Religion and Public Life (RPL) expands upon Harvard Divinity School’s historic strengths in scholarship and ministry studies to provide a third arena of curricular and programmatic focus. The program provides a vehicle for faculty and students to address some of the most complex issues facing the world today through the promotion of a robust and capacious understanding of the power of religion in human experience and contemporary global affairs.
Our vision for the RPL is grounded in years of experience advancing programs such as the Religious Literacy Project, the Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative and the Religions and the Practice of Peace Initiative. We draw inspiration from the diverse efforts of HDS faculty and students to engage with the civic consequences of religion. We are excited about the opportunity of unifying these efforts to increase our impact across Harvard University and around the world.
The RPL seeks to deepen understanding of the role of religion within a wide range of endeavors and professions, including education, conflict transformation, journalism, activism, global health, and governance. This cross-disciplinary approach is designed to leverage Harvard’s unparalleled expertise, diverse community, and global reach. We continue to emphasize spiritual and ethical formation alongside intellectual and vocational development. And we will focus on questions of vital contemporary and civic significance, inspiring the fresh approaches and thoughtful leadership this moment demands.
Your support is critical. We hope you share our excitement about this tremendous opportunity for HDS and the greater Harvard community. We welcome support at all levels.
Submit your gift online or mail it to the following address:
Harvard University
PO Box 419209
Boston, MA 02241-9209
Please be sure to include a note that the gift is for Religion and Public Life at Harvard Divinity School.
For all giving-related inquiries, please contact Lori Stevens.
Thank you to past and present supporters
We are deeply grateful to the Whitehead Foundation which has provided foundational support for Religion and Public Life. In addition, we are tremendously grateful to past supporters of the Religious Literacy Project, the Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative, and Religions and the Practice of Peace, including:
Mario Cader-Frech
Arthur Vining Davis Foundations
Akhil Gupta, ALI Fellow ‘16
Ralph James, MBA ‘82
Henry R. Luce Foundation
Bruce McEver, MBA ‘69, MTS ‘11
Stuart Mitchell, OPM ‘12, HDSEE ‘18
James and Julia Ogilvy, MTS ‘18
Once Here Foundation
Tiziana and Ramez Sousou, AB ‘87, MBA ‘92
Sid Topol