Our Mission

Experience it for yourself.

Reevaluating Rights

Samuel MoynYale University

According to Samuel Moyn, the ideal of human rights has “come to define the most elevated aspirations of both social movement and political parties … they evoke hope and provoke action.”

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Oct 18 7:00pm

Christianity and Human Rights

Samuel MoynYale University

How did human rights become such an integral part of our political, social, and moral vocabulary? Historian and legal scholar, Samuel Moyn, has noted that “the annunciation of human rights is now viewed by the general public and professional scholars as the uncomplicated triumph of liberal democracy.”

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Oct 19 12:00pm

Q Commons Madison

National and Local Speakers

In a cultural climate in which divisiveness reigns supreme and the most extreme ideas get all the attention, we’re asking a counter-cultural question: What does it look like when we come together?

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Oct 25 7:00pm

Exploring Father Wounds

Keith KahleIlluman

Father-son relationships have a powerful impact on men’s lives, for good or for ill. Join with other young men in Madison for a full breakfast and exploration of the far-reaching consequences of our relationships with our less-than-perfect dads.

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Oct 27 9:00am

Educating for Moral Imagination…

D. Michael LindsayGordon College

Moral imagination is desperately needed in public life, where bloated egos and cut-throat tactics often reign in wider culture. But in today’s cultural milieu, few institutions have success in communicating the importance of moral imagination or in strengthening the moral fiber of a generation.

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Nov 07 7:00pm

View from the Top: A Lunch Conversation for Marketplace Leaders

D. Michael LindsayGordon College

How can I make a positive difference through my profession and work life? How can I contribute to and shape my institution’s mission and direction, regardless of my role or position?

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Nov 08 12:00pm

A Way Forward: Six Important Practices for the Church in our Time

Greg ThompsonDirector of Research and Strategy at Clayborn Reborn

Our time is a complicated one, and in the midst of complications, the Church has often struggled to find its identity as the world around it has changed rapidly and dramatically. What do these times require of the leaders of the Church?

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Nov 09 12:00pm

The Greatest of these is Love: Recovering the Voice of MLK for our Time

Greg Thompson Director of Research and Strategy at Clayborn Reborn

The relationship between personal faith and participation in the public sphere has always been a source of tension in American life, and our current political climate has only served to amplify the importance of this relationship. In the long history of this tension, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stands out as a profound and influential figure who sought to pursue the political implications of personal faith.

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Nov 09 7:00pm

Cultivating Sustainable Faith in College

Dr. Greg Thompson Director of Research and Strategy at Clayborn Reborn

Cultivating spiritual practices that can withstand the transition from college life to working life is a challenge. But spiritual practices are an essential part of developing sustainable faith that serve to deepen your communion with God once you leave campus.

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Nov 10 12:00pm

Faith in the Heart of the City

Vanessa McDowellYWCA Madison

How does faith inform the work of our civic, academic, and marketplace leaders? What faith-inspired lessons have our key leaders learned throughout their lives and how do they play out in the everyday demands of public engagement?

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Nov 14 12:00pm

Interior States – Book Launch

Meghan O'GieblynAuthor

What does it mean to be a believing Christian and a Midwesterner in an increasingly secular America where the cultural capital is retreating to both coasts?

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Dec 04 5:00pm

There is simply no other university in the country that has such a magnificent space, with such a breadth of Christian ministry, with such thoughtful and challenging programming, so close to the heart of the campus. Upper House is not only a valuable part of the University of Wisconsin–Madison—it is a model for the kinds of institutions that will help Christian faith thrive in North America in the next generation. - Andy Crouch, author and speaker // partner for theology and culture, Praxis // author, Culture Making // former executive editor, Christianity Today

Besides being a very beautiful space to study, work and worship, Upper House provides a very welcoming intellectual environment centered on the fundamentals of the Christian faith and energized by a true evangelical spirit. – Father Eric, St. Paul’s University Catholic Center at UW-Madison

Among other things, Upper House has created a generative space for discussions about the intersection of Christian faith and academic life. – Keren Turton, Graduate Student, UW-Madison

Upper House is a safe space for students, faculty and the community-at-large to continually sift and winnow theological and intellectual ideas in deep and reflective conversations. Their programs are designed to encourage participants to always strive for the ideal amidst realities and challenges that may suggest otherwise—ah! the beauty of the possible. – Moji Olaniyan, Assistant Dean and Director at University of Wisconsin Law School

Upper House has drawn me into important conversations concerning faith and culture, both intellectually stimulating and personally rewarding. – Joel Ballivian, Graduate Student, UW-Madison

The Upper House fills a unique space and role within the Madison, Wisconsin, region. Just as the Overture Center is to the arts, and the Wisconsin Institute of Discovery is to science, the Upper House thrives in the intersection of faith and the public square. - Steve Cook, Capital Chaplains, Madison, Wisconsin

