Who is the right conversation partner for our most vulnerable, confessional moments? In the latest edition of Harvard Divinity Bulletin, HDS alums Daniel H. Weiss and Darren Frey examine what it means to relate to AI as a "who" rather than a "what." Read the full piece: https://bit.ly/4cpfFmO

Recently, the HDS Film Fest hosted filmmakers and panelists from across the globe. Audiences engaged in meaningful discussions about how religious themes are represented through cinema. Highlights included panel discussions and screenings of student films, independent films, and studio films.

Meet Jack Tripp, MTS ’25, a ceramic artist and recent alum who sees theology as a process of co-creation with the world around him. Now teaching English at Moses Brown School in Providence, RI, he inspires students through the arts each day. Read more: bit.ly/4meEFS5

How do we hold on to our humanity in the face of revolutionary technological change? For Harvard Divinity Bulletin, entrepreneur and former venture capitalist James Prashant Fonseka, MRPL ’25, looks deeper into this question. Read more: https://bit.ly/4tC7Wc4

Filmmaker and literary scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., joined panelists at HDS last week to discuss his four-part PBS documentary tracing the rich, complex history between Black and Jewish Americans. Read more: https://bit.ly/4sPrEBa

HDS alum, André Holland, MRPL ’25, known for "Selma" (2014) and Oscar-winning "Moonlight "(2016), sees film as a force for meaningful change. Now a fellow at Harvard’s Hutchins Center, he explores how arts, education, and community can build a more just world. Read more: bit.ly/4sH6rsR

During her time at HDS, Hannah DeSouza, MDiv ’25, won the 2025 Billings Preaching Prize, led in Harambee, and sang at the Multireligious Commencement Service. She now continues her work as a visiting scholar at Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio. Read more in the Dean's Report: bit.ly/4bmdGAk

Happy Open House for Admitted Students Day!

In a recent interview, Erik Ewers, co-director of PBS’s highly anticipated Henry David Thoreau documentary, sat down with Gosia Sklodowska, Executive Director of CSWR, to discuss the film ahead of its premiere tonight. Read more in the Harvard Gazette:

We are thrilled to share that applications for Harvard Divinity School's Summer Language Program are now open! The SLP is an eight-week, online intensive language study program designed specifically for the curriculum in theological and religious studies. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3ReDdk1

In the most recent episode of the Harvard Religion Beat, Reverend Kelly Brown Douglas discusses the enduring struggle for justice and the role of hope in confronting it: www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2026/03...

Celebrating the life and scholarship of Baber Johansen, Professor of Islamic Studies Emeritus at HDS, who passed away in late January. His work challenged static readings of Islamic law, emphasizing instead its interpretive flexibility and historical complexity. Read more: https://bit.ly/47FtpbF

Does AI align with human values, and will AI get out of control? In their course “AI Ethics and Society” at Harvard Divinity School, David Lamberth and Richard Geruson explore the types of harms that we confront in artificial intelligence.

Join us for next week for a panel discussion of "Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History", a four-part PBS series written and narrated by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., tracing the rich, complex relationship between Black and Jewish Americans. https://bit.ly/4uBcQan @wgbh.org

Through personal story and theological reflection, HDS faculty examined how different Christian traditions wrestle with faith, justice, and love in the latest installment in OCB’s Building Community Through Love series. Read more: https://bit.ly/3Phr1RL

Congratulations to the newly admitted students of Harvard Divinity School!🎉 Admissions decision emails for the 2026-27 academic year have been released, and we are excited to welcome you to the HDS community. See you soon! #HarvardDivinity #WelcometoHDS

Meet four-time Paralympian Dan Cnossen, MPA ’16, MTS ’18! Ahead of the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Italy, he reflects on his journey from the U.S. Navy to Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Divinity School—and to multiple Paralympic Games. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4l8GyiC

