News
Prof. Doostdar Examines Media, Power, and the War on Iran
In a recent segment for Al Jazeera’s The Listening Post, Alireza Doostdar, Associate Professor of Islamic Studies and the Anthropology of Religion, contextualizes escalating tensions around the war on Iran within a broader geopolitical frame.Doostdar...
April 19, 2026
Schweiker Cited by CBS News on Catholic Response to AI Image Controversy
William Schweiker, Edward L. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Theological Ethics, was interviewed by CBS News in coverage of backlash among Chicago Catholics over an AI-generated image depicting President Donald Trump as a Jesus-li...
April 13, 2026
Choosing Swift Again and Again
The first time I came to Swift Hall, I was there to decide if it was the right place for me. It was early April 1998. Outside, a thin layer of gray slush coated the lawn. Inside, the now-familiar pattern of atonal clangs sounded its irregular rhythm ...
April 8, 2026
The Idea of the University of Chicago Divinity School
I am grateful for Dean Robinson’s invitation to reflect on the University of Chicago Divinity School at this historic marker. It has prompted me to return to some of my own earlier attempts in my years as dean of students and then as dean to exegete ...
March 25, 2026
Tough-Minded, Tender-Hearted
My first visit to the University of Chicago campus came in 1993 for my interview and job talk. At the time, I was teaching in Silicon Valley, and this was my first encounter with the Divinity School and Swift Hall. I already knew something about the ...
March 11, 2026
How Colorado Springs became an evangelical mecca
A mile above sea level, nestled at the base of Pikes Peak, sits the city of Colorado Springs. Among the dazzling rock formations are the United States Air Force Academy, a bustling high-tech industry and the headquarters of over 50 evangelical Christ...
March 5, 2026
Pop Religion | Outside of History: 'Marty Supreme' and the American Dream
Professor Sarah Hammerschlag on what Marty Supreme reveals about postwar American Judaism, the limits of meritocracy, and survival. What does ping-pong have to do with capitalism, fascism, and the American Dream? The Academy Award-nominated Marty Su...
March 3, 2026
Performance is What Makes Religion Matter
The discourse on the imbrication of religion and theatre/performance was built around the studies of ritual and drama. From the Passion Plays to Indian Sanskrit, Balinese Legong, Egyptian ritual drama, Greek tragedies, medieval morality plays, Japane...
January 28, 2026
Professor William Schultz Discusses "Jesus Springs" at Dean’s Forum
On Monday, Assistant Professor of American Religions William Schultz presented at a Dean’s Forum on his new book, Jesus Springs: Evangelical Capitalism and the Fate of an American City (University of North Carolina Press, 2025). The event featured re...
January 28, 2026
Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Through Community and Continuity: 8 Hours of His Speeches
On Tuesday, January 20, the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion at the University of Chicago Divinity School hosted the third annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Reading event at Swift Hall. The event included a conti...
January 26, 2026