Our Place in Walla Walla: Religion
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Feature by: Noah Leavitt, College Liaison for Community Affairs
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Like many aspects of our place, religious life is multifaceted—sometimes-visible and sometimes hidden—and rarely straightforward. (For instance, BestPlaces.com asserts “Walla Walla, located in Washington State’s Walla Walla County, is a small city with a rich religious history…” However, Dwellics only gives us a score of 24.3 out of 100 on their Religion Diversity scale…)
The start of December—a month filled with religious and spiritual holidays—offers an opportunity to explore this aspect of the Walla Walla Valley.
To get us started, Interfaith Chaplain Adam Kirtley shared with me that “The Pacific Northwest has long been identified as one of the least religiously affiliated places in the U.S., though religious affiliation has been on sharp decline in the whole of the US for the last several years. Walla Walla, though, has many expressions of Christianity with close to 20 churches within one mile of campus. ”
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The Whitman College website lists many places of worship—Christian and otherwise—that are located within about an hour drive of campus.
Whitman College, of course, has ties to this regional history. The Founder of Whitman College, Cushing Eells, also established First Congregational Church just around the corner from campus.
Professor of Religion Emeritus Rogers Miles is familiar with Rev. Eells, having both taught about him in some of his classes about religion in this region (including a cross-listed community-based learning course in the Anthropology Department on “Spiritual Soundscapes” where he and Professor of Anthropology Jason Pribilsky took their students to several local sacred spaces to learn about connection between worship and aurality). Miles also portrayed Eells in Fort Walla Walla Museum’s Living History initiative.
Chaplain Kirtley noted that the Walla Walla area is home to a large Seventh Day Adventist population, and Walla Walla University is one of the denomination’s flagship higher ed institutions. While Adventism now has well-established ministries all over the world, the tradition was born about 200 years ago in the U.S. as part of the Second Great Awakening, a time of tremendous growth and spread of evangelical Christianity in the U.S. (and a time of deep reforms and splintering of Protestant traditions).
Read more.
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Daniel Schultz Published in The Comparatist
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Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Religion Daniel Schultz recently published a review essay of Michel Foucault’s “History of Sexuality 4: Confessions of the Flesh” in the recent issue of The Comparatist. This final volume of the “History of Sexuality” offers a sustained analysis of the ways early Christians understood and theologically elaborated the meaning of sex and the body. Schultz’s review essay situates this posthumously published work within the larger theoretical trajectory of the French philosopher’s thinking.
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Winter Arts & Crafts Fair Today
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The Student Activities Office is hosting a Winter Arts & Crafts Fair today from 4–6 p.m. in the Reid Campus Center Ballroom. More than 25 Whitman artisans will be selling their creations.
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Q&A With Rabbi Elizabeth Goldstein Today
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The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life will host an “Ask Me Anything” event with Rabbi Elizabeth Goldstein Today at 7 p.m. in Olin Hall, Room 129. Goldstein is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Jewish Chaplain at Gonzaga University where she teaches courses in Torah/Hebrew Bible and contemporary Jewish Studies. Goldstein will take questions and share her perspective about this current moment, and what it’s like to serve the needs of Jewish students and faculty in a mid-size Jesuit, Catholic campus.
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Opera Workshop Performance on Friday
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The Whitman Opera Workshop will present “An Evening of Mozart, Weill and Sondheim” on Friday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. in Chism Recital Hall. The performance will include scenes from “The Magic Flute,” “Street Scene” and “Sweeney Todd.” (Flyer attached.)
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Photo (@gowhitman): Congratulations to Whitman Baseball! Their recent fundraising efforts raised more than $2,000 for the Providence St. Mary Foundation Jan Erickson Lifesaver Fund (donations are still being accepted) which provides breast cancer screenings and diagnostic imaging for those without the resources or insurance to cover the costs.
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Teaching Demonstration: Computer Science Faculty Candidate
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Research Demonstration: Computer Science Faculty Candidate
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Reid Campus Center, Young Ballroom
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Reid Campus Center, Room G02
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Reid Campus Center, Room 207 (RSVP)
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Olin Hall, Chikurakken (Tea Room)
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Reid Campus Center, Young Ballroom
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Cleveland Commons, Lizzie Murr Conference Room
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Technology Services Building
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Memorial Building, Room 205
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Reid Campus Center, All Faiths Room
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Reid Campus Center, Basement
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Hall of Music, Chism Recital Hall
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Reid Campus Center, Room 239
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Wellness Interest House & Welty Health Center
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Reid Campus Center, All Faiths Room
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Finals Relief Paint Night
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Reid Campus Center, Room 207
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Tekisuijuku (Japanese Interest House)
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Hall of Music, Chism Recital Hall
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Wrap Gifts for Holiday Gift Drive
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Would you like to share an event with campus? Submit the information to the Events Calendar.
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“Whitman Today” is produced by the Office of Communications and is emailed Monday through Friday to Whitman College staff, faculty and students.
All submissions are welcome! If you have accomplishments to celebrate, an event to publicize or other content to share with the Whitman community, email whitmantoday@whitman.edu. Submissions of 125 words or less are due by noon for the following day’s newsletter. Submissions may be edited and/or held for a later date according to space and editorial needs. Your submission also authorizes use on Whitman's social media unless otherwise specified.
Previous issues of Whitman Today are archived on our website.
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