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Stephanie Paulsell in Memorial Church

Love and the Lenten Journey

February 25, 2021
"As we take our first steps on a path whose dimensions we can’t quite make out, whose edges we feel for in the dark, love can give us direction," says Stephaine Paulsell, Interim Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church, and Susan Shallcross Swartz Professor of the Practice of Christian Studies at HDS.
Imam Dr. Khalil Abdur-Rashid, Muslim Chaplain to Harvard at Memorial Church. Photo by Jeffrey Blackwell, Memorial Church

A Reminder about Hope, Grace, and Deliverance: An Islamic Perspective

February 22, 2021

"Hope in the grace and love of God is a hallmark of the righteous and those who love God and are beloved by God, the ability to see light in spite of darkness, to hope instead of despairing, and to know with conviction that with every difficulty comes deliverance and ease," says Imam Dr. Khalil Abdur-Rashid, Muslim Chaplain to Harvard University, and Lecturer on Muslim Studies at HDS.

Professor Frank Clooney standing in the CSWR. Photo by Kris Snibbe, Harvard Gazette

Seeded Amid the Many Surprises of COVID Times, Some Unexpected Positives

February 22, 2021

"We are slowed down, yet living in a world of urgency and woe, where there is so much to be done. It is surely for the good that we are asking ourselves, 'Why do I do the research, writing, and teaching that I do?' This existential crisis may be a good one, pushing us back to the basics," said HDS Professor Francis X. Clooney, S.J.

Harvard Divinity School Professor Jacob Olupona. Photo by the New York Times

Death Has Many Names

February 16, 2021
"Death as a palpable force looms large in the Yoruba religious and social consciousness. From cosmology to various ritual practices and genres of oral traditions such as proverbs, poetry and short stories are all brought to bear on the reality of death. Not a day goes by that speakers of the Yoruba language do not make mention of death as both a phenomenon and a certainty," says HDS Professor of African Religious Traditions Jacob Olupona.
Quardricos Driskell, MTS '08

Podcast: What Black History Month in 2021 Means for a Rising Spiritual and Ethical Movement

February 12, 2021

In February of 1926, Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-education historian, had a very specific goal in mind when he established what was then called Negro History Week. He hoped, as time went along, that Black history would be recognized as so entrenched in American history that calendars wouldn’t indicate when society should celebrate Black history.

Flash forward to 1970, when Black History Month as we know it today was first celebrated at Kent State University, then 16 years later, in 1986, when the U.S. Congress officially recognized Black History Month as the law of the land,...

Read more about Podcast: What Black History Month in 2021 Means for a Rising Spiritual and Ethical Movement
HDS student Julia Reimann

Exploring Death, Music, and Spirituality in Field Education

February 10, 2021

HDS MDiv candidate Julia Reimann discusses her field education work with Harps of Comfort, a group of palliative musicians offering virtual music sessions to isolated COVID-19 patients, and how it allowed her to dream up and produce a podcast to further develop her pastoral voice and investigate the intersections of end of life care, spirituality, and music.

Professor Charles Stang

Charles Stang on Twinship in Christian Texts

February 10, 2021
"For me, the evidence of Judas Thomas the Twin of Jesus in early Christianity points to a much larger pattern in ancient religion that I call the 'divine double,' by which I mean a belief that every person has a divine counterpart, twin, or alter-ego. To encounter one’s divine double is to embark on a path of deification, becoming divine or even a god,” says Professor Charles Stang, director of the Center for the Study of World Religions.
Jacob Olupona

The Essential Jacob Olupona at 70

February 5, 2021
"At various stages of a stellar career as a scholar of the highest distinction, Professor Olupona has marshaled his energy to build bridges so that those coming behind him can have a more secure pathway as they march forward," writes Amherst College Professor Olufemi Vaughan, in tribute to HDS Professor Jacob Olupona on his 70th birthday.

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