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Engaging Religion for the Common Good in a Fast-Changing World

Author: Ansari Institute

Mahan Mirza

Recently, Ansari Institute Executive Director Mahan Mirza visited Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dayton, Ohio to present its third annual Lecture on Faith & Civic Life. In his Sept. 25 talk, “A Life of Faith Beyond Individual Worship—To Work for the Common Good,” Mirza made the case (drawing on his recent work exploring interreligious dialogue, peacebuilding, and the need for religious and scientific literacy) that Muslim scripture and tradition envisions a kind of individual faith that translates personal piety into public action.

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September 11 policy conversation series launches with calls for new security paradigm

Author: Josh Stowe

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The terrorist attacks of September 11 and the response to them have shaped the world in profound ways, creating a global climate of conflict that now hangs over a new generation of rising leaders. Now, twenty years later, is it possible to change the conversation and better work toward peace and justice? A new Keough School policy conversation series explores this question, bringing together a diverse group of experts to share insights that can inform public conversation and inspire activists, academics, government officials, and policymakers to work for change. 

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New book shares stories from grassroots Christian peacebuilders in East Africa

Author: Hannah Heinzekehr

In Their Own Words

The newly published book, In Their Own Words: Christian Leadership for Such a Time as This, presents the stories of eight Christian peacebuilders and leaders from the East Africa Great Lakes region. The stories were shared during interviews with co-authors Emmanuel Katongole, professor of theology and peace studies at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, and Marie-Claire Klassen, a Ph.D. candidate in theology and graduate minor in peace studies.

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A Q&A with Faculty Fellow Kathleen Sprows Cummings

Author: Josh Stowe

In this conversation, Professor Kathleen Sprows Cummings explores the importance of a global perspective to her work as director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, and highlights her efforts as a historian to elevate stories of women and people of color. She also shares some recent highlights from her teaching experience at Notre Dame, and considers the opportunity President Joe Biden has to articulate a vision for the United States that draws from his Catholic faith. 

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Identity, Exploration, and Discernment: A Personal Journey to Religious Pluralism

Author: Thanh Nguyen

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At the heart of it, pluralism invites us to engage with the new questions of the 21st century and to no longer see our differences as daunting borders. Embracing new faith traditions has made me a stronger Christian. By welcoming these traditions into my own religious space, I make more room to understand God as the trinity, as a mystery, and as the presence of all things.

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Capitol crisis calls for a pastor-in-chief

Author: Mahan Mirza, Ansari Institute Executive Director

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The January 6 insurrection at the Capitol in Washington, DC, is just the beginning. It came as advertised; it was televised; and the perpetrators are promising more to come. We are now transitioning to an administration the rioters have been programmed to view as illegitimate. Combining their sense of disenfranchisement with deep feelings of being disrespected for generations, the rioters place us in danger of seeing the insurrection transformed into an all-out insurgency.

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Panel discussion features Jewish, Christian, and Muslim perspectives on Mideast peace

Author: Josh Stowe

Peace In Absentia

A recent Ansari Institute panel discussion, “Peace in Absentia: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Voices on Arab-Israeli Normalization,” explored religious perspectives on how to pursue a sustainable peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The conversation was co-sponsored by the University of Notre Dame’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, Program in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies, and Department of Classics. 

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