Among the many things for which Thomas Jefferson was renowned are his “Feast of Reason” dinners, where people gathered at Monticello to respectfully discuss the civic issues of the day. Inspired by this precedent–and given the current polarized and inflammatory state of civic dialogue in our country–Carpenters’ Hall, in partnership with the Dialogue Institute at Temple University, will host a “Feast of Reason” dinner series reimagined for our time.

Over a family-style meal, participants will be guided through a brief history of our evening’s topic, followed by a respectful and thoughtful discussion, guided by experts.

Each meal will include 24 participants and will be held at Carpenters’ Hall from 6-8 pm.

Learn more: https://www.carpentershall.org/events/view/feast-of-reason-september

Join us for a fun in-person tour exploring Germantown’s rich history of religious freedom!

This two-hour walking tour begins in front of the Germantown Historical Society on Market Square Park and follows Germantown Avenue to the Cliveden Mansion, highlighting the various religious and intellectual groups who were present in early Germantown, including Quakers, Mennonites, Moravians, Methodists, Lutherans, Pietists, mystics, and natural scientists.

This tour will include the site of the Battle of Germantown and an episode during which Benjamin Franklin's militia confronted vigilantes in Germantown to protect the religious freedom and lives of Lenape Moravian converts. Germantown was a site of early abolitionism and an early version of the Underground Railroad, as well as a hub for early American free thinkers and scientists who observed and cataloged the natural order.

Tour Guide: Kime Lawson, professor at Thomas Jefferson University.

Cost: $20 per person. Attendance limited to 20 people.

Tour Begins: in front of the Germantown Historical Society at 5501 Germantown Avenue. It is located on Market Square Park near Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee and Books.

Tour Concludes: at the Cliveden (Benjamin Chew) Mansion near Germantown Ave. and Upsal Street.

How much walking is involved? The length of the tour is just over one mile, but double that if you parked your car at Market Square.

What about parking and transportation? There is typically ample parking near the starting point. The area is also served by SEPTA via the 23 bus and the Germantown stop on the Chestnut Hill East line.

Will be able to enter some of the sites? Possibly! We are hosting these tours on the Second Saturdays when many of the sites are open. We can’t confirm availablity until the day of the tour.

Join us for a fun in-person tour exploring Germantown’s rich history of religious freedom!

This two-hour walking tour will begin at Market Square Park and follow Germantown Avenue along the northern edge of the Germantown Colonial Historic District, highlighting the various religious and intellectual groups who were present in early Germantown, including Quakers, Mennonites, Moravians, Reformed Lutherans, and natural scientists.

This tour will include the site of the Battle of Germantown and an episode during which Benjamin Franklin's militia confronted vigilantes in Germantown to protect the religious freedom and lives of Lenape Moravian converts. Germantown was a site of early abolitionism and an early version of the Underground Railroad, as well as a hub for early American free thinkers and scientists who observed and cataloged the natural order.

The tour will be led by Kime Lawson, professor at Thomas Jefferson University. Cost is $20 per person. Attendance limited to 20 people. The tour begins in the Market Square Park across from Uncle Bobbie’s and will end in the vicinity of Germantown Ave. and Upsal Street, near the Cliveden Mansion.

UPDATE: Heat advisory is in effect on July 3. Please bring water, and we will stop inside air-conditioned spaces as much as possible.

Join the Dialogue Institute executive director, Dr. David Krueger, for a two-hour walking tour of Philadelphia's historic district that explores the struggle for religious freedom during the founding period. Dialogue Institute tours unearth stories of Philadelphia’s early religious diversity, which included a dizzying array of Protestants (including Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Quakers, etc.), as well as Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Deists, Freethinkers, and those who practiced indigenous religions. Encounters among these groups sometimes lead to conflict but also to cooperation and innovation. While the benefits of religious freedom were not always shared equally, Pennsylvania’s "holy experiment” profoundly influenced the nation’s founding commitments to religious freedom. This tour departs from the Independence Visitor Center at 6th & Market (meet inside by the gift shop/restrooms) and will include stops outside religious sites, such as Arch Street Friends Meeting House, Christ Church, St. Augustine's Catholic Church, Mikveh Israel, and other key civic sites near the Independence National Historic Park, where the themes of religious freedom and civic pluralism are explored.  Download the Religious Freedom Trails app to explore these and other religious sites in Philadelphia. 

Join us and author John Fea for a thought-provoking conversation exploring one of the most enduring and debated questions in American history: Was America founded as a Christian nation?