How does technology design and profiling reinforce power imbalances in AI? For Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Jenn Louie, MRPL ’23, offers compassionate interrogation as an intervention to interrupt the creation of the often invisible systems of inequity & violence in AI design. https://bit.ly/4bk0prY

In "The Divine Economy: How Religions Compete for Wealth, Power, and People," Paul Seabright draws on insights from economics to reframe religions as competing “platforms.” Prof. Swayam Bagaria offers a reflection on the book for Harvard Divinity Bulletin:

Psychedelic chaplaincy is an emerging field responding to the need for spiritually attuned care. This fall, CSWR hosted spiritual care intensives for therapists, chaplains, and medical professionals working in psychedelic research, clinical, religious, and recreational contexts. 🔗: bit.ly/4qI18b2

What does love mean in the context of different faith traditions? Last spring, the HDS community explored how love is understood and practiced across Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam through the "Love Through a Multifaith Lens" series. Read more in the 2025 Dean’s Report: bit.ly/4abAa5q

The most recent issue of the HDS Dean’s Report highlights the expansion of ministry studies through new curriculum, visiting scholars and monastics, and deeper training in spiritual care as a strategic priority for HDS in the years ahead. Read more: https://bit.ly/4kzemp1

As Professor Shaul Magid steps into a new role as co-editor of Harvard Theological Review, he reflects on the future of scholarship in religious studies, the challenges facing academic publishing, and what it means to teach Judaism at a multireligious divinity school. https://bit.ly/4au5mwV

Explore the transformative power of ritualized sleep with educator and scholar Sarabinh Levy-Brightman for the autumn/winter issue of Harvard Divinity Bulletin. bulletin.hds.harvard.edu/sacred-sleep...

Professor Ahmad Greene-Hayes explores Black Atlantic religion-making in Jim Crow New Orleans and how histories of faith, surveillance & survival reshape our understanding of home. Read here: bulletin.hds.harvard.edu/descending-i...

"It's is about reckoning with what happiness might be—precisely because you’ve also come to terms with everything your sadness has been." For Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Russell C. Powell reviews Bon Iver's new album, nominated at this weekend's #GrammyAwards. https://bit.ly/4a3iusC

New HDS Podcast! Meaning Makers of HDS features alumni, faculty, and community members and how they create meaning in their lives. First up, Maytal Saltiel, MDiv '12, and Ailya Vajid, MTS '11, talk about their roles as chaplains and the sacred work of presence. https://bit.ly/3ZzI9UO

From divinity school to the for-profit tech world, HDS alum Waskito Jati, MTS ’18, discovered the unexpected career paths a Harvard Divinity School degree can open. Read more about Jati's journey here: bit.ly/4jS1hH2

For the Wonderstruck podcast, host Elizabeth Rovere, MTS ’95, spoke with Mark Vernon, philosopher and psychotherapist, discussing how to recover the "vertical dimension" or realm of soul and spirit as a way of living with more depth in an increasingly disoriented age. https://bit.ly/49s588O

At the 2025 American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature (AAR/SBL) Annual Meeting, Harvard Divinity School faculty were recognized for their outstanding contributions to religious scholarship. Read more: bit.ly/44Ntjxa

Eighty-one percent of adults under 30 say they use their phones too much. For the Harvard Gazette, HDS's Monica Sanford, assistant dean for multireligious ministry, discusses strategies to cultivate focus and attention in a world full of captivating screens. Read more: https://bit.ly/3YzYt7t

Before we say goodbye to 2025, we spent some time looking back at our favorite stats from the year. Follow the link for more reflections on the impact the Harvard Divinity School community had on campus, in communities, and across the country. https://bit.ly/4aJ0tSr

Introducing our “In the Classroom,” series featuring Matthew Ichihashi Potts, MDiv ‘08, PhD ‘13, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister. He discusses his course “Apocalyptic Grief” in the latest Harvard Religion Beat episode: www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/11...

