News

Christianity and Capital Punishment

May 15, 2015

The sentencing to death of convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev promises to ignite a national discussion of capital punishment. Christians weigh in on all sides of the issue, saying that scripture supports their position. Dr. R. Albert...

Examining America's Changing Religious Landscape

May 15, 2015

The Pew Research Center recently released a report titled " America's Changing Religious Landscape." Among the findings detailed in the report were a decline in Americans who identify as Christian as a share of the population and a rise in Americans who...

Course Spotlight: Spring Favorites

May 14, 2015

As the spring term draws to a close, three HDS students discuss their favorite courses of the semester.

A Political Awakening for Buddhists

May 12, 2015

HDS professor Janet Gyatso speaks about Buddhism and civic activism ahead of 125 U.S. Buddhist leaders from across the spectrum gathering on May 14 in Washington for what organizers say may be the biggest conference ever focused on bringing their faith...

Buddhist Ministry for the Twenty-first Century

May 05, 2015

Harvard University was founded in 1636 to help establish "a learned ministry." Nearly four centuries later, Harvard Divinity School works to produce a learned ministry for modern times, and the focus of its scholars and educators has widened to include...

From Church History to Buddhist Rituals

May 04, 2015

Harvard owes its existence to the study of religion. In 1636, endeavoring to assure that the next generation of ministers in the fledging American colonies were properly educated, the "Great and General Court of the Governor and Company of the...

Language of Summer

May 01, 2015

The HDS Summer Language Program is an eight-week, intensive program in language study designed specifically for the curriculum in theological and religious studies and taught with a focus on translation and reading comprehension in a foreign language...

Leading the Way Toward Racial Healing

April 29, 2015

Melissa Bartholomew, MDiv '15, and Rachel Foran, MTS '15, are the co-chairs of the HDS Racial Justice & Healing Initiative, a group of HDS students committed to cross-disciplinary dialogue, scholarship, and training in order to address personal and...

Video: Is 'Queer' the New 'Black'?

April 28, 2015

WSRP Research Associate Jennifer S. Leath discusses gender and sexual aspects of Afro-Diasporic justice in the United States.

Video: Tunisia's Jihadists After 2011

April 27, 2015

Aaron Zelin explores why jihadism grew so rapidly in Tunisia after the uprisings in 2011 in a lecture on April 27, 2015 at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School. The lecture is part of the Junior Fellowship series,...

Video: What Does It Take to Be a Buddhist Minister?

April 24, 2015

Scholars and educators discuss the traditional ordination pathways for Buddhist ministry at "Education and Buddhist Ministry: Whither—and Why?", a conference hosted by Harvard Divinity School's Buddhist Ministry Initiative. The conference, funded by the...

Video: How Should We Train Buddhist Students to Be Chaplains?

April 24, 2015

Scholars and educators discuss how to train Buddhist students to be chaplains in religiously diverse settings. The panel took place on April 24, 2015 at "Education and Buddhist Ministry: Whither—and Why?", a conference hosted by Harvard Divinity School's...