Drawing from his book Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?: A Historical Introduction, Fea examines the topic through a careful historical lens, moving beyond modern political rhetoric to explore the complex realities of the nation’s founding. Rather than arguing for one side or the other, Fea invites audiences to engage directly with the historical record, offering a nuanced perspective grounded in primary sources and scholarship.

This free speaker series event will explore the intersections of religion, democracy, history, and national identity, while encouraging thoughtful dialogue about how we understand America’s past today. Dr. David Krueger of the Dialogue Institute at Temple University will facilitate the conversation.

Dr. Fea is a Distinguished Fellow at the Lumen Center and the author or editor of six books, including Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump and Why Study History?: Reflecting on the Importance of the Past. His work has appeared in publications including The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Christianity Today, and USA Today, and he has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, C-SPAN, and NBC News.

This event is free and open to the public. June 22 at 7:00pm. 

Location: Christ Church, 20 N. American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106.

Join us at Philadelphia’s Christ Church Neighborhood House for a special screening of Episode 4 of the documentary “In Pursuit: Philadelphia and the Making of America.” Following the screening, producer Nathaniel Popkin will facilitate a conversation with Dr. David Krueger (Dialogue Institute), Dr. Kirsten Lee (1838 Black Metropolis), and Farah Jimenez (Philadelphia Education Fund) about religion, civic engagement, and the struggle for an inclusive democracy.

Episode 4 of “In Pursuit” examines Philadelphia as the young nation’s capital, where the ideals of self-government are tested in everyday life. As political divisions deepen and crises like the Yellow Fever epidemic strain the city, free Black Philadelphians build institutions and assert their rights, with leaders like Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and James Forten shaping a growing movement for equality and reform.

The episode then follows the rise of abolitionism and public education, as Black and white reformers work together to expand opportunity and challenge injustice. Yet these efforts provoke fierce resistance, culminating in mob violence, the destruction of Pennsylvania Hall, and the stripping of Black men’s voting rights.

In a city striving to create shared civic space, this program asks a central question: how can common ground be sustained when democracy itself remains unequal?

What kind of nation are we? And what kind of nation do we want to be? We're answering these questions — and more.

America Beyond 250: Reclaiming the Promise of Pluralism is an event that will address the challenges posed by Christian nationalism to American civic life and advance a vision of a more inclusive and democratic future. Dialogue Institute Executive Director, Dr. David Krueger, will join Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (181st District of Pennsylvania), Bishop Dwayne Royster (Faith in Action), Maggie Siddiqi (Interfaith Alliance), and others for a day of dialogue at Philadelphia’s Arch Street Friends Meeting House.

At a time when debates over history, identity, and belonging are intensifying at all levels, this event brings together advocates on the front lines, public thinkers, historians, scholars, and community leaders to confront the stakes of our current moment and to imagine what comes next — and what we need to do to make the vision a reality.

This two-hour walking tour will begin at the Pastorius Statue in Vernon Park and follow Germantown Avenue along the northern edge of the Germantown Colonial Historic District to highlight the various religious and intellectual groups who were free to practice in early eighteenth-century Germantown, including Quakers, Mennonites, Moravians, Reformed Lutherans, and natural scientists. This tour will include the site of the Battle of Germantown and an episode during which Benjamin Franklin's militia confronted vigilantes in Germantown to protect the religious freedom and lives of Lenape Moravian converts. Germantown was the site of the first written protest against slavery and was a stop on the Underground Railroad, as well as a hub for early American free thinkers and scientists who observed and cataloged the natural order. 

The tour will be led by Kime Lawson, professor at Thomas Jefferson University. Cost is $20 per person. Attendance limited to 20 people.

Description: Why is the history of religion in Philadelphia important to understanding the nation’s 250th anniversary? Join the Dialogue Institute at Temple University for a two-hour walking tour highlighting the religious diversity of early Philadelphia and its impact on the nation’s founding commitments to religious freedom. The tour will touch on the histories of Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Freethinkers, Muslims, Deists, and others who were present during the founding era. It also explores historic episodes of conflict and cooperation, and considers the varied and uneven experiences of religious freedom among the city's minority groups. This tour is primarily for attendees of the Organization of American Historians conference, but is open to all. Space is limited!

Meeting place: The tour will commence at approximately 1:40 pm from the Gouverneur Morris Historical Marker, on Market Street, between 2nd and 3rd Streets. Look out for the person with the Religious Freedom Trails sign. The tour will commence after the site marker dedication event concludes.

Guide: The tour will be led by David Krueger, Ph.D., lead scholar of the Religious Freedom Trails project.

Cost: $40 per person. Registration is limited to 25 people. Email inquiries can be sent to: tours@dialogueinstitute.org