Harvard Divinity School
Expand your understanding of the ways religion shapes the world with lectures, interviews, and reflections from Harvard Divinity School.
Episodes
Faith at the Founding: Religion and the American Revolution
What did religion actually look like in America in 1776? In this episode of Harvard Religion Beat, host Jonathan Beasley speaks with Harvard Divinity School professor Catherine Brekus about the role of faith in Revolutionary America—from Sunday worship and the influence of ministers to the experiences of women, enslaved people, and Indigenous communities. Brekus also explores how religion shaped t
The Future of Faith: Is the World Becoming More or Less Religious?
Is the world becoming more religious or less religious? Gina Zurlo, Lecturer on World Christianity at Harvard Divinity School, talks about the demographic, cultural, and social forces reshaping religion around the globe. Drawing on a recent Pew Research Center report on religious diversity, Zurlo explores Christianity's shift toward the Global South, the impact of migration and demographics, and w
Hope Podcast: Featuring Jordan Ahmed, MDiv Candidate
In this episode, Hiatt and Jordan celebrate the end of their tenure as Hope Podcast hosts by interviewing each other about poetry, ministry, and how the two together make a kind of life.
Hope Podcast: Featuring Hiatt O’Connor, MDiv ‘26
In this episode, Hiatt and Jordan celebrate the end of their tenure as Hope Podcast hosts by interviewing each other about poetry, ministry, and how the two together make a kind of life.
One Year of Pope Leo: Leadership, Legacy, and the Future of the Catholic Church
One year after his election, Pope Leo XIV’s leadership is beginning to take shape—blending continuity with change. How is he guiding the Catholic Church in a moment of global uncertainty, and what does it reveal about the future of the papacy? Raúl Zegarra, Assistant Professor of Roman Catholic Theological Studies, offers insights into Pope Leo's first year.
Produced and hosted by Jonathan Beasle
Meaning Makers of HDS: Inspiring Hopeful Climate Action
Meaning Makers of HDS is a podcast by the Harvard Divinity School Office of Communications that explores the many dimensions of human meaning making. In interviews with HDS alumni, faculty, and others, this podcast showcases how members of the HDS community create meaningful lives—through religion, spirituality, faith, and beyond. Each episode features conversations that highlight the deeply perso
Spirituality and The Elephant 6 Collective With Robert Schneider
In episodes 21 and 22 of the Pop Apocalypse, host Matt Dillon welcomes musician and mathematician Robert Schneider. Schneider is the lead singer of the psychedelic pop band The Apples in Stereo, a producer for bands including Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control, and currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Michigan Technological University.
In part one, we
The Role of Faith in Social Movements: A Conversation with Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas
What does it mean to live out faith in a moment when human dignity feels under pressure? In this episode of the Harvard Religion Beat, host Jonathan Beasley speaks with the Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas—Episcopal priest, author, and professor at Harvard Divinity School—about moral imagination, sacred dignity, and the role of faith in public life. Drawing on her scholarship and ministry, Douglas reflect
Hope Podcast: Featuring Amy Brenneman, MRPL Candidate
This week we sat down with MRPL candidate Amy Brenneman to talk about her coming back to Harvard, writing the unknowns in a creative life, and hope in action.
Hope Podcast: Featuring Leah Gawel, MDiv Candidate
This week we spoke with MDiv candidate Leah Gawel about the intersections of the arts, religious trauma, and the healing and empowering transformations we can bear witness to.
Acting, Dreamwork, and the Study of Religion – A Talk with Amy Brenneman
For Pop Apocalypse Episode 20, Host Matthew Dillon welcomes actress, writer, producer, and activist Amy Brenneman. After earning her BA in the Comparative Study of Religion at Harvard, Amy went on to a successful acting career, with star turns in the film Heat and in television shows including The Leftovers, The Old Man, and Judging Amy (which she also wrote and produced). In this wide-ranging con
Hope Podcast: Featuring Jamie Feinberg, MDiv Candidate
This week we're joined by Jamie Feinberg, MDiv candidate, for a conversation about surrendering to the pursuit of our passions, finding systems of faith that work for and challenge us, and the continual process of becoming our most authentic selves.
Hope Podcast: Featuring Julia Jackson, MDiv Candidate
This week we sat down with fellow second year MDiv candidate Julia Jackson to talk about the ways hope and mortality are tied together, about the power of reading, and about the promise of otherwise.
