Public Theology in a Time of Authoritarianism is presented in partnership with the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School. The program will explore ethical possibilities of religion in today’s world, amidst politicization of religious communities, the deepening of moral and cultural divides, and rising authoritarianism globally. What does history have to teach us? How can religious leaders navigate this changing landscape? Given the power, authority, and impact of professionals in society, and especially during times of societal change, can principles of faith and theology inform moral formation of professionals toward ethical response?
This event is free and open to the public, however, registration is required in order to attend.
Program Schedule
8: 15 am - 8:45 am — Registration & Coffee
8:45 am - 9:05 am — Welcome & Opening Statements
9:05 - 10:35 am — Session 1: Religion’s Role in a Changing America
Religion has long played a key role in shaping the moral and cultural foundations of American life. Today, while a majority of Americans still describe religion and faith as personally important, participation in organized religious practice has declined across traditions. This session will explore the implications of these shifts: What do they mean for the role of religion and faith in contemporary society? read more...
10:35 am - 11:20 am — Session 2: Clergy and Complicity: Religion in Nazi Germany (Thorsten Wagner)
What role did religious leaders have in the rapid transformation of values and norms that German society underwent in the 1930s? Transcending the exculpatory paradigm of presenting clerics as resilient forces of anti-Nazi resistance, as heroes and/or victims, and contrary to what one might have expected, the ascent of Hitler to power went hand in hand with a sense of a long-awaited religious and moral revival. read more...
11:30 am - 12:00 pm — Optional Chapel Service
12:15 - 1:00 pm — Lunch
1:00 pm - 2:15 pm — Session 3: Faith, Morality, and Professional Ethics (Moderator: Kenneth Townsend; Panelists: Eugene Nam, Karissa Thacker; Benjamin Tolchin, MD)
Given the power, authority, and impact of professionals, professionalism must include the requirement for ethical behavior. Ethics for these purposes must be centered on “first principles,” i.e., character and morality. Faith and theology have these precepts at their core. How might professions move beyond “tradecraft” as defining ethics, toward principles that cross professional behavior? Can principles of faith and theology influence our understanding of professional ethics? What does, or should, moral formation look like for professionals today, and how do we bring morality into professional ethics?
2:15 pm - 2:30 pm — Coffee break
2:30 pm - 4:00 pm — Session 4: Theology and Resistance: What History Teaches Us (Moderator: Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove; Panelists: William J. Barber, II; Nancy MacLean; John Witt)
Authoritarianism has a history in the United States, and clergy have worked alongside others in public life to develop forms of moral resistance to it. Yale Law School’s John Witt and Duke University’s Nancy MacLean will ground this conversation in two contexts: the Southern freedom movement’s response to the KKK and the story of the early 20th century’s Radical Fund. Yale Center for Public Theology and Public Policy’s Director, William J. Barber, II, and Assistant Director, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, will engage these two historians in a conversation about the theology that informed the movements they’ve studied and lessons that clergy might take away for today.
4:00 - 5:00 pm — Closing remarks & reception
