Harvard Divinity School
Pew Research Center Notes Global Decline in Religiosity at Harvard Divinity School Talk
The associate director of the Pew Research Center discussed the global decline in religion at Harvard Divinity School on Monday.
HDS Adopts New Mission Statement After Yearlong Strategic Planning Process
Harvard Divinity School began operating under a new mission statement last month for the first time since 2008 — the only concrete change immediately resulting from a yearlong strategic planning process that took place as the school warned of rising pressure on its budget.
Author Erik Davis Discusses Role of ‘Psychedelic Jesus’ in Christian Movements at Harvard Divinity School Talk
Author Erik Davis scrutinized the current state of “spiritual warfare” between new, evolving sects of Christianity and the pervasiveness of the “Psychedelic Jesus” figure at a Harvard Divinity School talk on Monday.
Harvard Hires New Faculty in Jewish Studies
Harvard is on track to add three tenured professors to its ranks in Jewish Studies to address a series of retirements and faculty vacancies that threatened the program’s future.
HDS Theologian Francis Schüssler Fiorenza Remembered for Intellect, Dedication to Social Justice
Francis Schüssler Fiorenza, a leading Roman Catholic theologian who taught at Harvard for nearly four decades, died in July at the age of 84.
A Divinity School Program Became a Political Liability. In One Semester, Harvard Took It Apart.
When the Religion and Public Life program was swept up in raging debates over the Israel-Palestine conflict on campus, Harvard replaced its leader, pushed out its staff, and promised an overhaul.
Judge Dismisses Assault Charges Against Harvard Grad Students Involved in Clash at Oct. 2023 Protest
A Boston Municipal Court judge on Friday dismissed the assault and battery charges in a case against two Harvard graduate students who were charged following an altercation at a pro-Palestine protest last year.
Harvard Grad Schools Rebrand Diversity Offices as University Wipes DEI Messaging
Several Harvard graduate schools began shuttering their diversity, equity, and inclusion offices over the past two weeks, continuing the University’s effort to replace DEI programs that the Trump administration has broadly painted as illegal.
Harvard’s 2025 Class Days
At Convocation and Class Day ceremonies last week, Harvard’s Class of 2025 gathered to celebrate their new degrees. But the Trump administration’s attacks on Harvard cast a shadow over the proceedings — and graduates, faculty, and keynote speakers across Harvard’s schools paired their messages of joy with defiance.
‘Pluralism in Action’: Divinity School Celebrates Graduates With Multireligious Service
The Harvard Divinity School celebrated its graduates on Wednesday with its annual multireligious service, emphasizing pluralism at a moment when Harvard has advertised a heightened commitment to dialogue across religious difference.
‘A Campaign of Anti-Palestinian Racism’: HDS Students, Alumni Decry Program Suspension
HDS Dean Marla Frederick announced on March 28 that the Religion, Conflict, and Public Life program would be paused, citing a budget cut and a desire to “rethink” the future of the program. But Frederick’s decision drew anger from some RCPI affiliates.
Kestenbaum Required to Hand Over Documents in Ongoing Lawsuit, Judge Rules
Harvard Divinity School graduate Alexander “Shabbos” Kestenbaum will have to hand over a series of documents related to his ongoing Title VI lawsuit against Harvard, after a judge approved the University’s request to compel the production of documents on Wednesday.
Harvard Opposes Plaintiffs’ Motion To Remain Unnamed in Kestenbaum Suit
Harvard filed its opposition in court on Friday to a motion to allow two plaintiffs to proceed pseudonymously as they seek to join Harvard Divinity School graduate Alexander “Shabbos” Kestenbaum’s ongoing Title VI lawsuit against the University.
Harvard Divinity School Suspends Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative
Harvard Divinity School will suspend its Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative amid budget cuts at HDS and public accusations that the initiative’s programming presents a one-sided view of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Kestenbaum Files Opposition to Harvard’s Request for Documents
Harvard Divinity School graduate Alexander “Shabbos” Kestenbaum, the lead plaintiff in an ongoing Title VI lawsuit against Harvard, filed opposition to Harvard’s motion to compel him to produce documents relating to the case, claiming Harvard’s argument is “baseless.”
‘When I Change, the World Will Change’: Visiting Hindu Monastics Discuss Self-Transformation at HDS Event
Hindu monastics Brahmacharini Durga and Sudarshan Sundar discussed their personal paths into Hindu monasticism at a Harvard Divinity School event Monday, highlighting the spiritually transformative nature of the practice.
Summers Accuses Harvard Corporation, Garber of Inaction Against Antisemitism
Summers’ thread was an extraordinary broadside against Harvard — not just a rebuke of the University’s sitting leadership by a former president, but also a wide-ranging attack against individual instructors, academic programming, and professional schools that Summers termed “redoubts of the far left.”
Leaders of Harvard Divinity School’s Religion and Public Life Program To Depart Abruptly
The associate dean of the Religion and Public Life program at the Harvard Divinity School departed suddenly in January, creating turnover at the top of an initiative that became a lightning rod for controversy in fall 2023.
Students Suspended from Harvard Divinity School Library After Pray-In
Harvard Divinity School students were issued two-week suspensions from its library for participating in a pro-Palestine “pray-in” demonstration last Monday.
Students Stage Pro-Palestine ‘Pray-In’ Protest at Harvard Divinity School Library
More than 55 graduate students called on the University to divest from Israel’s war in Gaza and end censorship on campus during a “pray-in” protest at the Harvard Divinity School’s library on Monday.
‘Our Forever President’: Black Harvard Graduates Celebrate Claudine Gay at Affinity Ceremony
Two Harvard graduates presented an award for faculty who show “a strong commitment to social justice” to former Harvard President Claudine Gay during the University-wide celebration of Black graduates on Tuesday evening in Sanders Theatre.
Harvard Grad Students Charged Following Confrontation at October Pro-Palestine Protest
Two Harvard graduate students are facing criminal charges and up to 200 days in jail following their involvement in a confrontation with an Israeli student at a Pro-Palestine protest at the Harvard Business School in October.
Divinity School Student Government Calls On Harvard to Divest from ‘Illegal Occupation of Palestine’
The Harvard Divinity School Student Association passed a resolution Friday morning calling on the University to divest from entities involved in “violations of international law and human rights against Palestinians.”
Lowell Panel on Islamophobia and Antisemitism Canceled After Panelists Withdraw
The organizer of a Lowell House panel on Islamophobia and antisemitism canceled the event Wednesday afternoon after two of the panelists withdrew due to backlash and a lack of institutional support for the event.
Divinity School Harambee Group Hosts Screening of Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s New Docuseries
Faculty and staff from across Harvard gathered Tuesday night for a screening of Gospel, a new docuseries produced and hosted by University Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.