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Religion Professor Invited to Speak at Two Schools in Eastern Pennsylvania

Posted on Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Dr. Bryan Rennie, Vira I. Heinz professor and chair of Westminster College's Department of Religion, History, Philosophy and Classics, presented lectures on Mircea Eliade March 31 at Lehigh University and April 1 at Lafayette College.

The Lehigh lecture, "Mircea Eliade: Art, Religion and the Perception of the Sacred," was part of the spring lecture series on "Religion and the Visual Arts."

The Lafayette presentation, "Mircea Eliade and the 'Cognitive Science' of Religion: Contradictory or Complementary Approaches?," sought to demonstrate that the "cognitive science" of religion and Eliade's older, humanistic approach to the history of religions were in agreement on several decisive issues.

In addition to the formal lectures, Rennie addressed three undergraduate classes in "Religion and Art," "The Philosophy of Religion," and "Method and Theory in Religion."

"It was particularly exciting to talk on my most recent research to both faculty and undergraduate students," Rennie said. "The students seemed to be especially interested in what I had to say and the way it applied to their classes."

"My day at Lehigh was all the more exciting because my talk was followed by an evening lecture by Philip Jenkins, Penn State historian of religion and widely published author," Rennie added.

Rennie, who has been with Westminster since 1992, earned an undergraduate degree, master's, and Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He has authored four books and numerous articles on Mircea Eliade.

Contact Rennie at (724) 946-7151 or e-mail brennie@westminster.edu for more information.

Dr. Bryan Rennie