John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics

08/27/2026

Please join us for a Poetry for All Live Podcast with vocalist, poet, and educator, Haleh Liza Gafori as she presents “Rumi For Our Times”, a selection of poems by the 13th century mystic Rumi.

No stranger to political turmoil and the ravages of the imperious ego, calling listeners toward an ethic of love, care and reverence. Rumi’s poems are not only aesthetic masterpieces but are also spiritual and philosophical works, meant to illuminate and liberate, pointing us toward more harmonious ways of being.

Event Schedule, September 24, 2026:

1:00 pm: Poetry For All Live Podcast co-hosted by Abram Van Engen and Joanne Diaz, Hurst Lounge (located in Duncker Hall)

This is a free event open to all, seats are limited and tickets will be required to attend the Poetry for All live podcast.

REGISTER .wustl.edu

Please join us for an evening public lecture with acclaimed translator, educator and performance artist, Haleh Liza Gafori as she presents “Rumi For Our Times”, a selection of poems by the 13th century mystic Rumi.

Event Schedule, September 24, 2026:

7:00 pm – 9:30 pm: Public event for all ticketed audience members in Knight Hall’s Frick Forum with reception to follow.

This is a free event open to all, seats are limited and tickets will be required to attend the lecture and the reception immediately following.

To learn more and register go to .wustl.edu

08/27/2026

As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes how we work, communicate, learn, and create, religious communities are grappling with a fundamental question: Is AI good for religion? How might emerging technologies influence faith, community, and our understanding of spiritual formation.

On October 5, 2026 join the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics’ online journal, ARC: Religion, Politics, Et Cetera for its 2026-2027 inaugural Danforth Dialogue Forum in Washington D.C. featuring leading thinkers from across various disciplines as they explore the challenges and ethical implications of artificial intelligence for religious life.

To learn more and register visit .wustl.edu

08/11/2026

2026-2027 Season: Our upcoming series, Practice of Citizen, begins Thursday, October 1st. Mark your calendars for a great lineup of FREE public events! More info coming soon. Visit the link in our bio to learn more.

08/04/2026

New Book Release! The John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics celebrates Elena Kravchenko’s new book release, “Becoming Orthodox: Women, Religion, and Ethnicity in the American South” (Fordham University Press 2026). For more info, visit rap.washu.edu

07/24/2026

New book alert! The John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics celebrates the release of Abram Van Engen’s new book, Anne Bradstreet Now (Oxford University Press 2026). More info .wustl.edu

07/01/2026

A one-time course examining the origins of the United States on the 250th anniversary of its founding.

07/01/2026

Great news for the Center and !

https://rap.wustl.edu/news/j-kameron-carter-and-kambiz-ghaneabassiri/

06/29/2026

C-SPAN has begun airing lectures from the Center's "1776, Then and Now" course as part of their America 250 programming! View the first one here:

Washington University hosted a series of lectures called "1776: Then and Now" with the first exploring religion in Revolutionary America.

06/25/2026

Our "1776, Then and Now" course offered lectures from 16 different scholars. Sara Savat of WashU covered several of them, including this by the Center's Tazeen Ali.
https://source.washu.edu/2026/06/washu-expert-how-thomas-jeffersons-quran-became-test-case-for-religious-liberty/
You can watch all the lectures at our website rap.washu.edu.

Tazeen Ali, an assistant professor of religion and politics at Washington University in St. Louis, says Thomas Jefferson's Quran confronts us with the question of what the founders themselves knew they couldn't avoid: Will the promises of 1776 stop at the edge of our own religion, or will they exten...

06/24/2026

Our "1776, Then and Now" course offered lectures from 16 different scholars. Sara Savat of WashU covered several of them, including this by Mark Valeri:
You can also watch all the lectures at our website rap.washu.edu.
https://source.washu.edu/2026/02/the-pulpit-and-the-patriot-how-religion-fueled-the-american-revolution/

In the years leading up to the Revolution, Protestant preachers, sometimes referred to as the “black-robed regiment,” used biblical texts and spiritual ideas to reframe the treasonous act of rebellion into righteous moral duty, according to Mark Valeri, vice director of the Danforth Center on Re...