Schedule

The City of Brotherly Love (COBL) Institute will explore the history of diverse religious people and communities in early Philadelphia. We will discuss how religion impacts national conversations about democracy and the limits and possibilities of religious freedom. This engagement is also timely for helping educators better appreciate the coming U.S. 250th anniversary celebration, known as the Semiquincentennial, on July 4, 2026. 

The two-week residential program at Temple University will encompass some of the following: 

⧫ Educators will visit key sites related to the founding of the U.S., including Independence Hall, historic church buildings, and museums such as the National Constitution Center and the Museum of the American Revolution. 

⧫ They will learn from eminent scholars who will speak on American religious history beyond the Protestant varieties, including the history of Jews, Catholics, Muslims, Freethinkers, and practitioners of traditional African religions.

⧫ Teachers will attend workshops on teaching methods, including best practices for teaching about religious cultures in the classroom. 

Week 1 - Monday, July 28:  “Teaching about Religion”

8:30 am     Light Refreshments

9:00 - 9:30 am     Words of Welcome & Greetings

Dr. David Krueger, COBL Co-Director

Dr. Zain Abdullah, COBL Co-Director 

Dr. Khalid Blankinship and Dr. Laura Levitt, Temple University Department of Religion

Majid Alsayegh, Chair, Dialogue Institute Board of Directors


10:00 am - 12:00 pm        Walking Tour: Religion in Colonial Philadelphia

Description: We will visit several historical sites essential to the founding period of the U.S., including Independence Hall, and several religious sites that comprise important aspects of early religious diversity, like Arch Street Quaker Meetinghouse, Christ Church, Historic St. George’s Methodist Church, and Washington Square, where free and enslaved persons of African descent often gathered. 

Dr. David M. Krueger

Co-Director, COBL Institute

Executive Director, The Dialogue Institute

Resources:

  • Short Film (5 - 10 mins) 

  • See the Resource page for more materials

12:30 - 2:30 pm Lunch & Personal Exploration


3:00 - 4:30 pm Workshop: Teaching about Religion in K-12 Schools

Description: Dr. Hall will detail the challenges for educators in teaching about religion, providing constitutionally sound responses to these challenges while, at the same time, distinguishing between devotional and academic approaches to the study of religion. Dr. Hall will introduce the Religious Studies Companion Document for the C3 Framework. This session could include time for breakout discussions.  

Dr. Tim Hall

President, 

North Carolina Council for Social Studies

Resource:

  • Short Film (5 - 10 mins)

  • See Resource page for more materials


5:00 - 7:00 pm Optional First Night Working Dinner

Week 1 - Tuesday, July 29:  “Anglicans and Quakers”

9:00 - 9:30 am Light Refreshments & Tour Travel Time

10:00 - 12:00 pm Site Visit: Christ Church “Revolutionary Spirit” 

Description: Christ Church was the most prominent church in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary and Founding Periods and was frequented by presidents and many of the founders. Anglicans arrived in Philadelphia along with the Quakers in the late seventeenth century and had to adapt to an environment in which they did not have the privilege of establishment. In Penn’s colony, Anglicans had to compete with other groups for adherents and did not have the benefit of public tax revenue. After the Revolution, Anglicans broke away from the British Empire to form the Episcopal Church in America. 

John Bright and Brian Haughwout

Docents

Christ Church

Resources:

  • Short Film (5 - 10 mins) 

  • See Resource page for more materials

12:30 - 2:30 pm     Lunch & Personal Exploration

3:00 - 4:30 pm           Talk: Quakers, Freedom & William Penn’s Holy Experiment

Description: The session will provide background on Quaker beliefs and practices and how the values of this minority group had a profound effect on the culture of Philadelphia. The Quaker William Penn established a colony that was distinguished from other colonies due to its relative tolerance of religious diversity. The experience of Penn’s colony was a key influence on the nation’s founding commitments to religious freedom. Participants will also have time to tour the building and view the Quaker history exhibit.  

​​Dr. Brian Blackmore

Director, Quaker Engagement

American Friends Service Committee

Resources:

Week 1 - Wednesday, July 30:  “Religion & the Founding Documents”

9:00 - 9:30 am   Light Refreshments & Tour Travel Time

10:00 - 12:00 pm   Site Visit: The National Constitution Center

Description: Participants will attend the “Freedom Rising” immersive media presentation and have free time to view exhibits and Signer’s Hall containing life-size bronze statues of the Founding Fathers.

Lana Ulrich, 

Vice President, Content & Senior Counsel

The National Constitution Center

Resources:

  • Video

  • See the Resource page for more materials


12:30 - 2:30 pm Lunch & Personal Exploration

3:00 - 4:30 pm Talk: Religion and the Nation’s Founding Documents

Description: Through a close reading of the nation's founding documents, this session illuminates the origins and ongoing debates regarding key aspects of the U.S. government outlined in the Constitution, including the separation of powers and the Bill of Rights, with particular emphasis on the theme of religion. 

Grant Calder,

Director, College Counseling 

History Teacher & Archivist

Friend’s Central School

Resources:

Week 1 - Thursday, July 31:  “First Residents, Religion & The Revolution”

9:00 - 9:30 am   Light Refreshments & Tour Travel Time

10:00 - 12:00 pm   Site Visit: Museum of the American Revolution

Description: Participants will learn about the stories of diverse people and complex events that sparked the American Revolution and the ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government. The exhibits highlight the diverse experiences of religious groups, including Native Americans, Blacks and others who allied with the British and those who supported the revolutionaries. 

Jeremy Johnson (Lenape) & Mike Idriss,

Native American Interpretive Program

The Museum of the American Revolution

Resources:

  • Short Film (5 - 10 mins) 

  • See Resource page for more materials

12:30 - 2:30 pm Lunch & Personal Exploration

3:00 - 4:30 pm Talk: Land Keepers: Contested Spaces in Lenapehoking

Description: This session provides historical and cultural background to the experiences of Lenni Lenape, who lived, and continue to live, in the Philadelphia region. Rev. Dr. Norwood will trace the history of the relationship between Indigenous people and the white society that evolved from a colony into a new nation. The session will also illustrate the diverse religious responses and innovations of Native people in the face of colonialism. 

Rev. Dr. John Norwood 

Lenape Pastor & Tribal Leader

Resources:

Week 1 - Friday, August 1:  “Slavery & the AME Church”


9:00 - 9:30 am   Light Refreshments & Tour Travel Time

10:00 - 12:00 pm   Site Visit: Richard Allen Museum & The AME Church

Description: Black ministers such as Richard Allen and Absalom Jones were vital in organizing mutual aid among free and enslaved Philadelphians of African descent. Responding to the experience of racism in Philadelphia’s prominent churches, Jones and Allen established Black religious institutions.  Students will take a tour of the church building and Richard Allen Museum, and then join in conversation with church ministers in a conversation about Black theology, social justice, and democratic participation. 

Rev. Dr. Mark Tyler

Retired Pastor

Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church



Resources:

12:30 - 2:30 pm Lunch & Personal Exploration

3:00 - 4:30 pm         Talk: Religion, Race & Freedom at the Nation’s Founding

Description: Two years after William Penn founded his colony on the promise of religious and political freedom, the first slave ship arrived in Philadelphia. This shows that freedom in Penn’s “Holy Experiment” had its limits. In this session, Dr. Butler will discuss the legacy of slavery in debates among the founders and the ways that racism framed Black-White relations in church and civic life in early Philadelphia. 

Dr. Anthea Butler,

Geraldine R. Segal Professor in American Social Thought

Chair, Department of Religious Studies

University of Pennsylvania 

Resources:

  • Short Film (5 - 10 mins)

  • See Resource page for more materials

Saturday, August 2  -  Sunday, August 3
There is no scheduled programming. Enjoy Philly!

For Things-to-Do this weekend, see Visit Philadelphia. For historic sites and tour suggestions, see Resources at our COBL Institute website.  

