Matt Davies, M.A.R.

Class of  2012

Denomination: ELCA

Matt is an adjunct professor of Religion and Philosophy at Chemeketa Community college in Salem, Oregon. He's also a member of the Board of Directors for St. Paul Lutheran Seminary. At the end of 2013, his chapter "The Tongues of the Saints: The Azusa Street Revival and the Changing Definition of Tongues" was published in _Joseph F. Smith: Reflections on the Man and his Times_ by Deseret Books (eds. Craig K. Manscill and Brian D. Reeves).

This is the first lecture of "Understanding Islam," held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Dallas, Oregon, on January 10, 2016.

Second lecture of "Understanding Islam" series. This lecture was given at Trinity Lutheran Church in Dallas, Oregon, on January 17, 2016. Session 2 was an examination of what the Qur'an says about violence and how mainstream Islam interprets Qur'anic verses used by Islamic extremists groups, such as ISIS and al-Qaeda, to justify their terrorism.

This is the third and final lecture of "Understanding Islam." This lecture was given at Trinity Lutheran Church in Dallas, Oregon, on January 24, 2016. This final lecture focused on American Muslims, American Muslim political and social engagement, interfaith dialogue, Muslim condemnation of terrorism, the Sunni and Shia split, and Sharia law.

Natana J. DeLong-Bas

Senior Research Assistant at the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding

Natana J. DeLong-Bas is the author of Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad (rev. ed, Oxford University Press, 2008) and Jihad for Islam: The Struggle for the Future of Saudi Arabia (Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2010), as well as Deputy Editor for The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World (Oxford University Press, 2008) and Oxford Islamic Studies Online (launched 2008). Her current research focuses on major voices countering the jihadist message throughout the Arab world.