Sylvester Spirituality Series

Soul Boom: An Evening with Rainn Wilson 

On Monday, April 1st 2024, we invited members of the UR community to join us as we welcomed Rainn Wilson to the University of Richmond for conversation and book signing. This event was part of our Sylvester Spirituality Series.

Rainn joined Rev. Dr. Craig Kocher, University Chaplain, for a conversation focusing on his most recent book, Soul Boom: Why We Need A Spiritual Revolution. The trauma that our struggling species has experienced in recent years—because of both the pandemic and societal tensions that threaten to overwhelm us—is not going away anytime soon. Existing political and economic systems are not enough to bring the change that the world needs. In this book, Rainn Wilson explores the possibility and hope for a spiritual revolution, a “Soul Boom,” to find a healing transformation on both a personal and global level.

Rainn is an Emmy-nominated and SAG award-winning actor best known for playing the inimitable “Dwight Schrute” for nine seasons on NBC’s The Office. He recently wrapped Lessons in Chemistry with Brie Larson for Apple TV+ and the unscripted travel series Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss, which aired on Peacock in May of 2023. As one of the co-founders of SoulPancake, Rainn Wilson has spent years exploring the ways we all seek connection, hope, truth, identity, and purpose. Dedicated to stimulating your brain, sparking your soul, and figuring out what it means to be human, Wilson and the SoulPancake team oversaw the creation of a decade-plus of award-winning content spanning digital, television, branded, and live engagements, until its acquisition by Participant Media in 2016.

Past guests of the Sylvester Spirituality series include Dr. Kate Bowler, Lama Rod Owens, Fred Bahnson and Bree Newsome. The series is generously supported by the Sylvester family. Soul Boom: An Evening with Rainn Wilson was also supported by the Center for Student Involvement.

Please contact Jamie Lynn Haskins, Chaplain for Spiritual Life & Communications Director, with any questions at jhaskins@richmond.edu.