Bulletin Long Read: Sacred Sleep of the Wandering Fool
In this long read from Harvard Divinity Bulletin, author and educator Sarabinh Levy-Brightman starts treating sleep as worthy of attention and cultivation as any other soulful domain. As a result, she experiences shifting energies and curious moments of insight.
This special audio version of "Sacred Sleep of the Wandering Fool" is narrated by Sarabinh Levy-Brightman and appears in the Autumn/Wint
Meaning Makers of HDS: The Sacred Work of Presence
Meaning Makers of HDS is a new podcast by the Harvard Divinity School Office of Communications that explores the many dimensions of human meaning making. In interviews with HDS alumni, faculty, and others, this podcast showcases how members of the HDS community create meaningful lives—through religion, spirituality, faith, and beyond. Each episode features conversations that highlight the deeply p
From Rock Star to Occult Historian - A Talk with Gary Lachman
In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 19, we welcome author and musician, Gary Lachman, to the show. Lachman was the original bassist for the seminal new wave band, Blondie. He later became an intellectual historian; to date, Lachman has published twenty-six books, most recently a memoir, Touched by the Presence: From Blondie’s Bowery and Rock and Roll to Magic and the Occult (Inner Traditions, 2025). In this wi
Hope Podcast: Featuring Hannah Snyder, MTS Candidate
This week we're joined by Hannah Snyder (MTS 1). We discuss the sense of imposter syndrome she felt within her own religious community, the complications and pressures she felt as a religious community leader, and about the sense of fulfillment she eventually found as a participating member of religious community life, and more!
Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/12/11/hope-podcast
Hope Podcast: Featuring Austin Ball, MDiv Candidate
This week we're joined by Austin Ball (MDiv 1). We talk about the difficulty learning and growing that comes with leaving home, about navigating multiple religious belongings, about the unexpected intersections of intellectual and spiritual life, and more.
Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/12/11/hope-podcast-featuring-austin-ball-mdiv-candidate.
Integrating Wisdom Christianity and ‘The Work’ of G.I. Gurdjieff: A Talk with Cynthia Bourgeault
For episode 18 of the Pop Apocalypse, we welcome theologian, author, and Episcopal priest, Cynthia Bourgeault. Cynthia is the author of numerous books, including Eye of the Heart: A Spiritual Journey into the Imaginal Realm and The Heart of Centering Prayer: Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice. Her work brings the Christian contemplative and wisdom traditions, ‘The Work’ of GI Gurdjieff, a
Hope Podcast: Featuring Michelle Millben, MTS '26
On this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from MTS candidate Michelle Millben about family, spiritual math, and the substance of things hoped for.
Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/12/01/hope-podcast-featuring-michelle-millben-mts-candidate.
Learning to Love Your Enemies: A Conversation with Rev. Matthew Potts
What does it really mean to “love your enemies”? In this episode of the Harvard Religion Beat, host Jonathan Beasley talks with Rev. Matthew Potts—Professor of Religion and Literature at Harvard Divinity School and Pusey Minister at Harvard’s Memorial Church—about forgiveness, anger, and living with harm without letting it define us.
Edited by Eden Olayiwole.
Sermon audio courtesy of the Memorial
Hope Podcast: Featuring Rob Anderson, MDiv Candidate
On this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from Rob Anderson, a first-year MDiv candidate, about falling apart and coming back together again, about a multitude of ways to offer ministry, and about trying to be curious before we get furious.
Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/11/06/hope-podcast-featuring-rob-anderson-mdiv-candidate
Hope Podcast: Featuring Audrey Zhou, MDiv Candidate
On this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from first year MDiv student Audrey Zhou on open question of home, the clarity of coming to a resolution, different ways of asking why, and many, many other things.
Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/10/22/hope-podcast-featuring-audrey-zhou-mdiv-candidate
Hope Podcast: Featuring Mishka Banuri, MTS Candidate
On this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from first year MTS student Mishka Banuri about home, spiritual autobiographies, and connecting hope and action.
Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/10/21/hope-podcast-featuring-mishka-banuri-mts-candidate.
