Author Archives: Stephen Gikow

Amid a presidential race laden with religious rhetoric, combining politics and religion is nothing new. Nearly 80 years after the first Yale University Chaplain was charged with overseeing religious and spiritual life at Yale, the position has evolved into an increasingly active force on campus and beyond. In 1926, the role was as concrete as »

Theologians, businessmen and politicians gathered at the Yale Divinity School Thursday and Friday for a conference on moral leadership. The conference, sponsored by the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, focused on what representatives called a crisis of trust in the world today. The conference was the first in a series dedicated to the memory »

In order to better accommodate the ever-changing religious community at the University, officials have assembled a Committee on Religious and Spiritual Life at Yale. Formed at the request of Yale President Richard Levin, the group will make recommendations to him and the Yale Corporation this spring about how the University can best support students’ religious »

Every Yale student is faced with the formidable task of juggling academics, extracurricular activities and free time. But some religious students find it more difficult to fit one aspect of their lives into the scholastic mold. “Imagine going to a class where the exam is given on the holiest day of your year, and the »

Many people view the Catholic Church as dominated by unchanging tradition, but it is an institution willing to change, Judge John T. Noonan Jr. said. Noonan, a judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, spoke about the possibility of change in Catholic moral doctrine at St. Thomas More Thursday. The Catholic Church has »

A group of religious Yalies in search of sunshine and spirituality Friday found it in a day of weeding and trellis-building at the Yale Organic Garden on Edwards Street. The newly-formed Faith and Environment group’s first event included several presentations on religion and the environmental movement in addition to the garden work. “I myself had »

As religious groups on campus grow in size and number, some students looking for a place to pray or meditate may find themselves without a regular meeting place. “The University is very aware that [lack of space] is a huge problem,” Yale University Chaplain Frederick Streets said Thursday. Space problems have been on the rise »

On Sept. 11, 2001, Bishop Frank Griswold realized anew the power of religion to heal. “I realized that the little arms of the cross could embrace the rage that happened just a block away,” he said. Griswold, the 25th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church USA, visited the Christ Church Episcopal this weekend for its »

Each spring, many Yale students celebrate Passover with their friends by hosting private dinners. Many are continuing a practice they grew up with, but these are not your Bubbeh’s and Zaideh’s Seders. Student-led Seders take many forms, but most aim to mix traditions from home with some college students’ affinity for intellectual conversations and red »

The Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA released a study this week citing that students profess a high level of spirituality in their lives at school, although a majority of students said their professors never encourage discussions of religious or spiritual issues. HERI asked 3,680 students at 46 colleges nationwide about their spiritual and religious »

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright spoke to a packed crowd at the Yale Divinity School’s chapel Tuesday against using religion to support foreign policy decisions. Albright’s speech, which lasted about 45 minutes, was entitled “The Mighty and the Almighty: United States Foreign Policy and God.” Albright focused on the dangers of using religious arguments »

Speaking at a special worship Sunday morning at the Afro-American Cultural Center, Pastor Nadine Lowe talked to women about their religious and social value. “[God] chose you to be his diamond at Yale University,” Lowe said. Hosted by the Black Church at Yale, or BCAY, the service wrapped up the three-day celebration of Women’s Day »