Columbia Creates The Center for Theology and Contested Publics to Foster Research and Thoughtful Dialogue in Public Spaces

In the midst of fractured and polarized debates in the United States, a timely new initiative, The Center for Theology and Contested Publics at Columbia Theological Seminary, has been created to help church leaders understand changing public spaces and then enter them and speak with clarity and confidence.  

The Center for Theology and Contested Publics at Columbia Theological Seminary will be an innovative hub for research and conversation to help equip communities of faith to speak wisely and faithfully in contested spaces, empower individuals with deeper theological insight, and foster dialogue where division reigns.

“Surely one of the most unsurprising trends in the U.S. over the past few decades has been the increased presence of religious voices in public spaces,” said Center director Dr. Mark Douglas, Columbia’s J Erskine Love Professor of Christian Ethics, Lead Professor for the Seminary’s ThM Degree.  “Whether for good (the Moral Mondays movement) or ill (White Christian Nationalism), religious language simply shows up more often and in more different ways than it once did.” he said. “But what has driven this trend?  And how have a range of significant forces—demographic shifts, the advent of social media, the rise of the ‘nones,’ etc.—shaped such language?  The Center for Theology and Contested Publics dives headlong into those questions, hoping that addressing such questions not only can give insight into this trend but can shape better religious voices for public spaces.”

The Center will utilize a national board to chart its direction in these conversations. That board includes Columbia professors and administrators Dr. Jackson Adamah, assistant professor of World Christianities; the Rev. Dr. Rafael Reyes, senior advisor for Flourishing and Belonging; Dr. Nicole Symmonds, assistant professor of Christian Ethics; the Rev. Dr. Charles Wiley, senior director for Leadership Support; and the Rev. Dr. Christine Roy Yoder, senior vice president and dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs, along with the Rev. Jennifer Butler (Faith in Democracy), Dr. Grace Kao (Claremont School of Theology), Dr. Vincent Lloyd (Villanova University), the Rev. Dr. Mary Nickel (University of South Carolina), and the Rev. Dr. Wonchul Shin (Villanova University).

“The launch of the Center for Theology and Contested Publics at Columbia Theological Seminary is a bold and unique step toward understanding and shaping the religious voices that increasingly define our public life,” said the Rev. Dr. Victor Aloyo Jr., Columbia’s president. “By engaging the complex forces of social change, technology, and shifting identities, the Center offers a deeply relevant platform for fostering thoughtful and constructive dialogue, research, and contributions to today’s contested publics.”

For more about The Center for Theology and Contested Publics at Columbia Theological Seminary, go to Faith and Publics – Columbia Theological Seminary