Religion and the State Conference to be Held at Roger Williams University

BRISTOL, RI (03/29/2011)(readMedia)-- The third biannual Religion and the State conference will be held at Roger Williams University on April 1-3, 2011. This year's theme, "Religion and the State in the 17th and 18th Centuries in Europe and America," will bring together scholars and experts from across the country to discuss the church-state legacy of America's founding. All conference sessions are free and open to the public.

In addition to a number of panel discussions on church-state topics ranging from the American Revolution to 17th and 18th century England, the conference will feature two keynote speakers. On Friday, April 1 at 7:00 p.m., Dr. James Hitchcock, noted religion author and professor of history at St. Louis University, will deliver the first keynote address. In his presentation "Church and State in Europe in the 17th Century," Dr. Hitchcock will examine the European view of religion in government and how this history impacts present day attitudes on the subject.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Dr. Gordon Wood of Brown University will discuss "Religion and the American Revolution" as the second keynote on Saturday, April 2 at 7:00 p.m. Dr. Wood will consider the American Revolution's impact on religious life and how this transformation helped to shape the modern United States.

"Often when examining history you can peer into the future. This is what we hope to achieve at our upcoming Religion and the State Conference," said Joshua Stein, conference organizer and professor of history at Roger Williams University. "America's history will show that the separation of church and state is an important concept not always practiced. Bringing experts together to question the assumption that religion impacted the founding of our country is one way to gain knowledge that can be applied to better understand our nation's history."

The conference will take place on Roger Williams University's Bristol Campus at One Old Ferry Road. For a complete conference schedule visit: http://www.rwu.edu/sites/religionandstate/. For more information on the Religion and the State Conference, please contact Prof. Joshua Stein at (401) 254-3223 or by email at jstein@rwu.edu.

About RWU: Roger Williams University is a leading independent, coeducational liberal arts university at which students live and learn to be global citizens. With 41 academic programs and an array of co-curricular activities on its Bristol, R.I., campus, RWU is committed to its mantra of learning to bridge the world. In the last decade, the University has achieved unprecedented academic and financial successes and continues to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top ten educational institutions in its class.

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