Marc Gopin — a professor of religion, diplomacy and conflict resolution at George Mason University — will speak at a Bridges to the Future lecture on May 9 at 7 p.m. in the Newman Center’s Gates Concert Hall. The free event is the final in this year’s lecture series, which has focused on “The Pursuit of Peace.”
Gopin is the author of several books, including Holy War, Holy Peace, which will be the topic of his lecture. According to Gopin, the book explores “the ways in which religion intensifies human experience around both making war and making peace.”
“The untold story is the world of religious peacemakers around the globe who are passionate about peacemaking, holding together societies in ways similar to Gandhi, the Dalai Lama and others,” he says. “We must understand who these people are, how to make sense of what they do, and whether we can help them move the world toward peace.”
Gopin directs the Center for Religion, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution and the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University and is a senior researcher at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy’s Institute for Human Security.
His research focuses on the international problems of globalization, the clash of cultures, and value-based social justice. Gopin has trained thousands of individuals worldwide in peacemaking strategies and conflict resolution and has lectured on complex religious and cultural conflict around the world, including Switzerland, Ireland, India and Israel.
Gopin was ordained as a rabbi at Yeshiva University in 1983 and received a PhD in religious ethics from Brandeis University in 1993. He has appeared on CNN, Court TV, Israel Radio, National Public Radio and many other national news outlets to speak about religious ethics and conflict resolution.
The Newman Center is located at 2344 E. Iliff Ave. Free parking will be available in lot P next to the Newman Center. Reservations may be made at www.du.edu/bridges/.