Mysticism and the Simulation Hypothesis – A Talk with Rizwan Virk
Do we live inside a Matrix-like simulation? For Episode 17 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome one of the leading theorists behind the simulation hypothesis, Rizwan Virk, to discuss that question. Virk is an entrepreneur, videogame pioneer, and academic author of two major works on simulation theory: The Simulation Hypothesis (Tarcher, 2025) and The Simulated Multiverse (Bayview Books, 2021). In the int
Hope Podcast: Featuring Lexi Potter, MDiv Candidate
On this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from second year MDiv student Lexi Potter about Lexi's journey to HDS, community, and the "tradition of friendship."
Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/09/30/hope-podcast-featuring-lexi-potter-mdiv-candidate.
A.I., Hip-Hop, and the Digital Uncanny – A Talk with Paul Miller, aka DJ Spooky
For Episode 16 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome composer, artist, and media theorist Paul Miller. Miller is best known for his music as DJ Spooky, the avant-garde turntableist who has collaborated with artists ranging from Chuck D to Yoko Ono. He has also re-scored classic films, such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and his art has been showcased in exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Gnostic Myth in Film: A Talk with Fryderyk Kwiatkowski
For episode 15 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome Fryderyk Kwiatkowski, Assistant Professor at the University of Krakow, on to discuss the relationship between ancient Gnostic myth and modern cinema. Fryderyk takes us through the impact European intellectuals Carl Jung, Hans Jonas, and Eric Voegelin on popular conceptions of Gnosticism. Then we dive into analyses of the Gnostic elements in films like t
Madness, Mysticism, and Philosophy – A Talk with Wouter Kusters
For episode 14 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome the linguist and philosopher Wouter Kusters. Kusters is the author of Pure Madness (2004) and A Philosophy of Madness (2014), both of which won the Dutch Socrates Award for best philosophy book of the year. We discuss how the experience of psychotic thinking challenges and illuminates our notions of language, philosophy, and mysticism. Along the way, we
Hospital Chaplaincy: A Praxis Podcast featuring David Holden, MDiv '24
David Holden, MDiv '24, came to HDS after a career in politics in search of ways to help others heal as a hospital chaplain.
Transcript forthcoming.
Hope Podcast: Featuring Becca Leviss and Rucha Modi, MTS Candidates
On this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from second year MTS students Becca Leviss and Rucha Modi sharing the story of their early HDS friendship as a source for inspiration.
Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/04/30hope-podcast-featuring-becca-leviss-and-rucha-modi-mts-candidates
Hope Podcast: Featuring Matta Zheng, MDiv candidate
On this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from third year MDiv candidate Matta Zheng who teaches us about the interconnections between justice, the mundane, and hope.
Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/04/29/hope-podcast-featuring-matta-zheng-mdiv-candidate
Photographing the Invisible – A Talk with Shannon Taggart
For Episode 13 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome Shannon Taggart, an American photographer, writer, researcher, and curator known for exploring how photography can navigate boundaries between the seen and unseen. Her book, Séance (Fulger Press, 2019), offers hundreds of photographs documenting contemporary Spiritualism across the U.S. and Britain. We discuss what sparked Shannon’s interests in Spiritu
Hope Podcast: Featuring Paula Ortiz, MDiv Candidate
In this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from 2nd year MDiv candidate Paula Ortiz. Together we discuss the Andes mountains, being awestruck, and seeing hope in the present.
Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/03/26/hope-podcast-featuring-paula-ortiz-mdiv-candidate
End of Life Care and Horror Scholarship: A Praxis Podcast featuring Kristen Maples, MDiv '24
You’re listening to Harvard Divinity School's Praxis Podcast, where I, Maddison Tenney, interview HDS students about what brought them here, what they study, and where they hope to go next. This week's guest, Kristen Maples, MDiv '24, explores end of life care and the sacred practice of watching horror films.
Full transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/03/25/end-life-care-and-horror-sc
Empire and Epistemicide: Historical Perspectives on the Rhetoric of Peace and its Erasures
When is peace not peace? When does pluralism only seem like pluralism from the perspective of the people in power?
Christianity famously took form during the Pax Romana—an era of celebrated stability in the Roman empire—even as its message about the dawn of the messianic age and the coming of the kingdom of God resonated among those who saw the same age, instead, as a time of political oppressio
Christian Nationalism in Global Perspective
"Christian Nationalism in Global Perspective," a conversation with David Hempton and one of the 2024-25 Yang Visiting Scholars, Nilay Saiya.
This event took place on February 27, 2025.
Full transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/03/05/video-yang-scholars-2025-christian-nationalism-global-perspective
Exploring Sectarian Identity in Islam
Although the sectarian labels of Sunni and Shi’a are widely used today to cover a range of identities and beliefs held by Muslims across the Islamic World, there are many foundational questions remaining over the origins of sectarian identity in Islam as well as its implications across time. The field has largely understudied theories of sectarianism and the precise applications of Sunni and Shi’a
Hope Podcast: Featuring Marty Matinage, MDiv Candidate
In this episode of the Hope Podcast, first-year Marty Martinage explains how storytelling, representation, and even silly stickers can help guide us to hope.
Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/03/03/hope-podcast-featuring-marty-matinage-mdiv-candidate
Black Metal and Orthodox Christianity – A Talk with Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix of Liturgy
For the 12th episode of Pop Apocalypse, Matt Dillon welcomes the philosopher, artist, and musician Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix. Haela is best known as the songwriter and singer for the black metal band, Liturgy, which has released six full albums and one EP. We discuss Haela’s early relationships to Christianity and metal music, her philosophical training, and her recent conversion to Orthodox Chri
Hope Podcast: Featuring Ivy Wang, MDiv Candidate
In this episode of the Hope Podcast, we sit down with second year MDiv candidate Ivy Wang. Together we talk about her journey through different Harvard schools and what it may feel like to find a new home in beauty and mystery.
Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/02/20/hope-podcast-featuring-ivy-wang-mdiv-candidate
Hope Podcast: Featuring Joyce Cheng, MTS Candidate
In this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from Joyce Cheng, a first year MTS student. This in episode we discuss Joyce's idea of hope, her faith, and what brings her to HDS.
Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/02/20/hope-podcast-featuring-joyce-cheng-mts-candidate
Ceramics and Surrender: A Praxis Podcast featuring Jack Tripp, MTS ’25
Creative practice and religious experience overlap in this week’s Praxis podcast with Jack Tripp, MTS’ 25. In sharing about his artistic practice, Jack offers his perspective on the surrender required for his ceramics and his spiritual life.
Full transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/03/03/ceramics-and-surrender-praxis-podcast-featuring-jack-tripp-mts-25
Bulletin Long Read: On Assignment, Virgil Rescues Dante from the Wilderness
In this long read from Harvard Divinity Bulletin, a 'Divine Comedy' reading group with two artist friends deepens the author’s understanding of Dante’s transcendent friendship with Virgil.
This is a special audio version of "On Assignment, Virgil Rescues Dante from the Wilderness," a feature written and read by Diane Mehta and appearing in the Autumn/Winter 2024 issue of Harvard Divinity Bulletin
Second Act Careers & Chaplaincy: A Praxis Podcast Episode featuring Rebecca Oreskes
This week’s Praxis episode features Rebecca Oreskes, who recently graduated HDS with her Master of Theological Studies degree. After a 25 year career in the forest service, she decided to return to school to become a chaplain, focusing on end of life care.
Full transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2024/10/24/intersection-of-healing-veteran-service-and-motherhood-a-praxis-podcast-with-Amy-
Women, Art, and the Spirit World – A Talk With Jennifer Higgie, Author of The Other Side
For Episode 11 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome Jennifer Higgie. Jennifer is the author of several books, including Bedlam, a novel about the artist Richard Dadd; The Mirror and the Palette, a history of women’s self-portraits; and The Other Side: A Story of Women in Art and the Spirit World, a beautiful and personal study of the relationship between spiritual experience and art in the lives of moder
The Importance of HBCUs in the Making of American Democracy
Part of the "Symposium on Religion and American Democracy," held September 27, 2024.
The Importance of HBCUs in the Making of American Democracy
Speakers:
-Jelani M. Favors, Henry E. Frye Distinguished Professor of History, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
-Tony Frazier, Assistant Professor of History, The Pennsylvania State University
-Crystal R. Sanders, Associat
Ethical Scholarship: Gender, Religion, and Difference
Each year the HDS Women's Studies in Religion Program brings scholars in gender from around the country to enrich the experience of HDS students. 2024 Orientation offered students the opportunity to hear from the 2024–25 WSRP visiting faculty, who shared their thoughts on the ethical responsibility of scholars to be engaged in the study of gender.
Speakers:
S. Zahra Moballegh, Visiting Assistant
Religion and Democratic Ideals: Media, Religion, and the Nation
“Media, Religion, and the Nation,” featured Zeba Khan, San Fransisco Chronicle, Jesse Holland, George Washington University, and Syreeta McFadden, Borough of Manhattan Community College. Assistant Dean for Religion and Public Life, Hussein Rashid, served as moderator.
For decades, news media in the U.S. has been critiqued as reproducing structures of power and exclusion, including those in religi
Hindu and Catholic, Priest and Scholar: A Love Story
On October 1, 2024, HDS hosted a celebration of "Hindu and Catholic, Priest and Scholar: A Love Story," the new memoir from HDS Professor Francis X. Clooney, S.J. Joining Prof. Clooney on a panel of respondents were: Rajeev Persaud, MTS ’24, Andrea Bischoff, MTS ’24, and Jonathan Makransky, multireligious ministry initiatives coordinator at HDS. The event was introduced by Kerry Maloney, Chaplain
Harvard Divinity School 2024 Convocation
At Harvard Divinity School's 209th Convocation ceremony, HDS Dean Marla F. Frederick delivered the address "And, Yet...We Hope" to the HDS and Harvard community, friends, alumni, and distinguished guests.
This event took place on September 26, 2024.
Full transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2024/09/30/harvard-divinity-school-2024-convocation.
Eve’s Innocence: Women’s Biblical Exegesis in Renaissance Venice
The Women's Studies in Religion Program (WSRP) at Harvard Divinity School was delighted to host Erminia Ardissino as she presented on biblical exegesis in Renaissance Venice aimed at rehabilitating the image of Eve. Ann D. Braude, Director of WSRP and Senior Lecturer on American Religious History at Harvard Divinity School, introduced Ardissino.
Erminia Ardissino is Professor Emerita of Italian
Religion and Democratic Ideals: Political Futures
“Political Futures,” featured RPL Organizing Fellow, Josh Wolfsun, and RPL Arts and Popular Culture Fellow, Angélique Roché. Assistant Dean for Religion and Public Life, Hussein Rashid, served as moderator.
Moving from the exigencies of the moment, this conversation focused on creating new communities, generating solidarity, imagining different economies, and asked how we can make the politics of
Religion and Democratic Ideals: Reproductive Healthcare Access and White Nationalism
“Reproductive Healthcare Access and White Nationalism,” featured founder of Funky Brown Chick, Twanna Hines, and Melissa Deckman, CEO of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). Assistant Dean for Religion and Public Life, Hussein Rashid, served as moderator.
Access to reproductive healthcare engages with explicitly religious language. This session positioned that language in the broader framew
Book Event: Zionism: An Emotional State by Derek Penslar
In Zionism: An Emotional State, author Derek J. Penslar demonstrated how the energy propelling the Zionist project originates from bundles of feeling whose elements have varied in volume, intensity, and durability across space and time. Penslar examined the emotions that have shaped Zionist sensibilities and practices throughout the movement’s history.
Featuring Derek J. Penslar, William Lee Fros
Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism
In their book, “Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism,” Shane Burley and Ben Lorber, two activist journalists, present a progressive, intersectional approach to the vital question: What can we do about antisemitism? Using personal stories, historical deep-dives, front-line reporting, and interviews with leading change-makers, Burley and Lorber help us break the curren
Celebrating Dhamma Chakra Day: Buddhism as Emancipation
This special HDS Buddhist Ministry Initiative event commemorated Dhamma Chakra Day, the anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism along with 500,000 of his followers. Dr. Ambedkar’s peaceful, egalitarian, and grassroots movement of social liberation left an indelible mark on Indian society, embracing Buddhism as a powerful method for marginalized people to denounce the caste system
Religion and Democratic Ideals: Rematriation, Land, and Healing
"Rematriation, Land, and Healing," featured co-founder of Women of Bears Ears, Cynthia Wilson, and board member of Women of Bears Ears, Doreen Bird. Assistant Dean for Religion and Public Life, Hussein Rashid, served as moderator.
How we steward our land—and the lands of others—brings up essential questions of belonging, indigeneity, and spiritual and political governance. How do different types
What it Takes to Manifest Compassion: A Talk with the Sabal Foundation
There was a presentation and brief film screening with Eileen Moncoeur, Executive Director of HRDC Sabal Foundation in Nepal, which harnesses global support so that the poorest children with disabilities in Nepal can access surgery, rehabilitation, and loving care.
Eileen guided us through an exploration of the ways in which global principles of compassion can be put into action on the ground in
Interprofessional Palliative Care
Naomi Saks, MDiv ’10, Chaplain at University of California, San Francisco Medical Center offered remarks via Zoom about her new book, "Intentionally Interprofessional Palliative Care." Naomi was joined by one of her co-authors Chaplain Paul Galchutt.
Sponsored by the Office is Religious and Spiritual Life
Full transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2024/10/30/video-interprofessional-palli
Lost in the Mystery of God: Remembered Wisdom Before Retirement
Stephanie Paulsell delivered a moving lecture about her life in scholarship before her retirement in December 2024.
Paulsell has been a member of the HDS faculty since 2001. She is the author of "Religion Around Virginia Woolf" (2019), co-editor (with Davíd Carrasco and Mara Willard) of "Goodness and the Literary Imagination" (2019), and has served as a regular columnist for The Christian Centur
Music and the Esoteric Imagination – A Talk with Trey Spruance of Mr. Bungle and Secret Chiefs 3
For episode 10 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome the musician, composer, and producer Trey Spruance. We discuss Trey’s early musical and occult explorations and how reading the philosopher Henry Corbin changed the course of his life. Trey then takes us through the esoteric dimensions of Secret Chiefs 3 and how albums like Book M and Book of Horizons are filled with correspondences to Kabbalah, astrol
From Visual Storytelling to Historical Imagination: A Praxis Podcast featuring Marisol Andrade Muñoz
In our second episode of Praxis, we meet Marisol Andrade Muñoz, a Master of Theological Studies student, graphic designer, and historian, whose archival research looks at the relationship between time and people in Central Mexico.
Join us as we look deeper into the student experience at Harvard Divinity School.
Full transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2024/11/20/from-visual-storytelling
Hope Podcast: Featuring Taylon E. Lancaster, MDiv candidate
In this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from Taylon E. Lancaster, a third-year MDiv candidate at HDS and pastor at Third Baptist Church in Springfield, MA. We discuss his pursuits as a drum major for justice, the role of rest, and what hope looks like in community.
Learn more about religion and spiritual life at Harvard Divinity School here: https://hds.harvard.edu/community-life/religious-a
Hope Podcast: Featuring Eve Schwartz, MDiv Candidate
In this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from Eve Schwartz, a third-year MDiv candidate at HDS. We discuss blending the personal and the academic, building community, and the power of ritual.
Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2024/11/12/hope-podcast-featuring-eve-schwartz-mdiv-candidate
Learn more about religion and spiritual life at Harvard Divinity School here: https://hds.harva
Religion, Technology, and Extraterrestrial Intelligences – A Talk with Diana Pasulka
For episode nine, we welcome to the show Diana Pasulka, professor of Religious Studies at UNC – Wilmington. Her books American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology and Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences are both classics in the field of Religion and Technology studies. We discuss how Pasulka’s early work on Catholic purgatory led her to the study of UFOs, the spiritual practices of
Hope Podcast: Featuring Hiatt O'Connor, MDiv '26
In this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from Hiatt O'Connor, a second-year MDiv student at HDS. He discusses his journey from a Christian upbringing to Zen Buddhist practices, reading the Tao Te Ching, and his relationship with Quakerism.
Learn more about religion and spiritual life at Harvard Divinity School here: https://hds.harvard.edu/community-life/religious-and-spiritual-life
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Book Interview: Terrence L. Johnson Interviews Corey Brettschneider about Presidents and Democracy
Terrence Johnson, Charles G. Adams Professor of African American Religious Studies at HDS, interviews Corey Brettschneider about his new book, "The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought To Defend It."
Brettschneider is professor of political science at Brown University, where he teaches constitutional law and politics, as well as a visiting
The Intersection of Healing, Veteran Service, and Motherhood: A Praxis Podcast featuring Amy Sexauer
We are excited to launch our new podcast Praxis, which looks deeper into the student experience at Harvard Divinity School.
This episode featuring Amy Sexauer, MDiv ‘26, explores being a veteran and mother while attending HDS. More episodes are coming!
Hope Podcast: Featuring Jordan Ahmed, MDiv Candidate
In this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from Jordan Ahmed, a first-year MDiv student at HDS. We discuss his relationship to Islam, community organizing, and the joy of embodied practice.
Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2024/10/23/hope-podcast-featuring-jordan-ahmed-mdiv-candidate
Hope Podcast: Featuring Nicole Marie, MDiv Candidate
In this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from Nicole Marie, a third-year MDiv student at HDS. We discuss her relationship to hope, imagination, and mystery.
Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2024/10/23/hope-podcast-featuring-nicole-marie-mdiv-candidate
Pop Apocalypse: Dreams, Creativity, and Precognition–a Talk with Eric Wargo
For our eighth episode, CSWR Research Associate and Pop Apocalypse host Matthew J. Dillon welcomes author Eric Wargo to the show.
Eric is perhaps the world’s foremost expert on precognition. His most recent book, "From Nowhere," examines precognition in its relationship to creativity in the lives of major authors and artists. They discuss the nature of time, dreamwork, memories from the future,
On Being a Hindu Monastic: Personal Journeys
This year, HDS is hosting two Hindu Swamis, Swami Chidekananda of the Ramakrishna Order, and Swami Sachidananda of the Arsha Vidya Gurukul. Both Swamis quickly became cherished members of our community, in the classroom, in community activities, and at religious services.
During this event, participants heard the two swamis talk personally about their choice for monastic life, sharing with us ins
Black Religion and Mental Health Symposium Closing Keynote: Dr. Charmain Jackman
Dr. Charmain Jackman (she/her), founder and CEO of InnoPsych, delivered the closing keynote at the Black Religion and Mental Health Symposium.
Professor Ahmad Greene-Hayes (Harvard Divinity School) and Professor George Aumoithe (FAS, History and African and African American Studies) proposed this two-day interdisciplinary symposium, integrating mind, brain, and behavior insights into the explorat
An Evening with Twinkie Clark
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and legendary gospel artist Twinkie Clark talked about her musical journey and performed music from her catalog of over 350 songs. Scholars Charrise Barron, Assistant Professor of Music at Harvard University, and Damien Sneed, Associate Professor in the Department of Music at Howard University, facilitated the conversation with Twinkie Clark which illumi
2024 Billings Preaching Prize Competition
Each spring, the Office of Ministry Studies organizes the Billings Preaching Prize Finals, an annual preaching competition open to all HDS students who have not previously won.
Congratulations to MDiv candidate Auds Jenkins, the 2024 Billings Preaching Prize Competition winner, and to finalists Nicole Marie and Eve Woldemikael for their incredible talents. The event also featured readings from S
Battle of Siffin: The Intrigues Against Imam Ali's Statebuilding Project
Full title: Battle of Siffin: The Intrigues Against Imam Ali's Statebuilding Project & Its Legacy in the Modern Middle East
This talk explores the politics and legacy of the Battle of Siffin — a foundational moment in the early political memory and history of Islam that pitted Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib against a rebellion in Syria led by Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan. As the first Shi'a Imam and fourth Su
Peter J Gomes STB ’68 Distinguished Alumni Honors: Journeys of the Soul
Sahar Shahid, MDiv ’17, and the members of the HDS Alumni/Alumnae Council are pleased to invite fellow graduates and the School community to celebrate Peter J Gomes STB ’68 Distinguished Alumni Honors and our theme of Journeys of the Soul.
This year, we seek to honor those who, across various systems of belief, delve into the soul's journey in this life and beyond and are committed to practices
Compassion in Action: Addressing Discrimination Through the Lens of Buddhist Teachings
Listen to Tibetan Buddhist master H.E. Ling Rinpoche's teachings on embodying the power of compassion and wisdom to uproot discrimination and bigotry. HDS was so honored to extend this rare opportunity to the community to experience the teachings of Buddhism from a representative of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.
Bio
His Eminence the 7th Kyabjé Yongzin Ling Rinpoche is the reincarnation of the s
Stendahl Symposium 2024: New Horizons, New Resistance
A yearly tradition at HDS, the Stendahl Symposium honors the memory of former professor Krister Stendahl, who tirelessly sought to repair fractions between Jews and Christians, supported the ordination of women, and pushed for the full inclusion and participation of women and minority voices in academia and interfaith work.
Opening Remarks: Given by Samirah Jaigirdar, HDSSA Academics Chair
Panel
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