Are you...ready for it? A new student organization at Harvard Divinity School discusses the artistry and fandom of Taylor Swift, intertwining how pop culture shapes identity, community, and religious imagination. Read more: https://bit.ly/495UWnt #TaylorSwift

We are thrilled to announce that Starr King School for the Ministry recently donated the Earl Morse Wilbur Rare Book Collection to our @hdslibrary.bsky.social. The collection is comprised of approximately 1,300 volumes documenting the development of Unitarianism and Unitarian Universalism.

Harvard Divinity School Professor Swayam Bagaria and University of London's Bhrigupati Singh will develop a new program to train mental health professionals to better understand the religious and spiritual lives of the communities they serve. Read more:

Happy last day of fall semester classes, HDS! Let the reading period begin 🍂📚

“How do sports serve as an arena for the embodied practice of religious values?” Harvard students, staff, and faculty gathered for a discussion on the life of Muhammad Ali and his legacy of compassion, featuring Lonnie Ali, co-founder of the Muhammad Ali Center. https://bit.ly/49z4tEj

The 2025 Dean's Report is here! In its pages, find stories of our HDS community members dedicated to the study of religion and the promise of education as a force for good in the world. Read more: https://bit.ly/4i7OzTz

Alum Britney Foster, MDiv ’19, transforms how schools imagine equity, learning, and care as CEO and co-founder of Trajectory of Hope LLC. Her work supports districts in addressing inequity and building environments shaped by joy, dignity, and community trust. Learn more about Britney’s journey:

Did you hear the 2025 AAR and SBL Annual Gathering is in Boston this year?! Fifteen members of the HDS faculty will share their scholarship across a wide range of academic disciplines through paper presentations, book panels, sessions and celebrations. www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/11...

HDS Dean Marla F. Frederick offered the benediction and opening prayer at the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal ceremony, hosted by the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research. The event honors changemakers shaping Black culture, scholarship, and civic life. Photos: Evgenia Eliseeva

Congratulations to HDS students Paula Ortiz, MDiv ’26, and Lia Pikus, MTS ’26, who have been awarded a Harvard Culture Lab Innovation Fund grant for their Deep Listening Workshop Series! Read more about the award-winning initiative here!:

A new exhibit in the HDS library curated by Professor Raúl Zegarra honors the work and legacy of Gustavo Gutiérrez, the influential theologian known as the father of liberation theology. Read more:

Last fall, HDS began a strategic planning process with input from the HDS community to outline School-wide priorities. The priorities build on the School's strong foundation, while bringing the future of the study of religion into even greater focus. Read here: www.hds.harvard.edu/about/strate...

As the assistant director of climate and sustainability at Harvard University's Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability, HDS alum, Leslie Hubbard, MDiv '15, encourages HDS students to stay open and curious to unexpected paths. Read here: bit.ly/4oy97Xu

Art can “help us see that which is visible only through slow, sustained attention,” writes Sarah Fleming, MDiv ’21. In her review of Garth Greenwell’s novel, “Small Rain”, she reflects on how the novel reveals the quiet wonders and intimate moments that close attention makes visible. Read more:

Amid music, prayer, and dialogue at the Vatican's third annual World Meeting on Human Fraternity, HDS Dean Marla Frederick and Professor Raúl Zegarra share their reflections on solidarity, justice, faith, and the conference. www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/10...

In her essay “Empire and Epistemicide”, Dr. Annette Yoshiko Reed reflects on the Pax Romana as "an age of devastating warfare." She finds hope in the work of HDS historian George Foot Moore (1851-1931), which served as a diagnosis and correction of past epistemic erasures. Read more:

As part of her Certificate in Religion and Public Life (CRPL), Julia Jackson, MDiv Candidate, was able to apply her interests in end-of-life care and bioethics with an internship at the National Home Funeral Alliance (NFHA). Read more HDS summer experiences here!: bit.ly/4mkfbRF