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‘The missing youth’: Utah faith leaders look for ways to better connect with young people

UVU religious scholar elected to global panel

Introduction to Philosophy

Approaches to Religious Studies

Ethics and Values

Brian Birch is Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Religious Studies Program at Utah Valley University. He specializes in philosophy of religion, ethics, and interreligious studies. He is a graduate of the University of Utah (Philosophy, 1990, 92) and Claremont Graduate University (Philosophy of Religion and Theology, 1998). His research explores dimensions of religious diversity including interreligious dialogue, pluralistic theologies, and the relationship between religion and ethics. He is the founding editor of Teaching Ethics_ The Journal of the Society for Ethics Across the Curriculum and Element_ The Journal of the Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology. Other publications include contributions to Philosophical Investigations, the Encyclopedia of Religion and War (Routledge), and Ethics and Values (Simon & Schuster). His current book project is a collection of essays entitled Radical Pluralism_ Ethics, Diversity, and Religious Experience.

He is past president of the Society for Philosophy of Religion and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy. He has also served on the Board of Trustees of the Parliament of the World's Religions and as a Senior Consultant at Interfaith America.

Religion and Ethics

Pluralistic Theologies

Interreligious Dialogue

Religious Diversity

UVU Faculty Profile

Director, Religious Studies Program

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Discussion Moderator: Brian Birch
Director, Center for the Study of Ethics

Religious Diversity and Global Ethics

USC 2010: Brian Birch (Speech Series)

A daylong celebration of Utah Valley University’s new Reflection Center on Sept. 3 will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony; a Presidential Lecture, a student activity promoting inter-religious understanding, and a screening an independent film.

The day’s events focus on the completion of the University’s new Reflection Center, a space created for the UVU community to gather for meditation, prayer and reflection. Ribbon-cutting ceremonies begin at noon at the center located on the first floor of the Student Life & Wellness Center.

“We have a large and increasingly diverse student body from all 50 states and nearly 70 countries,” said Brian D. Birch, director of the Religious Studies Program. “We wanted a space for our students to develop their whole selves, where they can develop their social, intellectual, and spiritual capacities as they define them.”

In addition to the actual ribbon cutting, several other activities have been planned to celebrate the religious diversity found at UVU. Eboo Patel, an expert on religious diversity and founder of Interfaith Youth Core, a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting interfaith cooperation, will present the fall Presidential Lecture titled “Changing the World through Interfaith Cooperation,” at 1 p.m. in the Grande Ballroom of the Sorensen Student Center.

The student activity, will allow participants to gather in small groups to learn about different faith perspectives in rapid-fire fashion. The activity will be from 3-5 p.m. in the Grande Ballroom.

The day will end with a 6:30 p.m. screening in the Reflection Center of “Us and Them: Religious Rivalry in America,” a film that tells the story Bryan Hall, a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who travels to the Bible Belt and is forced to ask himself whether he must really love his enemies in order to be a true disciple of Christ.

The idea for the Reflection Center has been almost 15 years in the making, said Birch. “Most campuses have a designated space for prayer, but we wanted a facility that would accommodate not only religious expression, but also interfaith interaction, dialogue, and academic pursuits,” Birch explained. “When President Holland arrived, one of the first things he talked about was building an inclusive space. Space in the library and other areas were considered, but when the Student Life & Wellness Center was approved, we worked with the president to carve out this beautiful new facility.”

With a student population estimated to be at least 85 percent LDS, UVU presents a unique opportunity — and challenge — for inclusive education. “Because inclusion is one of our core values, we want to offer students opportunities to reach out beyond their own perspectives and learn from others,” Birch continued. “We believe that dealing with cultural diversity is an imperative in higher education, and religion is one of the most potent cultural forces. The Reflection Center is certainly symbolic of the University’s commitment to encouraging dialogue and interaction between students of different faiths and creating bridges of understanding.”

The new Reflection Center includes a meditation room designated for silent prayer, meditation and reflection; a prayer room set aside for individualized verbal prayer and other appropriate forms of religious expression; and a convening room designed to host lectures, conferences and student meetings to promote academic and cross-cultural dialogue.

Brian Birch, Ph.D.

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Claremont Graduate University

University of Utah

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Introduction to Philosophy

Approaches to Religious Studies

Ethics and Values

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‘The missing youth’: Utah faith leaders look for ways to better connect with young people

UVU religious scholar elected to global panel