Wangari Maathai, to the detriment of Kenya and the world, died last September. She was a storyteller, a scholar, a feminist, an advocate, and an environmentalist. She founded the Green Belt Movement, a nonprofit organization that has as its mission “to mobilize community consciousness –  using tree planting as an entry point – for self-determination, equity, improved livelihoods and security, and environmental conservation.” In 2002 she was elected to the Kenyan Parliament. She was awarded the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize... Read more

This post is written in conjunction with the “Religion and Law in the U.S.” course dialogue project and is directed by Grace Yia-Hei Kao. Upon reflecting on the topic “What is Religion”, particularly in regards to the Malnak v. Yogi case, I thought back to my days of going through Yoga Teacher training.  It was something I took up after my challenging law school days. I was a bit apprehensive because I was a mediocre practitioner, and was not at... Read more

This post is written in conjunction with the “Becoming a Public Scholar” course and is directed by Monica A. Coleman. In Becoming a Public Scholar, we have discussed what makes a public scholar, specifically, a religious public scholar. A public scholar is not only well educated, and an expert in his or her field, there is also an ability to serve and be respected as a public conscience. Dag Hammarskjöld served in a public role as Secretary General for the... Read more

This post is written in conjunction with the “Religion and Law in the U.S.” course dialogue project and is directed by Grace Yia-Hei Kao. In a recent unanimous and precedent-setting Supreme Court ruling, a “ministerial exception” was given to Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School regarding employment discrimination.  Cheryl Perich, a “called teacher” at Hosanna-Tabor, was fired after issues surrounding her narcolepsy developed.  As is well known in the United States, innumerable federal, state, and local laws exist to protect... Read more

Author, public theologian and CST trustee Brian McLaren joins pastor and stand-up comedienne Jane Voigts and Kenpo Karate Black Belt and Bishop Gran Hagiya to discuss: “Where is the Church going?” CST Dean Philip Clayton will be moderating for the evening. All are invited to a highly entertaining and provocative discussion of trends in American religion and emerging best practices in ministry. Time: 7-9 pm Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012. Place: Seeley G. Mudd Theater (1325 N. College Ave. Claremont, CA)... Read more

Professor Najeeba Syeed-Miller teaches interreligious education at Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Lincoln University. She is a prolific practitioner and effective educator in the area of conflict resolution among communities of ethnic and religious diversity. Her involvements range widely, including conducting gang interventions, implementing diversity training in universities and public agencies, conflict resolution in public schools, interreligious dialogue among the Abrahamic traditions, and environmental conflict resolution.  Find her on twitter @najeebasyeed. This post was originally published on her blog,... Read more

Feminism and Religion Grace Yia-Hei Kao is Associate Professor of Ethics at Claremont School of Theology in the Claremont Lincoln University Consortium. She is the author of Grounding Human Rights in a Pluralist World (Georgetown University Press, 2011) and is working on a second book manuscript on Asian American Christian Ethics. This blog post was originally published at Feminism and Religion, an online forum for contemporary scholars of women and religion to gather for community and intellectual collaboration. Grace Kao... Read more

Two CST professors of theology, Monica Coleman and Philip Clayton, recently participated in a debate about the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing) at last week’s American Academy of Religion conference in San Francisco.  They were joined by theologians Catherine Keller, Michael Lodahl, Marit Trelstad, and Richard Rice. Both CST theologians identify themselves as process-relational theologians, but they come to quite different conclusions about how creation should be understood: ‘out of nothing’ (Clayton) or ‘out of chaos’... Read more

  Some of the Claremont School of Theology faculty made excellent contributions to the Patheos online symposium, “Does Seminary Have a Future?.”  This is an important topic for all seminaries to consider, and it has been an especially urgent one for CST as we recently launched Claremont Lincoln University in partnership with other religious educators.  We believe that such inter-religious models of seminary education are the future of seminaries.  Yet there are still many conversations that need to take place... Read more

President of Claremont School of Theology, Rev. Dr. Jerry D. Campbell is an ordained Elder of The United Methodist Church who has a long career in the administration in theological schools and higher education. He has served as head librarian for both University of Southern California and Duke University, as well as Perkins School of Theology and The Iliff School of Theology in Denver. Campbell has served on accreditation review teams for the Association of Theological Schools, and serves as... Read more