As a reminder to those interested, this weekend (Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24-25) at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy is sponsoring what is being billed as a “groundbreaking event” intended to “facilitate a conversation of the ‘mind and heart’ that will set the standard for how members of religious communities can discuss differences in a way that does not compromise intellect or integrity, but is also sincere and empathetic.” Entitled “At the Crossroads, Again: Mormon and Methodist Protestant Encounters in the Nineteenth and Twenty-First Centuries,”* featured presenters include a number of well-known and recognized scholars of Mormon and Protestant history, theology, hymnody, politics, gender and sexuality, and social activism, including David Campbell, David McAllister-Wilson, Kristine Haglund, Eileen Guenther, Terryl Givens, Kathleen Flake, Elaine Heath, Robert Bennett, and Warner Woodworth, plus many more. A full schedule is available here and brief biographies of the several presenters here.

Those in the greater Washington, D.C. area can register here. Even better, those interested who cannot attend can watch the entire conference streamed live at FORA.tv.

I hope to see some of you there!

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*Wording of the conference’s title was changed last week from “Methodist” to “Protestant,” presumably to reflect the presence and participation of Protestant voices and presenters outside of the Methodist tradition and to attract a wider audience. Several of the sessions—including that featuring Doug Strong and myself—will still be focused explicitly on Methodist and Mormon connections. Others, I am sure, will range more broadly.