{"id":2531,"date":"2026-03-24T13:51:45","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T18:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/religion\/?page_id=2531"},"modified":"2026-03-26T11:04:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T16:04:15","slug":"faculty-quotes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/religion\/faculty-quotes\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty Quotes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Anthony Bateza<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Associate Professor of Religion; Department Chair of Race, Ethnic, Gender and Sexuality Studies<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Why did you choose to study religion?<\/p>\n

In my experience, religion was where people asked complex questions about the human condition and how we strive to make the world a better place. Inside the Christian tradition, I was captivated by discussions about God’s identity and actions, and how commonplace words like “love” and “freedom” were filled with deep meaning and lasting impact among religious communities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\"\"<\/a>
\nJames Hanson<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Associate Professor of Religion<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Why do I research religion?<\/p>\n

I chose to study religion because I became fascinated with the idea that religions have historical origins and develop over time – they don’t simply fall from heaven fully formed. I also came to see how thoroughly embedded religions are in cultures such as the U.S., especially in the arts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\"\"<\/a>
\nKiara Jorgenson<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Martin E. Marty Chair in Religion and the Academy; Associate Professor of Religion and Environmental Studies; Department Chair of Environmental Studies<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Why do I research religion?<\/p>\n

I study religion \u2013 collectively its places, stories, people and customs \u2013 because I believe it remains a powerful force of promising cultural change. To live well and intentionally on a warmer planet that is increasingly characterized by social strife is to know and appreciate something about religion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t

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\"\"<\/a>
\nPeder Jothen<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Associate Professor of Practice in Religion; Senior Research Fellow<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Why do I research religion?<\/p>\n

Because I live to have conversations with others about the deep, abiding, enduring questions that are central to being human<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\"\"<\/a>
\nTimothy Rainey<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Assistant Professor of Religion<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Why religion?<\/p>\n

Why have we made the world as it is? I\u2019ve asked versions of this question for most of my life. The best I\u2019ve got is trying to understand what people mean when saying things about what they ultimately value.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\"\"<\/a>
\nJason Ripley<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Associate Professor of Religion; Department Chair of Religion<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Why do I research religion?<\/p>\n

Bad biblical interpretation ruins lives, while good biblical interpretation can transform them. I want to know how to distinguish them from each other!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t

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\nEdmund Santurri<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Professor of Religion and Philosophy<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Why did you choose to study religion?<\/p>\n

Hmm. I’m an old man and that was a long time ago to remember. But it had something to do with reading Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion and Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\"\"<\/a>
\nJamie Schillinger<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Associate Professor of Religion; Director of Middle East Studies<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Why did you choose to study religion?<\/p>\n

Two reasons. i) it is so interdisciplinary and liberal artsy in its focus: to do it well, you have to incorporate skills from literary analysis, history, philosophy, sociology, etc. ii) Religion is a way that everyone (both the highly and poorly educated) approaches big and complicated ideas. I find the tension between faith-reason fascinating.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\nGregory Walter<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Harold Ditmanson Distinguished Professor of Religion<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Why do I research religion<\/del> theology?<\/p>\n

I adore theology and its questions have stuck with me the most.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t

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\"\"
\nCharles Wilson
\n<\/strong>Professor of Religion<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Why do I research religion?<\/p>\n

As a 7th-grader in the hometown Carnegie library, I read the whole shelf of religion books and decided I wanted to be a scholar of religion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\"\"<\/a>
\nSungha Yun<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Assistant Professor of Religion and Asian Studies<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Why did you choose to study religion?<\/p>\n

I study religion to figure out how we can all wake up–without hitting snooze on life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\nSarah Zager
\n<\/strong>Assistant Professor of Religion<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Why do I research religion?<\/p>\n

I took “Introduction to Judaism” on a whim my Sophomore year of college and fell in love with the ways that Religion let me think about big questions about what’s important and why. I read a book by the Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn (grandfather of the composers Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn) in that class, and have been studying him pretty much ever since.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t

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\"\"<\/a>Trish Zimmerman<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Associate Professor of Practice in Religion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why do I research religion?<\/p>\n

“A taste for the sublime is a greed like any other.”
\nThe great Annie Dillard says it best<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\"\"Kelly Sherman-Conroy<\/strong>
\nVisiting Assistant Professor of Religion (Adjunct)<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Why do I research religion?<\/p>\n

For me, studying theology is an act of healing and reclamation showing that our Indigenous spiritual traditions do not pull us away from God, but rather deepen our relationship with God.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\"\"Dana Scopatz<\/strong>
\nAssistant Professor of Religion (Adjunct)<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":239,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2531","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/religion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/religion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/religion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/religion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/239"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/religion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2531"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/religion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2589,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/religion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2531\/revisions\/2589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/religion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}