One of the most terrible and terrifying stories from the Bible is Abraham’s near sacrifice of his son Isaac. Such blind and unthinking obedience from Abraham and Isaac, such an assumption of a bloodthirsty and capricious God. We need multiple tellings to make sense of this tale. And then, Provocate asks, what about Wilfred Owen’s telling?
Let’s hope that the 2008 election goes more smoothly than the 2000 election, and the ACLU has only a civic rather than professional interest in the outcome. This will be your first chance to hear from the area’s top experts why things went down as they did.
Larry A. Hickman is the Director of the Center for Dewey Studies and Professor of Philosophy at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He has written or edited more than a dozen books about Dewey. 2009 marks Dewey’s 150th birthday, so think of this lecture as a sneak peak at some of the ideas that will be explored next year.
Frequently misunderstood within Christian circles, the imagination is often either demonized or unreservedly celebrated. How should Chris-tians understand the imagination and what role, if any, should it play in their lives? These questions take on increasing significance in contemporary culture, which seems at times obsessed with the imagination. Dr. Middleton’s lecture will address these questions, while focusing on the possibility of the cultivation and education of the imagination, with especial reference to the thought of the Church Fathers and C. S. Lewis.
Comic books, film noir and the visual art of Jean-Michel Basquiat are a few of the springboards for Kevin Young’s poetry. The author of collections Black Maria, Jelly Roll (a finalist for the National Book Award) and most recently, For the Confederate Dead, Young digs deep into history by way of the arts. Walk with Young through the IMA galleries and share impressions of selected works of art.
Daniel Pink’s best known work, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, offers a fresh look at what it takes to excel. He claims the era of “left brain” dominance, and the Information Age that it engendered, are giving way to a new world in which “right brain” qualities—inventiveness, empathy, meaning—predominate. Provocate heaves an enormous sigh of relief!
Says Jim Lehrer of Purdue Prof Porter Shreve’s latest novel: “When the White House Was Ours is as good as it gets. Porter Shreve tells the story of the Truitts, a most unusual displaced family who come to Washington, DC from the Midwest to start an alternative school in a white house. They arrive about the same time Jimmy Carter, the man from Plains, comes to another White House with a credo about trust. The end result is a tale of sheer delight—beautifully told in perfect pitch.” When has Jim Lehrer ever steered us wrong?
Eboo Patel, founder the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), an international organization that enables young people to bridge religious traditions to serve humanity, visits Indy. His visit will include candid conversations with area high school students hand-selected by their adult advisers; a presentation to college students interested in religious and philanthropic studies; a breakfast dialogue with interfaith clergy, lay leaders, and religion faculty; and a formal luncheon with business executives and civic leaders. Details to be announced.
One of the biggest crowds at this year’s World Economic Forum was on Middle East companies’ “corporate social responsibility.” Find out why from Barbara Ibrahim.
According the Barbara Ibrahim, “Persistent societal problems and wealth creation in the Arab region are driving a new generation of actors to commit their resources for the greater public welfare. Widely known as philanthropy, voluntary contributions to causes that serve a public good are a longstanding and important aspect of cultures in the Arab region. What is of particular interest today is the proliferation of ways in which this private giving is being channeled into new institutional forms. In significant ways, some local philanthropy is becoming more strategic in its aims — by which is meant utilizing resources effectively to address the underlying causes of important social problems.” Sounds like we can learn a few lessons.
NUVO gives Provocate 2007 Cultural Vision Award
Provocate featured in Indianapolis Monthly
"Award combines film, activism: Festival to recognize social justice of Sept. 11, Congo in discussions,"
Indiana Lawyer April 16, 2008 ... on Provocate's Eric Parker Social Justice Award at the Indianapolis International Film Festival
