Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School

Full title: "Public Courage and the Academy: Beyond the Binaries: Depolarizing our Politics and Bridging Our World"

The Rev. Dr. Deborah Johnson explored the theme of depolarizing our politics and bridging our world. She invited us to move beyond societal binaries and to embrace a more inclusive and compassionate future.

Rev. Dr. Deborah Johnson (she/her) is a renowned spiritual leader and social justice activist known for her significant contributions to promoting universal spiritual principles and cultural diversity. As the founding minister of Inner Light Ministries, she has dedicated her life to teaching the practical application of Universal Spiritual Principles to all aspects of life. Additionally, she is the founder and president of The Motivational Institute, a consulting firm specializing in cultural diversity, serving a wide range of clients from Fortune 500 companies to community-based organizations. Dr. Johnson is recognized for her exceptional public speaking skills and her ability to bring clarity to complex and emotionally charged issues.

Throughout her career, Dr. Johnson has been a prominent figure in the fight for social justice and equality. She played a pivotal role as a co-litigant in two landmark cases in California that set precedents for the inclusion of sexual orientation in the state’s Civil Rights Bill and defeated the challenge to legalize domestic partnerships. Her focus on coalition building, conflict resolution, public policy development, and cultural sensitivity awareness has made her a powerful voice for compassion, equality, and reconciliation. Dr. Johnson holds a visionary perspective of Oneness, transcending creed and doctrine, and is particularly dedicated to bridging the gap between individuals with conservative and progressive ideologies.

Public Courage and the Academy is a speaker series that explores the power religion plays in advancing social change. The series will feature nationally recognized leaders whose creative approaches toward a just world at peace have had national and global impact. This series is hosted by the Office of Ministry Studies at Harvard Divinity School in collaboration with Just Us, A Unity Campus Justice Ministry for change agents and peacemakers.

Facilitated by Rev. Dr. Kevin Ross, MRPL ‘23, Senior Minister and CEO of Unity Sacramento.

This event took place on February 29, 2024.

For more information, see https://hds.harvard.edu

A full transcript is forthcoming.

Full title: "Public Courage and the Academy: The Future of the Church and the Cosmopolitan Leaders It's Calling For"

Join this online conversation featuring Bishop Yvette Flunder and the Rev. Eric Ovid Donaldson.

Bishop Yvette Flunder (she/her) is an American womanist, preacher, pastor, activist, and singer from San Francisco, California. She is the senior pastor of the City of Refuge United Church of Christ in Oakland, California, and the Presiding Bishop of the Fellowships of Affirming Ministries.

Public Courage and the Academy is a speaker series that explores the power religion plays in advancing social change. The series featured nationally recognized leaders whose creative approaches toward a just world at peace have had national and global impact. This series was hosted by the Office of Ministry Studies at Harvard Divinity School in collaboration with Just Us, A Unity Campus Justice Ministry for change agents and peacemakers.

Facilitated by Rev. Dr. Kevin Ross, MRPL ‘23, Senior Minister and CEO of Unity Sacramento.

This event took place on March 28, 2024.

For more information, see: https://hds.harvard.edu

A full transcript is forthcoming

This is the sixth event is a six-part series.

This session was a discussion among presenters reflecting upon the insights shared throughout the series. In addition to identifying themes and throughlines among sessions, they returned to the overarching questions that framed this collaboration: What can an expansive understanding of religion provide in these times of Earth crisis? What is the role of the study of religion in times of catastrophe?

Panelists: Mayra Rivera, Dan McKanan, Teren Sevea, Matthew Ichihashi Potts, Terry Tempest Williams
Moderator: Diane L. Moore, Diane L. Moore, Associate Dean of Religion and Public Life

Mayra Rivera, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Religion and Latinx Studies
Dan McKanan, Ralph Waldo Emerson Unitarian Universalist Association Senior Lecturer in Divinity
Teren Sevea, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies
Matthew Ichihashi Potts, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church
Terry Tempest Williams, HDS Writer-in-Residence

For more information on the full series, "Religion in Times of Earth Crisis: A Series of Public Online Conversations," visit https://hds.harvard.edu/news/religion-times-earth-crisis

This event took place on March 18, 2024.

For more information on HDS, visit https://hds.harvard.edu

A full transcript is forthcoming.
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This book talk featured “Decolonizing Palestine: The Land, The People, The Bible” by Mitri Raheb.
“Decolonizing Palestine” challenges the weaponization of biblical texts to support the current settler-colonial state of Israel. Raheb argues that some of the most important theological concepts–Israel, the land, election, and chosen people–must be decolonized in a paradigm shift in Christian theological thinking about Palestine.

“Decolonizing Palestine” is a timely book that builds on the latest research in settler-colonialism and human rights to place traditional theological themes within the wider socio-political context of settler colonialism as it is practiced by the modern nation-state of Israel. Written by a native Palestinian Christian theologian who continues to live in the region, “Decolonizing Palestine” provides an insider’s perspective that disrupts hegemonic and imperialist narratives about the region.

Featuring Rev. Prof. Mitri Raheb, Founder and President of Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem
Moderated by Diane L. Moore, Associate Dean of Religion and Public Life

This event took place on April 16, 2024.

For more information: https://hds.harvard.edu

A full transcript is forthcoming.

The Yang Visiting Scholars in World Christianity program brings distinguished senior and junior scholars of world Christianity to Harvard Divinity School each year, opening up fresh perspectives, particularly from the global south.

This discussion was led by David N. Hempton, Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor, and Alonzo L. McDonald, Family Professor of Evangelical Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School. Professor Hempton led a conversation with this year’s Yang Visiting Scholars, Nathanael Homewood, Tom Santa Maria, and Gina A. Zurlo. Each scholar gave a brief presentation of their work and how it contributes to the study of World Christianity, followed by a group discussion.

This event took place on April 11, 2024.

For more information, see https://hds.harvard.edu

A full transcript is forthcoming.

Organized by the HDS student group, HDS Muslims, this event began after breaking fast; guests enjoyed an hour-long performance by a group of musicians who performed examples of traditional music from Ottoman Sufi Istanbul lodges. This event featured the Istanbul Meshk Ensemble, directed by A. Eylül Valçunkaya, Ph.D., a visiting researcher at CMES.

This event took place on March 26, 2024.

For more information, see https://hds.harvard.edu

A full transcript is forthcoming.