Sacred, Secular, Solidarity: New Visions of the Common Good

2026-2027 Program

“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.”
Simone Weil, Gravity and Grace

The Initiative on Religion, Pluralism, and American Public Life will continue its 2026–2027 exploration of the theme “Sacred, Secular, Solidarity: New Visions of the Common Good.” Building upon the conversations and insights generated during the previous year, the Initiative will deepen its examination of how religious and secular traditions can contribute to the cultivation of democratic life, civic responsibility, and shared flourishing in a pluralistic society.

As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, the Initiative will use this historic moment as an opportunity for critical reflection on the nation’s democratic experiment, its enduring aspirations, and its unfinished work. The semiquincentennial invites renewed consideration of the role that religion, moral reasoning, and civic institutions have played—and continue to play—in shaping American public life.

The 2026–2027 program will place particular emphasis on the relationship between America’s constitutional ideals and the realities of pluralism in the twenty-first century. By bringing together voices from across disciplines and sectors, the Initiative seeks to illuminate how sacred and secular commitments can serve as sources of civic imagination, public responsibility, and collective action.

2025-2026 Program

“Solidarity is a principle that can inspire and guide action. . .”
Hannah Arendt, On Revolution

The Initiative on Religion, Pluralism, and American Public Life program for 2025–2026 will explore the theme “Sacred, Secular, Solidarity: New Visions of the Common Good.” Throughout the year, the Initiative will convene leading scholars, policy officials, and public thinkers to examine the pressing challenge of cultivating sustainable forms of civic engagement and solidarity that advance a broad and inclusive vision of the common good. Through a series of lectures, symposia, research projects, and public dialogues, this year’s program will address the critical issues confronting American democracy in a time of deep social division and moral uncertainty. In doing so, the Initiative seeks to affirm a pluralistic and hopeful vision capable of renewing the moral and civic foundations of American public life.

2024-2025 Program

The boundary is the best place for acquiring knowledge.
Paul Tillich, Religiöse Verwirklichung

Wake Forest University School of Divinity will launch the Initiative on Religion, Pluralism, and American Public Life on November 7, 2024. The inaugural program for 2024-2025 will focus on the theme Across the Borders of Tradition: Conversations in Jewish and Christian Thought and Theology. Over the course of the year, the Initiative will feature some of the nation’s leading theologians and scholars of religion examining the intersections of Christian and Jewish thought and theology, new directions in Jewish and African American religious thought and theology, and religion, pluralism, and democratic futures. The 2024-2025 featured speakers include the following: