Richard Rose Richard Rose teaches religion and philosophy at the University of La Verne, and is also a pastor at Allen Chapel AME (African Methodist Episcopal), a small church in San Bernardino. In the summer of 2004, Rose took a group of ULV students to Barcelona, Spain for the Parliament of the World Religions where “religious leaders from multiple faiths came together to talk about peace and justice and how we can be more proactive in bringing those things about.” This was the second time he had attended the Parliament; the first was in South Africa in 1999. Rose enjoys the experience of exposing the students he accompanies “to that sort of environment, movement, dialogue.” He is believer in doing things not just for the self, but for the broader community, Rose says. “I try to exemplify that through activities.” Through a Summer Academy program, Rose helped offer middle school students a value-based education day camp at churches in 2001 and 2002. “When studying Christianity, I had a desire to study religion from more than simply that perspective,” Rose says of why he took philosophy and theology classes as well. A particular topic that interests Rose about religion is the conflicting truth claims of different religions. “When you look at religion on the surface, it seems each provides a specific way of salvation, meaning that it is right and others are wrong,” he says, adding that he looks to find common ground rather than conflicts. “It’s a way of seeing religion that not a lot of people think about and dwell upon.” Trying to avoid stereotyping other religions, Rose says this idea allows students to see people in a different light. Rose’s current project is a book titled, “A Functional Paradigm: Developing a Global Ethic Through Metaphorical Coherence” which takes a look at the functional nature of truth claims. He poses the question, “How does the religious tradition function to make better people as opposed to simply having belief statements that people either affirm or deny?” While he has only been writing for a year and a half, Rose says he’s been working on the book “my whole life.” He says his research is reading other writers and “a process of synthesizing that which I have learned and experienced.” Within his field, Rose draws inspiration from Howard Thurman, a 20th Century writer who spoke of spirituality and the human condition. Thurman was the subject of Rose’s dissertation. Other inspiring figures in his life are Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Rose says organized religions can learn much from Gandhi and King, Jr. about how to make religious ideals a powerful force in society. Rose loves spending time with his family, always making sure to set aside time for his wife and two daughters. He says they eat dinners together and play games at home, participate in soccer and take trips to the beach when they can. He tries to arrange a “family-type outing as much as possible.” Rose says that as a professor he brings high energy into the classroom. “I try to present material in a manner that is lively and requires students to think outside the box,” he says. “I challenge them to think in ways that will allow them to grow as individuals and as citizens with a broader purpose.” Rose hopes to educate his students not for the sole purpose of obtaining a job, rather to be positive members in society. RETURN TO FACULTY LIST mailto:ROSER@ulv.edu?subject=HELLOmailto:ROSER@ulv.edu?subject=HELLOHome.htmlshapeimage_1_link_2
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