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ICJS Executive Director Heather Miller Rubens joins Rabbi Katja Vehlow and Syed Atif Rizwan for a panel on the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Vatican II declaration that reshaped Catholic engagement with Jews, Muslims, and other faiths. Panelists will explore its history, impact, and ongoing relevance.
The Qur’an, revered as sacred scripture and a moral guide, offers enduring virtues that shape just and compassionate communities. This minicourse will explore qualities such as dignity, courage, compassion, humility, and forgiveness, considering their role in nurturing a shared civic life marked by respect and responsibility.
Right now, our civic fabric feels fragile, stretched thin and frayed by anger, fear, and the weight of vigilante violence. Can we talk about our deepest differences? In moments like this, it is tempting to go to extremes—to divide ourselves into warring camps who lash out at opponents, or opt out of public conversation all…
When I’ve told people about the work we have been doing this past year at ICJS, they have a lot of questions: How are you actually able to do dialogue right now? Has the violence in Israel and Gaza frayed interreligious relationships beyond repair? What are commonly held expectations and fears about interreligious dialogue, particularly…
For decades, interreligious dialogue has been a space where differences in theology, belief, and practice could be explored with respect. But ICJS Jewish Scholar Benjamin Sax, Ph.D., argues that one issue consistently breaks that fragile trust: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “People can disagree on deep theological matters and still remain in community,” Sax explained. “But when…
ICJS Executive Director and Roman Catholic Scholar Heather Miller Rubens, Ph.D., is shaping conversations at the intersection of faith, scholarship, and public life—both internationally and here at home. This summer, Rubens delivered a keynote lecture at the International Network for Interreligious Research and Education (INIRE) conference in Berlin, Germany. Her address, “God-seeking & Neighbor-seeking: Teleological…
American Unexceptionalism is a limited-series podcast from Dr. Matthew D. Taylor and the Rev. Susan Hayward about what Americans can learn from people around the world who have resisted religious nationalism and authoritarianism. First episode available Oct. 23.
This course with ICJS Jewish Scholar Benjamin E. Sax, Ph.D., interrogates the question of what it means to dialogue during a time of political violence, persecution, gaslighting, and oppression. Very often we teach that tolerance is a virtue in dialogue, yet should we also be tolerant of intolerance? How does that work?
We consider a variety of views and try to chart a new dialogical path together by examining how different philosophers, political theorists, historians, and theologians have broached these questions during their own times of political peril.
This event featured a panel discussion on the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. Panelists examined the global and interreligious implications of his historic election, his relationship to the legacy of Pope Francis, and the early indications of the priorities that may shape his pontificate. The discussion also addressed Pope Leo’s expressed concern for the ethical and moral dimensions of artificial intelligence—an increasingly urgent area at the intersection of faith, technology, and public life.
With the 2024 election behind us, it is clear that Christian nationalism and the empowerment of conservative Christians will play prominent roles in American politics and policy. How does Christian theology intersect with Christian nationalism, and how can it also inform Christian resistance to it? In this course with ICJS Christian Scholar Matthew D. Taylor, Ph.D., we explore the theological foundations and traditions that have supported much of the Christian backing for Donald Trump over the past decade. At the same time, the course examines theological voices from within the Christian tradition that challenge the ideas of Christian nationalism, Christian supremacy, and Christian hegemony.
Mary, the mother of Jesus—Maryam in Arabic—is venerated by Christians and Muslims around the world. This course examines the Islamic portrayal of Mary as described in the Qur’an and the holy narrations of Prophet Muhammad, both normative sources for Muslims, identifying similarities and differences that emerge in the Muslim depictions of Mary. By presenting examples of Islamic art and architecture, ICJS Muslim Scholar Zeyneb Sayilgan, Ph.D., highlights Mary’s ongoing importance in Muslim life. Finally, Sayilgan reflects on the possibilities of how Mary can serve as an important interreligious figure who can both divide and unite.
Explore our curated resources, assembled with the assistance of ICJS scholars, to help you explore Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from both vantage points. This list is not meant to be exhaustive. We hope this serves as a launching pad to your own learning.
Rabbi Dr. Rachel S. Mikva explored how considering the question of the human is essential when navigating religious differences today. Watch the videos of the two lectures and the response by Dr. Younus Mirza, and the Conversation Event held at Goucher College.
Read the most recent issue of ICJS Insights, our monthly newsletter featuring voices, essays, and perspectives.