Week 2 - Monday, August 4:  “Jews in Early Philadelphia”

9:00 - 9:30 am   Light Refreshments & Tour Travel Time

10:00 - 12:00 pm   Site Visit: Synagogue of the American Revolution 

Description: Congregation Mikveh Israel, called the “Synagogue of the American Revolution,” is the oldest continuous synagogue in the U.S. In 1740, Nathan Levy applied to Thomas Penn, Royal Proprietor of Pennsylvania, for a plot to bury his child in accordance with Jewish ritual. It became a Jewish communal cemetery, the first evidence of Jewish communal life in Philadelphia. In 1765, the Non-Importation Resolutions were drawn up with the signatures of many citizens, including members of Mikveh Israel. 

Rabbi Albert Gabbai & Shayna Golda

Congregation Mikveh Israel-

Synagogue of the American Revolution

Resources:

  • George Washington, "From George Washington to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, 18 August 1790." - FULL TEXT

  • “Letter To George Washington from Jonas Phillips,” September 7, 1787. - FULL TEXT

  • See the Resource page for more materials.

12:30 - 2:30 pm Lunch & Personal Exploration


3:00 - 4:30 pm Talk: Jews, Philadelphia and Religious Freedom 

Description: Jews had an early presence in the colonial city and founded two of the oldest synagogues in North America, including Mikveh Israel and Rodeph Shalom. Members of Mikveh Israel played a vital role in supporting and financing the American Revolution. While Jews were legally permitted to worship in Penn’s colony, they were unable to hold public office due to religious oath requirements. Rabbi Sussman will discuss the ways that early Jewish leaders contributed to the national conversation about religious liberty and how this minority group persisted in maintaining a unique cultural identity in the face of the pressures of cultural assimilation and Christian attempts to convert them.   

Rabbi Dr. Lance J. Sussman 

Professor Emeritus, American Jewish History, 

Gratz College

Senior Rabbi, 

Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel 

Resources:

  • Short Film (5 - 10 mins)

  • See Resource page for more materials


Week 2 - Tuesday, August 5: “Portraying the Revolution”  

9:00 - 9:30 am   Light Refreshments & Tour Travel Time

10:00 - 12:00 pm Site Visit: Philadelphia Museum of Art

Description: Charles Willson Peale is known for his sitting portraits of Revolutionary War figures such as George Washington, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. A radical patriot, he also became a member of the Sons of Liberty in 1764, an influential group helping to organize and orchestrate the American Revolution. Peale moved to Philadelphia in 1775. Among his paintings of famous war personalities, however, is his 1819 portrait of a formerly enslaved African Muslim named Yarrow Mamout (c. 1736–1823). That painting now hangs in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Dr. Carol Soltis will discuss Peale, his revolutionary war paintings, and his unusual yet extraordinary portrayal of Mamout in the wake of the Revolution.

Dr. Carol Soltis

Project Associate Curator 

Department of American Art

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Resources: 

12:30 - 2:30 pm Lunch & Personal Exploration

3:00 - 4:30 pm Talk: Freethinkers, Deists, Muslims, and Others on the

                                                Founding of the Nation 

The Founders were exposed to an array of ideas, including Deism, Western classic philosophy, and Islam. In this session, panelists will discuss varied intellectual influences on the limits of religious toleration in the founding city. Elihu Palmer, for example, was a lapsed minister who argued that civic virtue did not require a religious foundation. He engaged with other freethinkers and Deists of his day, advancing the notion that the flourishing of diverse religious ideas, and not simply the Christian faith, were essential for democratic self-governance. 

Dr. Zain Abdullah

Co-Director, COBL Institute

Associate Professor Emeritus

Religion & Society & Islamic Studies

Temple University

Dr. David M. Krueger

Co-Director, COBL Institute

Executive Director, The Dialogue Institute

Dr. Andi Laudisio

Academic Advisor, COBL Institute

Program and Administrative Director, 

The Dialogue Institute

Resources:

  • Short Film (5 - 10 mins)

  • See Resource page for more materials

Week 2 - Wednesday, August 6: “Catholics & Women” 

9:00 - 9:30 am   Light Refreshments & Tour Travel Time

10:00 - 12:00 pm Site Visit: Old St. Joseph’s Church

Description: While Protestant Christians dominated the social and political landscape of Philadelphia, Catholics also gravitated to the city due to its promises of religious freedom. In the early eighteenth century, Philadelphia was the only place in British North America where it was legal for Catholics to hold mass. Dr. Katie Oxx will illustrate how legal tolerance does not always mean social acceptance. As Catholic immigrants arrived in the city, Protestant Philadelphians were concerned that new immigrants had divided loyalties due to their papal allegiance. 

