. In this context, are preachers being heard and heeded? What is the place of the pulpit in the public square? And, how are sermons changing? Three prolific preachers, with experience on two continents, address those questions and others in a Duke Chapel Bridge Panel conversation moderated by Frank Stasio, the host of WUNC Radio's The State of Things. The panelists are: The Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery, dean of Duke Chapel since 2012 and an associate professor of homiletics at Duke Divinity School The Rev. Dr. Samuel Wells, vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields and former dean of Duke Chapel from 2005 to 2012 Bishop William Willimon, professor of the practice of Christian ministry at Duke Divinity School and former dean of Duke Chapel from 1984 to 2004

This Bridge Panel public conversation highlights the stories of justice-involved individuals and the impact of mass incarceration in the local community as well as ways faith communities and others are coming together to seek a more just society. The panelists are: Dr. Douglas Campbell, Professor of New Testament at Duke Divinity School; Drew Doll, Reentry Coordinator for the Religious Coalition of a Nonviolent Durham; and the Hon. Shamieka L. Rhinehart, Durham District Court Judge. Chapel Dean Luke A. Powery moderates the panel. The Chapel's Bridge Panel series more broadly seeks to connect people from disparate walks of life in order to discover shared pathways toward the beloved community of God.

Dean of Duke University Chapel Sam Wells and Dean of Duke Divinity School Greg Jones hold a dialogue on October 30, 2008.

Duke University Chapel hosts a public conversation with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and the Rev. William J. Barber II, "The Enduring Challenge of a Moral Economy: 50 Years After Dr. King Challenged Racism, Poverty, and Militarism." The event was to be part of Duke's 2018 Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration and Duke Chapel's Bridge Panel series, which seeks to connect people from disparate walks of life to discover shared pathways toward the community of God. "In joining with others to begin organizing the Poor People's Campaign 50 years ago, Dr. King was working out of a Christian conviction that racial equity, economic justice and peace among nations were interrelated issues -- and all matters of faith," said Chapel Dean Luke A. Powery, who moderated the talk held on April 20, 2018. "Through this public conversation, we have an opportunity to bring together the insights of a preacher and a politician on the present-day work toward a just, moral economy." Barber is a national co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, an initiative that aims to address issues of systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation and the nation's morality. He is also the president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, a nonprofit organization that seeks to build a moral agenda. An alumnus of Duke Divinity School, Barber is the pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Sanders is an Independent senator from Vermont. His 2016 campaign for the Democratic nomination for president focused on policy issues that included universal health care, free tuition at public universities and a $15-per-hour minimum wage. He was first elected to public office in 1981 as mayor of Burlington, Vermont, and has since served 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and 11 years in the U.S. Senate. In addition to his role as dean of Duke Chapel, Powery is an associate professor of homiletics at Duke Divinity School. His most recent book is "Rise Up, Shepherd!: Advent Reflections on the Spirituals." Ordained to the Ministry by the Progressive National Baptist Convention, he was inducted in 2014 into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Collegium of Scholars at Morehouse College for his ethical and spiritual leadership in the academy, church, and broader society. Co-sponsors of the event include Duke Divinity School and Duke's Sanford School of Public Policy and Office for Institutional Equity.

What would you do if you knew you had a year to live? A month? A day? How would you spend your time? Who would you spend it with? What would you do? Please join us as we explore how these questions -- and the way that each of us answers them -- illuminate the diversity in our community. Presented by the Duke Center for Palliative Care, in partnership with Duke Chapel's Bridge Panels Series, and the Duke University School of Nursing. The panelists are: Linda Jacob, patient family member; Kimberly Johnson, MD, associate professor of medicine, Division of Geriatrics; Pastor Ronald Godbee, River Church in Durham; Anthony Galanos, MD, professor of medicine, Duke Palliative Care; Elizabeth Zechinati, NP, nurse practitioner, Duke Palliative Care. The conversation, held on February 23, 2018, was moderated by David Casarett, MD, director of the Duke Center for Palliative Care

A public discussion on March 30, 2017 moderated by the Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery, Dean of Duke University Chapel with the Rev. Dr. William Turner, Jr., James T. and Alice Mead Cleland Professor of the Practice of Preaching at Duke Divinity School; Bishop William Willimon, bishop in the United Methodist Church, former dean of Duke Chapel, and professor of the practice of Christian ministry at Duke Divinity School; and readings from the Duke Chapel Recordings Archive.

In a world worried about terror -- acts of violence with political ends -- how is it possible to live in peace? A Duke Chapel "Bridge Panel" conversation takes up the question of what spiritual, political, and communal resources are available to seek peace in an age of fear. The title of the public discussion held on February 24, 2017 comes from a sermon preached in December 2016 by Chapel Dean Luke A. Powery. In it, Dean Powery drew upon the Apostle Paul, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Charles Wesley, and others to describe how "the peace of God is standing guard." Powery moderates the conversation. The panelists are: Professor Valerie Cooper, associate professor of Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School, Professor Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Divinity and Law Professor Omid Safi, director of Duke's Islamic Studies Center and a professor of Asian and Middle Studies.

Dr. Diya Abdo believes private colleges and universities can play a pivotal role in housing and resettling refugees. That is why Dr. Abdo, chair of the English and Creative Writing Department at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, began "Every Campus a Refuge," an initiative which calls on colleges and universities around the world to assist in resettlement by hosting one refugee family on campus. Her inspiration for the effort comes from a combination of sources: her own personal story, the Pope's call on every church parish to host one refugee family, Guilford College's Quaker tradition, and the Arab-Islamic word for campus which means "sanctuary." Dr. Abdo shares her experiences on February 7, 2017 in helping people #FindSanctuary.

Dean of Duke University Chapel Sam Wells and Pratt School of Engineering Dean Tom Katsouleas hold a dialogue on April 27, 2010.

Duke Chapel Dean Sam Wells and Fuqua School of Business Dean Blair Sheppard hold a dialogue on February 24, 2010.

A dialogue held on March 30, 2009.

Dean of Duke University Chapel Sam Wells and Duke School of Medicine Dean Nancy Andrews hold a dialogue on February 12, 2009.

Duke Chapel Dean Sam Wells and Fuqua School of Business Dean Blair Sheppard hold a dialogue on November 25, 2008.

A dialogue held on November 4, 2008.

A dialogue held on November 4, 2008.

Duke Chapel Dean Sam Wells and Nicholas School of the Environment Dean Bill Chameides hold a dialogue on February 29, 2008.

Dean of Duke University Chapel Sam Wells and Dean of Duke Divinity School Greg Jones hold a dialogue on December 5, 2007.

Duke Chapel Dean Sam Wells and Fuqua School of Business Dean Blair Sheppard hold a dialogue on October 17, 2007.