Butler University Series on Religion and Society: Religion and Mental Health
In an era of increasing stress and anxiety, what is the role of religion and spirituality in fostering healthy minds? Prof. Leon Pettiway is Professor Emeritus of Criminal Justice at Indiana University as well as the Venerable Lobzang Dorje, a fully ordained monk in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. His academic and personal life have explored the intersection of urban geography, incarceration, spirituality, and wellbeing. These are also major themes in his most recent book Only For the Brave At Heart: Essays Rethinking Race, Crime, and Justice.
Serving as respondents at this event will be Dr. David Gotthelf, a licensed clinical psychologist with extensive experience working in the context of public schools; and Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund, the senior pastor of First Congregational UCC in Indianapolis and the Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice on the national staff of the United Church of Christ. Lund is the author of multiple books on topics related to mental health.
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Dr. Leon E. Pettiway, the Venerable Lobzang Dorje, is Professor Emeritus at Indiana University, Bloomington, and one of the few ordained African American Buddhist monks in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. In 2016, he established Dagom Geden Kunkyob Ling Buddhist Monastery in Indianapolis, Indiana. Currently Dorje is interested in the roots of social inequality and how Eastern and Western philosophical traditions relate to criminology and justice, as reflected in his most recent book, Only for the Brave at Heart: Essays Rethinking Race, Crime, and Justice.
The Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund currently serves as Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice on the national staff of the United Church of Christ where she is a liaison to the UCC Mental Health Network and the UCC Disabilities Ministries Board. Rev. Dr. Lund is the senior pastor of First Congregational UCC of Indianapolis, IN. She is the author of several books on the topic of faith and mental health, her first in a series being Blessed are the Crazy: Breaking the Silence About Mental Illness, Family, and Church (2014), and most recently Blessed Youth: Breaking the Silence About Mental Illness with Children and Teens (2022).
Dr. David Gotthelf is a licensed clinical psychologist and nationally certified school psychologist in both Indiana and Massachusetts. In Massachusetts, Dr. Gotthelf worked for over 30 years as a school psychologist and special education administrator, and for over 20 years in settings providing clinical service to individuals and families. He is an adjunct faculty member in the Psychology Department at Butler University.