News Archive
The Diplomats
Steven Simon’s warning in the January 4, 2000, edition of the New York Times was like cold water in the face of Americans still bleary-eyed from partying like it was 1999. Simon, fresh from a counterterrorism assignment in the Clinton White House, and his...
The New Wave
Harvard Divinity School has long been at the forefront of the study of religion. From the New Testament scholarship of Helmut Koester and Krister Stendahl to the founding of the Center for the Study of World Religions and the Women’s Studies in Religion...
Leaders Who Serve
The call to service is literally in Harvard Divinity School’s DNA. It’s visible in the vision of Harvard President John Kirkland, considered by many to be the founder of HDS, who appealed to alumni in 1815 for support of an institution that would prepare...
The Modern Divines
In December 1815, President John T. Kirkland, appealed for support of the “best and noblest cause, which human benevolence is permitted to advance”: the education of ministers at Harvard University. His letter to the School’s alumni described society’s...
Humans of HDS: Importance of Working Together
HDS alumna Kristen Lovett on the importance of working together and avoiding the binaries that leave too many people out of the collective framework.
Video: Acute Melancholia and Other Essays
Amy Hollywood discusses her recent publication, Acute Melancholia and Other Essays: Mysticism, History, and the Study of Religion. HDs professors Laura S. Nasrallah, Catherine Brekus, and Janet Gyatso serve as respondents.
Exploring the Place of the Mystical
When I arrived at Harvard Divinity School in the fall and told people I was studying religion and literature, almost everyone said: “You need to take Amy Hollywood!” Hollywood joined the HDS faculty in 2005, after teaching at Rhodes, Dartmouth, and the...
Faith in Leadership
It’s hard not to be astonished by the sheer breadth of Jim Hackett’s achievements. He attended the United States Air Force Academy, where he flew jets and was qualified as a glider pilot. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School. He worked as a field...
"What Went Wrong So Bad?"
The Nigerian lawyer and activist Hauwa Ibrahim, formerly a lecturer at HDS and a research associate of the School’s Women’s Studies in Religion Program (WSRP), spoke in New York recently on Mother’s Without Borders: Steering Youth Away from Violent...
A Hands-on Approach to Pluralism
Every Friday for two hours, 24 Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Pagan, and spiritual or not-religiously-identified HDS students gather for "America's Religious Pluralism: A Case Studies Approach," a seminar co-taught by HDS professor Diana Eck...
Advancing the Exploration of Black Religion and Spirituality
Harvard Divinity School recently hosted the inaugural Black Religion, Spirituality, and Culture conference, organized by Harambee at HDS. The conference drew academic scholars, faith leaders, and social justice and non-profit leaders from around the...
Worlds of Religions at Harvard
Nestled on the edge of the Harvard Divinity School campus, the Center for the Study of World Religions promotes the study and understanding of the complexities of the world’s religions while fostering a vibrant community and a rich intellectual exchange...
Video: The Crooked and the Straight: Queer Theory and Biblical Interpretation
WSRP Research Associate Gwynn Kessler delivers the talk, “The Crooked and the Straight: Queer Theory and Biblical Interpretation.”
Embracing Varieties of Religious Experience
In 1816, when Harvard Divinity School was established, its founders aimed to ensure that “every encouragement be given to the serious, impartial, and unbiased investigation of Christian truth.” Two hundred years later, HDS has expanded its mission. With...
Casting Out Fear
Laura Nasrallah is a Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity. On November 15, she spoke at the Morning Prayers service in Holden Chapel in Harvard Yard. Below are her remarks. ♦♦♦ The day after the election I began to think about a tiny book...
Jesus, the End Time, and Donald Trump
Professor Frank Clooney, director of the Center for the Study of World Religion, writes about the outcome of the recent presidential election and says that Jesus teaches us to stand firm in times of crisis.
Divinity School Panel Calls for Empathy to Bridge Social Divides
Faculty and students discussed empathy as a means of bridging societal divides, especially in light of the recent election, at the Divinity School on Thursday.
Fear Among Some Immigrants
As for the United States-Mexico relationship, Trump’s presidency poses a serious risk to the advances made during the Obama years, says Davíd Carrasco, Neil L. Rudenstine Professor of the Study of Latin America.
For President Trump, The Road Ahead
Stephanie Paulsell, Susan Shallcross Swartz Professor of the Practice of Christian Studies, cites Martin Luther King and Dostoyevsky in assessing the changes across the American and global landscapes following the presidential election.
After the Election, Seeking Out the Lost
Matthew Potts, Assistant Professor of Ministry Studies, wrote the following homily following the results of the 2016 election. Professor Potts is an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church and has served several parishes in Massachusetts. The mainline...
Divinity School Students and Staff Debate Mass. Ballot Questions
A group of Divinity School students and staff exchanged differing opinions on the Massachusetts referendum questions on charter school expansion and the legalization of marijuana during a "Religion in the News" event at the Center for the Study of World...
Clooney: Pondering the Meaning of Catholic Burials
CSWR director Francis X. Clooney, S.J., writes that, with some imagination, we may be able to find ways to celebrate at death the restoration of the body to the cosmos of which we are all part, without intending any disrespect for the mystery of Christian...
Why Understanding Native American Religion Is Key to Resolving Pipeline Crisis
As a Native American scholar of environmental history and religious studies, HDS visiting professor Rosalyn R. LaPier is often asked what Native American leaders mean when they say that certain landscapes are “sacred places” or “sacred sites.”
Harry Lyn Huff, HDS music director, passes away
Harry Lyn Huff, HDS's music director and lecturer on ministry, passed away on November 3.
Video: Spiritually Resilient Leadership in the Midst of Adaptive Problems
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will discuss the challenges of leading a city in today's turbulent racial and political climate. Listen on SoundCloud
Video: Christianity and the God of Israel
Professor Guy Stroumsa delivered the 2016 Albert and Vera List Fund for Jewish Studies Lecture on the topic “Christianity and the God of Israel: Henri Bergson, Simone Weil, Emmanuel Levinas.”
Spiritually Resilient Leadership
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was exercising on a treadmill when she received a call notifying her that she would soon become the next mayor of Baltimore. What the call didn’t explain was how her leadership abilities would be repeatedly tested. Rawlings-Blake...
Meet Nadia Murad, the Women of the Year Honoree Standing up to ISIS
Eliza Griswold, an award-winning author and current Berggruen Fellow at HDS, writes about Nadia Murad, who escaped ISIS in the fall of 2014 and is trying to bring its members to justice.
The Strength of the Human Soul
HDS alumna Kerry Egan says on NPR that despite the sadness and loss that are implicit in her work as a hospice chaplain, there is also great joy.
The Public and Private Faith of Hillary Clinton
Dean David N. Hempton offers insight into the history of the Methodist faith, of which Hillary Clinton is a follower.
