Our Name
Many of our nation's colleges and universities, including Yale, Michigan and Harvard, have included the Latin veritas in their mottos, signifying a pursuit of truth, unattached, it seemed, to anything in particular.
Our name, The Veritas Forum, references our desire to explore the original understanding of veritas. We seek to explore, discuss, engage, inspire, question, and enlarge our view of true life together.
veritas Truth, truthfulness, verity; the true or real nature, reality.
A Latin Dictionary. Lewis and Short.
fo•rum
- a. A public meeting place for open discussion. b. A medium of open discussion or voicing of ideas, such as a newspaper or a radio or television program.
- A public meeting or presentation involving a discussion usually among experts and often including audience participation.
The American Heritage Dictionary
Our Mission
We create forums for the exploration of true life.
We seek to inspire the shapers of tomorrow's culture to connect their hardest questions with the person and story of Jesus Christ.
Our Definitions
we: \we\
- The Veritas team, headquartered in Cambridge, MA, with regional staff across the US and Europe.
- Local university faculty, students and ministers who desire to host, plan, and coordinate a Veritas Forum.
cre•ate: \kre-at\ To plan, host and coordinate a Veritas Forum according to hardest questions of the university, society, and human heart.
fo•rum: \’for-?m\
An interactive and inter-disciplinary conference on university campuses addressing difficult issues of life, truth and faith.
ex•plo•ra•tion: \ek-spl-‘ra-shen\ An investigation through presentation, discussion, debate, and performance.
true life: \trü\ \lif\ Fully realized or fulfilled life.
Abundant Life
A sequence of physical, mental, and spiritual choices and experiences that are informed by a relationship with the creator.
in•spire: \in-spir\ To exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence on.
To influence, move, guide, or enlighten
shap•er: \shap-er\ A person who makes, transforms, or directs the course of.
A person who lives as proactive local and world citizen
to•mor•row’s cul•ture: \t?-mär-os\ \k?l-ch?r\ The future set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices of a society
con•nect: \k?-nekt\ To establish a relationship or cohesiveness between independent facts and ideas
To wrestle with and come into a new understanding of a cohesive worldview
hard•est ques•tions: \härd-est\ \kwes-ch?n\ Most difficult questions about our origins, life, vocation, death, significance, relationships, pain and suffering, war, scientific discovery, etc.
per•son of Je•sus Christ: \pûr's?n\ \uv\ \je 'z?s\ \krist\ One of the three persons in the Trinitarian Godhead as understood by Christians
The unitary personality of Christ that unites the divine and human natures
sto•ry of Je•sus Christ: \stôr'e\ \uv\ \je 'z?s\ \krist\ The account or recital of an event or a series of events in the life of Jesus Christ
Our Values
Exploration Our forums address difficult questions about life, origins, vocation, death, significance, relationships, pain, suffering, war, scientific discovery, etc. We explore rather than defend questions, ideas, and doubts in relation to the Christian understanding of truth and life, and encourage the whole university community to participate. We value people of all faiths and backgrounds voicing their questions and doubts in order to discuss life’s hardest questions.
Interdisciplinary Content We consider veritas in relation to a variety of disciplines and cultural expressions. Our presenters are diverse in discipline, gender, race, background, and life experience. You might encounter a physicist, philosopher, painter, chemist, social justice lawyer, and surgeon within the course of forum. We cover topics from the classic academic disciplines to the pressing issues of contemporary culture. Through diversity of topic and depth of discussion we seek to seed communities with new ideas and fresh thinking.
Creativity We approach our hardest questions through diverse and creative means such as interactive workshops, artistic performances, lectures, film discussions, debates, and service projects. We encourage planners to explore their local university’s natural and human resources, and historical Christian heritage to create forums that are more than theological or philosophical conversations, but experiences for the whole person.
Integrity We seek presenters who are respected practitioners in the discipline or topic they address, have the ability to teach in a way that connects otherwise disconnected knowledge into a cohesive meta-narrative, and engage with participants with humility and grace. We also encourage the use of two types of presenters in conversation with one another, one who has a deep and growing understanding of how his/her life, faith and work connect with the story and person of Jesus Christ, and one who has a differing worldview, in order to compare the differing answers to our hardest questions. We expect the same excellence and humility out of all presenters and believe that all parties benefit from honest dialogue and thoughtful commentary.
Christ-Centered Vision We seek to experience veritas as a person, conversation, and journey. We offer up our hardest questions to the wisdom and knowledge of our presenters to explore the radical and ancient possibility of truth in the person and story of Jesus Christ. We believe all truth is God’s truth and we explore the idea that veritas is the source of true life with wonder and imagination.