Two professors from competing universities will discuss this idea at 7 p.m. today in the auditorium of the new College of Business building. Both are nationally recognized experts on the topic.

Dr. Jay McDaniel of Hendrix College and Dr. Jim Deitrick of UCA will present their views on the compatibility, or lack of it, between these two major world religions. They will discuss the possibility of a Christian attaining the enlightment promoted by Buddhism while simultaneously following the teachings of Jesus.

Jay McDaniel

McDaniel is chairman of the Religion Department at Hendrix and teaches both Christian theology and Buddhist thought. He also is director of the Steel Center for the Study of Religion and Philosophy. His research has focused on reconciling Christianity and Buddhism. McDaniel also is an ordained United Methodist minister and an active member of First United Methodist Church in Conway.

He has written several books and studied under a Zen Buddhist priest. He is co-founder of a Zen meditation group that meets at 7 p.m. every Monday at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Conway.

Deitrick is an associate professor of comparative philosophy and religion at UCA and director of the Humanities and World Cultures Institute. His research has focused on the meeting between Asian religions and Western civilization. He is a contributing editor to the Encyclopedia of Buddhism and has written articles and chapters of books about Buddhism in the West.

Holy Week is designed to mark the events in the final week before Jesus was crucified on the cross. All the events will be held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church at 1115 College Ave. in Conway.

The church will conduct the Stations of the Cross at 6 pm today. This event allows people to walk through and learn about different events that happened when Jesus was crucified.

Other events include:

Thursday – Maundy Thursday and Mass with the Lord’s Supper. Begins at 6 p.m.

Friday – Reading of the Passion at 1:30 p.m. Event includes reading verses from the Bible, Holy Communion and a church service at 6 p.m.

Saturday – Easter Vigil Mass with sacraments of initiation for new members and professions of faith for elects and candidates.

The Friends of Christ Uniting Students (FOCUS) is sponsoring its annual Jesus Week in this week preceding Easter.

Yesterday, FOCUS took prayer request. Today, during X-period, they held “prayer in the courtyard” outside the cafeteria.

The remaining events for the week include:

• Wednesday – Passing out scriptures and “witnessing” to students between noon and 1:30 p.m. in the courtyard in front of the Student Center.
• Thursday – Leading a “Jesus March” around campus. It starts in the courtyard during X-period and ends at the fountain with a prayer.
• Friday – Sponsoring “Game Night,” a new event this year. Students are invited to play games and share the Bible from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Student Center, Room 215.

We don’t know how many of them are out there but we know they are hungry. They stopped eating at 1 p.m. yesterday and won’t eat again until 7 p.m. today. They are raising money for charity.

The members of the Missionary Baptist Student Fellowship are joining millions of students worldwide and World Vision to raise money for famine relief in Africa by experiencing a 30-hour famine. This is the first year that MBSF has joined the annual event.

People who have experienced the 30-hour famine describe it as a unique insight into the plight that millions of people in Africa face daily.

You can support this effort or join the larger cause to end world hunger by clicking here.

You can join the 8:15 a.m. or the 6 p.m. services. The church is located at 1115 College Ave. in Conway. The campus ministry will hold Mass at each service before marking the foreheads of the faithful with blessed ashes. 

The mark of Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent season, a 40-day period of increased prayer, fasting, and giving of alms in preparation for Easter, which is April 4 this year. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus and is the holiest day in the Christian tradition. His crucifixion is commemorated on the Friday before Easter, also known as Good Friday.