THE 2024 SCOPER LECTURE IN CHRISTIAN THOUGHT
Old Cabell Hall at the University of Virginia
April 21, 2024 at 3:00pm
“KNOW BETTER: DEEPENING THE BONDS OF COMMUNAL LIFE”
with David Brooks
in conversation with Melody Barnes
Renowned author and New York Times commentator David Brooks will deliver the April 21, 2024, Scoper Lecture in Christian Thought in Old Cabell Hall at the University of Virginia: the anchor event of an in person and livestreamed community-wide, intergenerational experience.
David Brooks will speak on the topic “Know Better: Deepening the Bonds of Communal Life” drawing on the themes of his new book, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen and exploring his sources in Christian thought. The academic lecture will illuminate Brooks’s foundational work on the complexities and urgencies of living well in a democratic society.
Melody Barnes, Executive Director at UVA’s Karsh Institute of Democracy, will then join Brooks onstage to investigate the implications of Brooks’s premise that “there is one skill that lies at the heart of any healthy person, family, school, community organization, or society: the ability to see someone else deeply and make them feel seen—to accurately know another person, to let them feel valued, heard, and understood.”
The onstage lecture and conversation will be framed by music from The Porter’s Gate, a sacred ecumenical arts collective whose projects include “Neighbor Songs” and “Table Songs.”
The Charlottesville Welcome Table reception will follow the lecture
Sunday, April 21, 4:45pm-5:45pm | Amphitheater | free
Calling all Scoper Lecture guests to enjoy the Charlottesville Welcome Table reception: a special event in the UVA Amphitheater. Gather with us for warm conversations and delicious homemade pie. Let's reflect on the keynote, practice the art of listening, and turn strangers into friends to deepen the bonds of community.
Join us the following day for
“Leap of Faith” Filmmaker Conversation
Monday, April 22, 10am-11am | Dome Room | free
Award-winning director Nicholas Ma will speak with UVA’s Chief Creative Officer Matt Weber as he presents exclusive glimpses of his forthcoming film, “Leap of Faith,” a documentary following pastors who test the power of Christ’s call to love God and neighbor -- even across deep differences. Ma’s earlier film “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” explored the life and lessons of Mr. Rogers.
“The Stories That Shape Us: How Sharing Experience Fosters Connection”
Monday, April 22, 11am-12pm | Dome Room | free
Jocelyn Diaz, career film and television executive at Disney, HBO and ABC TV, and executive producer of House of the Dragon
Greg Khalil, co-founder of peacemaking nonprofit Telos and founding member of Narrative 4, a story-centered educational initiative
Ian Solomon, dean of UVA’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, committed to negotiation and conflict resolution
Gayle Jessup White, Monticello’s public relations and community engagement officer and author of Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy
moderated by Anne Snyder, editor-in-chief of Comment magazine
hosted by Sheri Winston, associate director of UVA Rotunda and Major Events
with a “flash” story by Abdallah Aljerjawi, UVA nursing student
