Many reports, including this one from the Pew Research Center, say Christians could make up less than half of the U.S. population in the near future. The Rev. Brian Konkol, Ph.D., serves as Dean of Hendricks Chapel and Professor of Practice at Syracuse University. In response to this news, he writes:
“As our world witnessed a reformation of religious identity and practice five hundred years ago, we may now be experiencing an era that historians five hundred years from now will eventually regard as another reformation. The dividing lines of religious affiliation and action are increasingly gray, dotted, and blurry, which some might observe as a crisis, but others may celebrate as an opportunity. Instead of hoping for a better past and grieving an uncertain future, I believe those committed to religious life have an opening to meet this present moment with renewed clarity, creativity, and calls to action.” You can read more in his Huffington Post opinion piece titled, “We are Witnessing the Revival of Religion in Higher Education.”
If you’d like to learn more or schedule an interview with Rev. Konkol, please reach out to Vanessa Marquette, Media Relations Specialist, at vrmarque@syr.edu.
More about Rev. Konkol:
Konkol is responsible for guiding, nurturing, and enhancing religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical life at the University and across its extended community. As a member of Chancellor Kent Syverud’s Executive Team, Konkol provides direct support and input for university-wide strategic initiatives and overall operations for the institution.
Konkol has a diverse and global background, including overseas ministry service for nearly a decade while serving in South America and South Africa. He is an ordained Lutheran minister, a Faculty Associate in the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC) in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, Faculty Chair of the Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Ministry, and Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
