Dave Thom, Coordinator, The Cambridge Roundtable * MIT Chaplain
President, The Leadership Connection * see website for contact info.
cell: 413-259-1083 * davethom@mit.edu * CambridgeRoundtable.Org
What single sentence describes The Cambridge Roundtable?
For 12 years Roundtable invitations have stated the same purpose, to:
“explore the intersection of current academic thought and Christian thought.”
In our Templeton grant context it’s “the intersection of science & religion.”
How? With hospitality-driven dialogue among professors and speciallyselected religious leaders at Harvard & MIT Faculty Clubs, 3x each year.
Why? The Big-Picture? Our goal? Is it “Christian outreach” for conversion?
No. If it is we are getting terrible results. We are out to prove that the best
space for interactions among people with strong differences – as colleagues,
neighbors, spouses, etc., is in a safe space for mutual exploration: tell the
truth and ask questions, but don’t assume, judge, patronize, dominate or quit.
One-way “outreach” never brings together those with dramatic differences;
The Roundtable is itself the silver platter that sets up that safe space.
More on the How: With over 1,000+ professors and others receiving
invitations, 100+ participants are at a typical dinner, and over 50% are not
known to publicly identify at Christians. We don’t always feature Christian
speakers – the heart of what we want to see take place is in how it takes
place. Participants at each table either swim together in personalizing their
faith or non-faith or they sink together in too much rhetoric. A mix is best.
Our results: 1.) Professors keep coming back. 2.) Reviewers love what we
do and ask for more! 3.) Dialogue takes place with enthusiasm and respect.
4.) Dave finds that taking conversation beyond the walls of The Club easy
and welcomed by all. How can we increase our results = more dialogue?
We are beginning to help all participating religious leaders – not just Dave,
the Coordinator – to connect with participating professors. We are already
beginning to include this question in our post-Roundtable Review Request:
“We agreed with Templeton to attempt to conduct a number of personal followup interviews with participants about their personal exploration of the
intersection of science & religion. Would you be willing to be interviewed and do
you have a preference for whom you meet with - a prof, Dave, or another
chaplain with a particular religion or identity or location?”
If a process seems inauthentic to some...(only fanatics keep conversations
going)...then we need to authenticate the process for everyone.
It’s not weird if everybody’s doing it!
In the Fall and Spring of 2014 – 2015, The Templeton Religion Trust
(“Templeton”) is contributing to The Roundtable on Science & Religion @
1.) Harvard & MIT, 2.) Brown, 3.) Dartmouth, 4.) Yale, and 5.) The Five Colleges of Amherst.
On the website’s home page, The John Templeton Foundation says that it
is involved in Supporting Science and Investing in the Big Questions –
and in our grant we obligated ourselves to ask these two big questions:
1.) Concerning hospitality: Is a person’s self-perception of critical thinking in the area of
“science and religion” enhanced when his or her mind is UN-consciously at work interpreting
the non-rational input of hospitality? What are the recorded reviews of a person’s experience
after being stimulated by hospitality - have participants self-reflected an enhancement of
critical thinking as a result of hospitality?
2.) Concerning empathy: Is a person’s self-perception of critical thinking in the area of
“science and religion” enhanced thanks to an invitation to empathy where his or her mind
is consciously at work interpreting what he or she thinks is a view of science or religion
that he or she rejects? What are the recorded reviews of a person’s experience after being
stimulated by an invitation to be “empathetic to” or “understanding of” the brief re-telling of
a person’s personal journey toward that understanding? Have participants self-reflected
an enhancement of critical thinking after listening empathetically?
What are the Coordinator’s responsibilities for The Roundtable?
The stewardship of vision and resources. Being willing and able to do lots of
email! Uniting with beloved and respected leaders to chair our events: Owen
Gingerich and Robert Randolph. Coordinating with presenters who need not
be religious: the heart of what takes place is in how it takes place. In Dave
Thom’s non-Coordinator role, as a Christian (and as an MIT chaplain) he
promotes Jesus, the scriptures and the church and (of course – ha!) asks
Christians to consider tax-deductible donations to The Leadership Connection, a 501c3 religious non-profit (MIT does not salary its chaplains);
ein# 03-0505402, see CambridgeRoundtable.Org for contact information.
The history of The Roundtable: Roundtables began in 2002 among The
Five Colleges of Amherst. Brought to Cambridge in 2005, the 32nd & 33rd
Cambridge Roundtables will have been conducted in April 2014. Were
every professor in Boston on our invitation list we would not have the purse
or personnel to handle the many more Roundtables that interest would
surely generate – but maybe one day...! The Roundtable is an affinity group
gathering, enjoying hospitality while exploring each other’s perspectives.
Like any gathering where personal perspectives are being considered, the
very best conduct is quite simple: love your neighbor as you love yourself.