2024 Scoper Lecture
New York Times commentator and best-selling author David Brooks delivered the 3rd annual Scoper Lecture in Christian Thought in Old Cabell Hall on April 21, 2024 at the University of Virginia: the anchor event of an in person and livestreamed community-wide, intergenerational experience.
Following his lecture, “Know Better: Deepening the Bonds of Communal Life,” Brooks was joined onstage for a conversation with Melody Barnes, executive director of UVA’s Karsh Institute of Democracy. Music performed by Porter’s Gate. A Charlottesville Welcome Table reception for all lecture guests followed: a special event in the UVA Amphitheater.
The lecture included two companion events. The first, Surprised by Stories: How Movies Keep Us Human featured filmmaker Nicholas Ma (Director of “Won’t you be my Neighbor” documentary on Mr. Rogers) in conversation with Matt Weber, UVA Chief Creative Officer. Ma shared clips from his latest documentary “Leap of Faith” which explores how pastors from a diverse range of Christian faith perspectives learn to love and honor one another across deep differences.
Moderated by Comment Magazine editor, Anne Snyder, our second companion event, Cultivating Curiosity: The Power of Stories to Mediate Messy Conversations featured panelists Gayle Jessup White (Monticello), Jocelyn Diaz (TV & Film Exec), Ian Solomon (Dean of the Batten School) and Greg Kahlil (Co-Founder Telos Group). Navigating differences is challenging. It is also essential to healthy relational, political, and community life. This panel featured seasoned leaders who explore how stories strengthen our ability to advance understanding and connect with others in even the most tender and turbulent circumstances