Upper House is a place of both hospitality and engagement. They welcome everyone from nationally-known speakers to college students that need a good place to study or just hang out. They provide space where people who believe differently can come together to wrestle with the biggest questions in life, and they create moments where people can learn, be challenged, and grow. Upper House is a gift to UW-Madison, the community, and to the church. – Tish Harrison Warren, author and priest

I’m so impressed with what God is doing at and through Upper House at the University of Wisconsin. It is a space of gracious hospitality right at the heart of the university, and they are hosting important conversations about the Big Questions. In a sense, Upper House is reminding the university what it’s for. – James K.A. Smith, Calvin College

Upper House serves as a vital crossroads for the university, faith groups, and the community at large. It is a place to explore ideas, to build relationships, and to propel people into a deeper sense of purpose in what they do. – Rev. Phil Haslanger, Madison, Wisconsin

Upper House offers a unique venue for intellectual exploration and lively dialogue at the intersection of faith with the most pressing issues of our day. It is truly a gift to the university and to the wider Madison community. – Eric Carlsson, Lecturer, Department of History, UW-Madison

Those of us who fervently hope that ‘confident pluralism’ (in John Inazu's resonant phrase) is more than a pipe-dream need a shot of encouragement now and then. A visit to Upper House will do the trick. – John Wilson, Wheaton, Illinois

Upper House combines intellectual sophistication and moral engagement in a manner that is all-too-rare among our cultural institutions. Conversations there are informed without ever being pretentious, rigorous without ever being dogmatic. Everyone talks today about how we need spaces where we can communicate across political and sectarian divides: Upper House is one of the few places that is not just talking about it. – Jon Baskin, Founding Editor, The Point

As a space that encourages Christian community through thinking, being, and doing, Upper House empowers AJB to fulfill a similar purpose. Through our partnership, we provide a tangible way for customers to think about the need for justice, be confident in their calling, and fight for it every day. – Calley Mannion, A Just Brew at UW-Madison

Upper House is a place of both hospitality and engagement. They welcome everyone from nationally-known speakers to college students that need a good place to study or just hang out. They provide occasions for people who think differently to come together and wrestle with the biggest questions in life, and they create moments where people can learn, be challenged, and grow. Upper House is a gift to UW-Madison, the community, and to the church. – Tish Harrison Warren, author and priest, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Upper House reimagines in real time what the imagination usually reveals in suspended time. I can think of no other place to learn, relax, and [be]. - Coliér McNair, Zion City Church, Madison, Wisconsin

Upper House fills a unique space and role within the Madison, Wisconsin, region. Just as the Overture Center is to the arts, and the Wisconsin Institute of Discovery is to science, Upper House brings the world of faith to the public square. - Steve Cook, Capital Chaplains, Madison, Wisconsin

Upper House has provided more than a venue for Biblical influence cradling the intersection of faith, work and economics. The excellence of the staff, ethos, facility and programming cultivates great thinking and conversation that enriches people’s thought and life. - Michael Beresford, High Point Church, Madison, Wisconsin

Upper House has become a home for fraternity & sorority students on campus to grow in their faith in God and community with one another. By having a beautiful and welcoming space to gather, we are able to focus on our mission to serve the Greek community at Wisconsin. – Jen Holmer, Greek InterVarsity at UW-Madison

Upper House is my home away from home and my escape from campus. This space is different from others because it has its own culture that words can't even describe. I can't fathom what my life would be like without Upper House and all it has to offer. – Lily Hansen, Undergraduate student at UW-Madison

Division and disunity tend to dominate in matters of faith and religion. What a refreshing and unique third space for shared spiritual reflection and engagement. – Kayla March, Pastor of Blackhawk Church Downtown Team Development, Madison, Wisconsin

Upper House is surround sound for the whole body. - Coliér McNair, Zion City Church, Madison, Wisconsin

Located in the heart of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, Upper House offers something all too seldom found in today's highly specialized academic scene: sustained, invigorating, and provocative reflection on the Big Questions. Check out their remarkably vital program of events, lectures, and symposia. – Mustafa Emirbayer, Professor of Sociology, UW-Madison

At the crossroads of intellectual integrity, cultural relevance, and spiritual contemplation, Upper House provides a unique gathering place for any and all travelers on the journey of faith and life integration. – Kayla March, Pastor of Blackhawk Church Downtown Team Development, Madison, Wisconsin

Upper House is a truly divine resource for the University of Wisconsin and the broader community. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Laurel and Steve Brown for their uncommon vision and generosity in gifting this precious gem to Madison’s posterity. - Robert Wynn, President, Prosquared, Madison, Wisconsin