Why can’t conservatives and liberals get along?
The Rev. Dr. Wesley Wildman, professor and theologian, will explore the differences in these two strains of thought, and share approaches to conflict resolution gleaned from his neuroscience research, as keynote speaker at Drew University’s Clergy Health Day on April 9, 2015.
The Rev. Wildman will deliver his talk, Conflict and the Brain, at 9 am at the Drew campus in Madison, at 36 Madison Ave. He is a professor of philosophy, theology and ethics at the Boston University School of Theology, and co-founder of the Institute for the Bio-Cultural Study of Religion.
Thursday’s Clergy Health Day runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Drew’s Ehinger Center and is open to the public. Tickets are $10 each and free for Drew students with valid ID. Continuing Education credits are available and those tickets are $17.50 each. Registration details are here.
More details follow, from Drew University:
Conflict Resolution the Focus of Drew University Clergy Health Day
April 9 event features Rev. Dr. Wesley Wildman, professor and theologian
Madison, N.J.— Empathy for others, especially those with different viewpoints, is a key component for success for those who deal with conflict in their professions. The Rev. Dr. Wesley Wildman, keynote speaker at Drew’s Clergy Health Day on April 9, will share approaches to conflict resolution in his presentation, “Conflict and the Brain.”
Wildman, professor of philosophy, theology and ethics at Boston University School of Theology, will explore differences between conservative and liberal thinking through his research in neuroscience. His goal? To help others have difficult yet meaningful conversations, by understanding the relationship between strongly-held views and how the brain works.
Tickets for “Conflict and the Brain” at Clergy Health Day, which will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Drew’s Ehinger Center and is open to the public, are $10 each and free for Drew students with valid ID.. Continuing Education credits are available and those tickets are $17.50 each.
Wildman is co-founder of the Institute for the Bio-Cultural Study of Religion, and works in religion and science and his publications include a multidisciplinary comparative approach to important topics within religious and theological studies. Wildman he is the convener of the Boston University Graduate School doctoral program in religion and science. He also is the author of several books and articles.
Dr. Virginia A. Samuel, associate dean for contextual education at the Drew Theological School, has heard Wildman speak: “I saw an immediate connection between his presentation and the difficult conversations clergy are commonly called upon to facilitate in conflict situations of different kinds in their congregations. I saw Dr. Wildman’s work as a way to help clergy and others better understand the biological basis for thinking as a way to minimize the stress of differences of opinions that sometimes lead to conflict.”
Please visit https://www.drew.edu/calendar/event/clergy-health-day-2 for more information and to register for this event.
Clergy Health Day at Drew Theological School is made possible by a generous grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.
About Drew University
Drew University, a Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts university, includes the College of Liberal Arts, the Drew Theological School and the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies. Drew is located on a beautiful, wooded, 186-acre campus in Madison, New Jersey, a thriving small town close to New York City. Particularly noteworthy opportunities for undergraduates include the Wall Street Semester, Semester at the United Nations, Semester on Contemporary Art and Semester in Communications and Media in New York City, and several international semester opportunities. The university is home to the Center for Civic Engagement, the Drew Summer Science Institute, the Charles A. Dana Research Center for Scientists Emeriti (RISE) and the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, an independent professional theater, as well as the United Methodist Archives and History Center and one of the country’s leading concentrations of materials on Willa Cather.