Dr. Kate Oxx 

Associate Professor, 

History of Christianity

St. Joseph’s University

Resources:

  • Short Film (5 - 10 mins)

  • See Resource page for more materials

12:30 - 2:30 pm Lunch & Personal Exploration

3:00 - 4:30 pm Talk: Women’s Agency in a Patriarchal World: Stories

                                                  of Founding Mothers

Description: The lives of women were highly circumscribed by men in the late eighteenth century, and they are often rendered invisible or marginal to the stories of powerful men in early American histories. Married women had limited property rights and no woman could vote. This session will uplift stories of several women who managed to exercise their agency, both inspired by religion or in spite of it. For example, Elizabeth Powell’s social gatherings allowed her to exert influence on Presidents, Jarena Lee preached to thousands of Black and White audiences even though A.M.E. bishop Richard Allen refused to ordain her, and Rebecca Gratz organized mutual aid for Jewish immigrants.    

Dr. Elizabeth Hayes Alvarez

Manager, Student Programs,

Dartmouth College 

Former Associate Professor of Instruction,

Catholicism, Religion in Philadelphia, and Women Studies

Temple University

Resources:

  • Short Film (5 - 10 mins)

  • See Resource page for more materials

Week 2 - Thursday, August 7:   “In God We Trust?” 

9:00 - 9:30 am   Light Refreshments & Tour Travel Time

10:00 - 12:00 pm         Site Visits: Carpenter’s Hall & Historical Society of 

                                                               Pennsylvania

Description: The first prayer at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia during the First Continental Congress in 1774 was led by Rev. Jacob Duché, a representative of Christ Church. The prayer began with the words, "O LORD, OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, high and mighty King of Kings, and Lord of Lords." Duché then broke into an extemporaneous prayer, which moved some of the attendees to tears. And, if time permits, participants will have a chance to view a selection of historical documents, including early drafts of the Declaration of Independence and William Penn’s Frame of Government, during a visit to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.  

Michael Norris

Executive Director

Carpenter’s Hall

Brianna Quade,

Community Engagement Coordinator,

Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Resources:

  • Short Film (5 - 10 mins)

  • See the Resource page for more materials


12:30 - 2:30 pm Lunch & Personal Exploration

3:00 - 4:30 pm Was the U.S. Founded as a Christian Nation?

Description: This session will introduce Protestant Christian diversity and its influence on public debates about civic virtue and the disestablishment of religion. Dr. Fea will also explain how revivalism and missionary activity contributed to an emerging national consciousness that transcended colonial borders. He will probe the notion that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and what the founders thought about the relationship between church and state. 

Dr. John Fea

Professor of Early American History,

Messiah University

Resources:

  • Short Film (5 - 10 mins)

  • See the Resource page for more materials

Week 2 - Friday, August 8:  “Religious Literacy”

9:00 - 9:30 am         Check Out of Morgan Hall & Light Refreshments

10:00 - 12:00 pm         Talk: Teaching Religion in an Age of Intolerance

Description: Participants will briefly share their reflections on their time at the Summer Institute and any ideas for engaging religion in the public and the K-12 classroom. Linda Wertheimer will discuss the importance of teaching religious literacy in a diverse democracy. A veteran journalist and former Boston Globe education editor, Linda is the award-winning author of Faith Ed, Teaching About Religion in an Age of Intolerance, which won a national book award, among other prizes, including the Religion News Association nonfiction religion book contest. A frequent public speaker on teaching about religion, she has appeared on several NPR radio shows and a nationally televised program on CBS about religion and democracy. 

Linda K. Wertheimer

Former Education Editor, Boston Globe

Award-winning Journalist & Author

Resources:

  • Short Film (5 - 10 mins)

  • See the Resource page for more materials

12:00 - 1:00 pm Working Group Lunch

1:00 - 1:30 pm Wrap up and Farewells