Christine Gallagher

Head of Programs | Program Director for Teachers & Schools

Christine Gallagher currently serves as the Head of Programs and Program Director for Teachers and Schools at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies (ICJS). She leads a yearlong fellowship for public, private, and independent school teachers to explore how religion is present in their curriculum and to gain confidence in talking about religion in the classroom. She presents on this topic to Baltimore-area schools and school districts. In addition, she participates in national conferences and gatherings on religious literacy in K-12 education. She’s the co-editor and a contributor to Interreligious Studies and Secondary Education: Pedagogies and Practices for Living and Learning in a Religiously Plural World, a collection of essays on the role of interreligious studies in public, private, and parochial secondary education. Prior to joining ICJS in 2019, Christine spent more than a decade as a classroom teacher and administrator in secondary schools, most recently as the director of mission and ministry at a Baltimore school. She grew up in Philadelphia, holds a B.A. in American Studies from Georgetown University, a M.A. in Theology and a M.A. in History from Villanova University.

EXPERTISE

Interreligious Encounter in the Classroom
Role of Interreligious Leadership in Educational Settings
Religious Literacy Professional Development
Interreligious Perspectives and Pedagogy
Mission-based Institutional Reflection

Selected Presentations

“Literature as Encounter Across Religious Difference,” National Council of Teachers of English annual conference, November 2024
“Dialogue and Religious Pluralism: Communicating across Religious Differences,” Loyola University Maryland, September 2024
“Building Religious Literacy in the Social Studies and ELA Classroom,” Howard County Public Schools, August 2024
“Partnering for Dialogue: A Case Study Featuring the Institute for Islamic, Christian, & Jewish Studies and Friends School of Baltimore,” Middle States Council for Social Studies Annual Conference, March 2024
“Separation of Church and State: Meeting the Challenge of Teaching Religion in US Public Schools,” Parliament of the World Religions, August 2023
“Voices from Secondary Education and Community Youth Organizations on Interreligious Engagement,” Parliament of the World Religions, August 2023

Publications

Interreligious Studies and Secondary Education: Pedagogies and Practices for Living and Learning in a Religiously Plural World, ed. by Lucinda Mosher, Christine Gallagher, Axel M. Oaks Takács (Interreligious Studies Press, 2025).

Private: Teachers Talk Religion

2021-05-20

Four ICJS Teacher Fellows join in conversation with Christine Gallagher, ICJS program director for Teacher Programs, on where they see religion in their classroom curriculum, what questions students are asking, and how they are learning to transform their institutions into places that promote pluralism and religious understanding. Participants include: Jill Aizenstein (Beth Tfiloh Dahan), Brendan Bailey (Loyola Blakefield), Kenya Beard (Baltimore Polytechnic), and Patrice Frasier (Baltimore Polytechnic).

The Scopes Monkey Trial, a Century Later: Lessons in religion and education policy

2025-05-15

One hundred years after the Scopes Trial, the debate over religion and education is far from over. With state legislatures introducing new policies that shape what can—and cannot—be taught in public schools, it’s crucial to understand the power of legal precedent and local control. Watch this thought-provoking discussion on how the Scopes Trial serves as both a warning and a roadmap for pushing back against restrictive education laws today.

Select Publications and Presentations

Interreligious Studies and Secondary Education: Pedagogies and practices for living in a religiously plural world

Book co-edited by Christine Gallagher

Can We Talk? Urgent Interreligious Conversations in a Time of War

Facilitated dialogues on the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

Teaching with an Interreligious Framework

Q & A with ICJS’ Christine Gallagher