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As many of you know, Dr. Victor Matthews is retiring after an amazing 39-year career at Missouri State University!
At the recent Judy Awards ceremony, Dean Matthews was honored with the “Dean’s Legacy Award” by Dean Shawn Wahl, with President Smart and Provost Jasinski in attendance.
It was a special evening that included video tributes from a few of Dean Matthews’ colleagues . . .
Victor Matthews began teaching in 1984 at (then) Southwest Missouri State University in the Religious Studies Department, becoming dean of the College of Humanities and Public Affairs in 2009. We are truly proud of and grateful to Vic as our professor, dean, and soon-to-be emeritus professor.
We build from this legacy as we enter an exciting new chapter with the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities.
(photo and video courtesy of the College of Humanities and Public Affairs)
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MSU Religious Studies graduate student, Arielle Keating, somehow found time during her very busy, final semester to play in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Golf San Antonio Regional in San Antonio, TX Monday, 8 May.
Despite completing her graduate courses, comprehensive exams, and portfolio defense this semester, she continued her athletic practice as a pro golfer. And her work paid off.
According to the MSU Athletics Communications blog post, Keating “fired an even-par 72,” is tied for fifth place, “and was on her way to the Bears’ best round of the day and one of the best in the 66-player field.”
I know nothing about golf but I assume this is good news. Congratulations to Arielle on her golf game and for successfully completing the Master’s program in Religious Studies at MSU!
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Dr. Victor Matthews, Dean of the College of Humanities and Public Affairs and Professor of Religious Studies, published his 19th (!) book, Experiencing Scripture: The Five Senses in Biblical Interpretation. Recently, Adair Seifert interviewed Victor for The Missouri State Journal.
Victor’s primary academic field is in Biblical Studies, specifically the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and in the past several years he has focused on viewing the texts through the lens of the social sciences. Experiencing Scripture: The Five Senses in Biblical Interpretation, an outgrowth of this research, explores the social world from the perspective of the people who lived in those times, through their senses.
According to Victor, “Social science exploration of the texts opens up a new avenue for students to explore. So often we see the biblical texts as law or literature. What I want is for it to become is alive for the people who inhabit the text and, in turn, for those who read it, something that is identifiable in us rather than something long ago.”
You can read the blog journal here, https://news.missouristate.edu/2023/03/21/experiencing-scripture-through-the-five-senses/, listen to the audio, and find the full audio script.
Experiencing Scripture: The Five Senses in Biblical Interpretation is available from the publisher, Fortress Press, and on Amazon.
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Religious Studies Per Course Instructor, Mark G. Boyer, stopped by the office recently to announce two new books recently published: The Shelbydog Chronicles and Four Catholic Pioneers in Missouri: Lamarque, Kenrick, Fox, and Hogan, Irish Missionaries and Their Supporter.
Four Catholic Pioneers is a historical book about the explorers and developers whose lives crossed each other’s paths in Old Mines, Missouri in the middle of the 1800s. Marie-Louise Lamarque was French; the other three, Peter Richard Kenrick, James Fox, and John Joseph Hogan, were Irish who landed in Missouri, as did so many during the potato famine in the 1840s, and how the four lives intersected and were integral to the growth and development of the Roman Catholic faith in rural Missouri.
The Shelbydog Chronicles, a novel by lovable dog Shelby and recorded by Mark Boyer, tells the story of her life with various owners to her current life with Mark. Shelby, a brindle Labrador-Boxer mix, accompanied Mark to our office and was duly greeted by hugs and belly rubs by me. She was somewhat bashful when I tried to take a photo of her; here are some of the results:
Four Catholic Pioneers and The Shelbydog Chronicles are published by Wipf and Stock and are available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or other booksellers.
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The Department of Religious Studies is pleased to announce that our Academic Administrative Assistant, Jane Terry, was nominated and selected to receive the MSU Staff Excellence in University Service Award at the annual staff luncheon this past Tuesday.
