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Dr. Paul Rasor, the new Joan and Macon Brock Director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom at Virginia Wesleyan College, recently presented his inaugural address to students, faculty, staff and community members.
Rasor joined the Center in May, replacing Dr. Catharine Cookson, who passed away in 2004 after a long struggle with cancer. Rasor 
holds a Master of Divinity and Ph.D. in the study of religion from Harvard as well as a law degree (J.D.) and a music degree (B. Music) from the University of Michigan. He is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister.
The address outlined Rasor's long-range vision for the Center, which focuses on three central themes: education, scholarship and engagement.
"Everything in my vision for the Center is grounded in the Center’s own mission statement, and in the larger mission of Virginia Wesleyan College and the deeper values it stands for," Rasor said. "I believe in the work the Center is doing, and I believe in the Center's potential to make an even greater contribution to this college and to the surrounding community and to our democracy."
In terms of education, the vision is "to provide Virginia Wesleyan students with the foremost understanding of religious freedom of any undergraduate liberal arts college in America." Specific topics within this theme include an expanded religious freedom curriculum, greater coordination of Center programs with Virginia Wesleyan courses, a certificate in Religious Freedom Studies and an Interdisciplinary major in Religious Freedom Studies.
The vision of the scholarship portion of the vision is "to support and produce the highest quality scholarship on issues related to religious freedom." Proposals to this end include continued involvement of faculty in Center programs, continued invitations for outside scholars to Center programs, expansion of Center library holdings and integration of them into the College library's online catalog, development of an annual named lecture series, creation of an endowed visiting scholar position and publishing of a scholarly journal in religious freedom.
Third, the engagement vision is "to become a beacon for religious tolerance and understanding." The implications of such a vision include the importance of understanding America's profound religious pluralism, the knowledge that religious tolerance and understanding are needed now more than ever, the realization that education and activities like interfaith dialogue, sharing stories and getting to know people of other religious faiths are critical and the continuation and building on the Center's excellent interfaith dialogue programs.
Rasor ended his address with the idea that religious freedom is ultimately about justice. "The principle of free exercise of religion is about the freedom to express your beliefs and practice your faiths, and about voluntarily forming associations with others who share your beliefs," he said. "And it is about recognizing the same freedom for others who have different beliefs and practices. This is an expression of justice."
During the course of the semester, Rasor will be leading a series of brown bag discussions on various topics of interest throughout the fall semester. Topics include: "Is There a Right to Religious Privacy?" "Religious Freedom: Why Bother? Why Here?" and "Christianity and Religious Freedom."
For more information on any of these programs or about the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom, call 757.455.3219.