Urging the importance of confessing one's faith, renowned religious scholar Jaroslav Pelikan spoke to the University community Tuesday night on the Eastern Orthodox sect of Christianity. Pelikan -- one of many speakers scheduled for the Distinguished Guest Speakers series presented by the Orthodox Christian Fellowship -- lectured to an audience of about 45 students, faculty and community members in the Newman Center library. His speech -- entitled "Confessions of Faith in Eastern Orthodoxy" -- dealt with the problem of affirming faith in modern times. Emphasizing the fact that Christians should not only believe but also actively practice their faith, Pelikan explained that just saying prayers is not sufficient. Pelikan, a History professor emeritus at Yale University and a current visiting professor at the Annenberg School for Communication, has written numerous books on Christianity and is currently working on a four-volume set entitled Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition, which is centered on Christian doctrine. In his speech, Pelikan stated that this publication will likely be his last major editorial enterprise. His past works include From Luther to Kierkegaard: A Study of Theology Through 1950, Jesus Through the Centuries and The Five Volume History of Christian Doctrine. Father Alexander Webster, Penn's Eastern Orthodox Chaplain, introduced Pelikan as a "triple-threat," due to his knowledge of historical, classical and religious studies. Webster also mentioned Pelikan's conversion last year from a lifetime of Lutheranism to Orthodox Christianity. The lecture was co-sponsored by the Office of the University Chaplain, the Department of Religious Studies and the Newman Center. Nursing junior and OCF member Martha Valas said she found the speech "very profound." And Liz Broadwell, an English graduate student and member of the Newman Graduate Activities Council, called Pelikan an "intellectual giant" and a "genius in his field." One student explained that because certain rituals associated with the religion are more visible, Orthodox Judaism has a stronger cultural presence in comparison to Orthodox Christianity. "If you want to be a real minority, become an Orthodox Christian," she said. The OCF plans to host one speaker per month throughout the year. An earlier speaker was History Professor Alan Kors.
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