The award recognizes Missouri State University staff members “who strive to do their jobs well on a daily basis, those who go above and beyond the call of duty in a special situation, and those who have contributed in a significant way to the success of the University.”
The six university staff members who received the award were given a nice trophy and a cash award. Congratulations, Jane, and all of the award recipients!
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Everyone is invited to attend this free event, our first Ozarks Festival of Faiths, on Saturday, 28 January 2023, 6:30-9:00 p.m. at the Springfield Art Museum, 1111 E Brookside Drive.
A wide variety of faiths in the Ozarks, including Buddhist, Hindu, Bahai, Sikh, Muslim, Jewish, Unitarian, and Native American groups, as well as several Christian denominations, will provide displays, choirs, and artwork under the theme of “Unity”. A candlelight vigil with the Mayor will begin at 8:45 p.m.
This event is hosted by the Have Faith Initiative, the Interfaith Alliance of the Ozarks, and the Springfield Art Museum.
In case of inclement weather, the event will be held on Saturday, 25 February 2023.
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Students in Professor Steve Berkwitz’s REL 355 Buddhism course participated in a creative project dinner, where they presented an impressive array of paintings, drawings, poems, and other artistic works. Students described how the creative project assignment led them to think more deeply about the course material and to develop some new talents. The group also shared and enjoyed some delicious Thai food from a nearby restaurant. It was a successful and fun evening for all!
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All Religious Studies majors and graduate students are invited to attend our Holiday Reception on Thursday, 8 December, 3:00-5:00 p.m. in the Strong Hall Atrium.
Enjoy cookies, hot apple cider, and hot chocolate with other REL students and faculty.
See you then!
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Join us in celebrating Native and Indigenous Heritage Month this November at Missouri State University! Several events are planned throughout the month beginning Saturday, 5 November 2022:
The 2nd Annual Honoring Our Veterans
POW-WOW
American Indian Center of Springfield
and Missouri State University
The Pow-Wow is open to everyone and begins at 2:00 p.m. at Greenwood Laboratory School (1124 E Harrison, Springfield). Concessions will be available for sale, and it is suggested that you bring chairs.
This event is sponsored by the Multicultural Resource Center, The College of Humanities and Public Affairs, the Department of Sociology-Anthropology, and the Drew Lewis Foundation.
Donations are welcome at the American Indian Center of Springfield at The Drew Lewis Foundation, The Fairbanks, 1126 N Broadway Ave., Springfield, MO 65802.
Other events this month:
14 November, 5:00 p.m.: Keynote Speaker at the Mary Jean Price Multicultural Resource Center (open to everyone). Learn about the history of local stories and the influence of oral traditions from a guest speaker.
16 November, 4:00 p.m.: Native American Beadwork at the Mary Jean Price Multicultural Resource Center (current students only). Learn how to make beaded jewelry.
29 November, 7:00 p.m.: Handgame at Plaster Student Union 1st floor (current students only). Take part in a traditional Native American Handgame.
5 December, 3:00 p.m.: DiversiTEA time: Native American Tea-Time at the Mary Jean Price Multicultural Resource Center (current students only). Join in a tea party celebration.
The Mary Jean Price Multicultural Resource Center is located in the first floor of Plaster Student Union, Missouri State University.
Events listing may be found here:
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The MSU Graduate College recently awarded the Distinguished Thesis Award in the Humanities to Mr. Riley Brown, who graduated in spring 2022 with a Master’s Degree in Religious Studies.
Riley’s thesis is called “A Nation of Priests: Authority, Expertise, and the Religious Nones,” and he argues therein that the religiously unaffiliated are akin to self-appointed experts in their own religious beliefs. He makes the provocative argument that theories of secularization based on authority fall short when it comes to understanding the rise of the “Nones” in America’s religious field. Owing in part to his outstanding thesis research, Riley has entered the Master of Divinity program at Harvard Divinity School.
This marks the eighth Distinguished Thesis Award that Religious Studies M.A. students have earned since 2004. Congratulations to Riley Brown and all of our REL M.A. alumni!
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