The Corinne True Center for Baha’i History held its first conference at Green Acre Baha’i School on June 6-8, 2025. The purpose of the conference was to encourage, support, and disseminate new scholarship about Baha’i history, Baha’i theological and philosophical topics, the translation and study of authoritative Baha’i texts, and the Baha’i study of other religions and scriptures. The conference had fourteen presentations, including an informal Saturday evening program.
Read Article about the Conference
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TENTATIVE Schedule
All sessions will occur in Kelsey Hall
FRIDAY, JUNE 6:
5:00 Registration Opens
6:00 Dinner
7:30 Overview of conference and of the Corinne True Center
8:00: Session 1: Omid Ghaemmaghami, chair
Todd Lawson, “Primordial Covenant and the Súrih of Joseph”
10:00: Kelsey Hall and building closes for the night.
SATURDAY, JUNE 7:
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Devotions; orientation
9:15 Session 2, Gwen Etter-Lewis, chair
Matthew Hughey, “Functionalism, Fanaticism, and Faith: Re-making Race in Star of the West and World Unity (1927-1935)”
Richard Hollinger, “Baha’is and the Efforts to Achieve Racial Equality in the United States before the 1960s Civil Rights Movement” WATCH VIDEO
10:45 Break
11:00 Session 3, Robert Stockman, chair
Janice Ndegwa, “The Africa Plan 1950-3: Insights from a Nascent Translocal Religious Community of Practice and an Emergent Spiritual Infrastructure
Juliet Gentzkow, Dr. Helen Elsie Austin: Early Influences that Shaped Her Contributions to the Advancement of Women in Africa
12:30 Lunch
2:00 Session 4, Todd Lawson, chair
Joshua Hall, “Toward a Bahá’í Philosophy of Mind: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Arguments for the Immateriality of the Intellect” Watch Video; Read Transcript
Todd Smith, “The Significance of an Inclusive Historical Consciousness” Watch Video; Read the Published Text
3:30 Break
3:45 Session 5, William Collins, chair
Brent Poirier, Reflections on Shoghi Effendi’s statement, “Divorced from the institution of the Guardianship…” Watch Video
Iqan Shahidi, “Evolving Perspectives: The Intellectual History of the Harmony of Science and Religion in the Bahá’í Faith” Watch Video
5:30 Supper
7:30-9:00, Iqan Shahidi, chair
Special evening arts program includingSandra Lynn Hutchison, A Reading from A Tale of Love, More Prison Poems by Mahvash Sabet Watch Video; Read transcript
10:00: Kelsey Hall and building closes for the night.
SUNDAY, JUNE 8:
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Devotions
9:15 Session 6, Janice Ndegwa, chair
Adib Masumian, “A Survey of Themes Discussed by Abdu’l-Baha During His Second Tour in Europe” Watch Video; Read Transcript
Chris White, “Seed-Root-Tree-Branch: Baha’i Perspectives on Human Oneness and Ecological Interconnection”
10:45 Break
11:00 Session 7, Todd Smith, chair
James Russell, Medievalism in the Bahá’í Writings and Historiography” Watch Video; Read Transcript
Ney Grant, “Modernity as Expansion, A Baha’i Reflection on Teleological History” Watch Video
12:30 Lunch
1:30: program ends
Presentations
Presenters (in alphabetical order):
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