Harvard Divinity School

What did religion actually look like in America in 1776? In this episode of Harvard Religion Beat, host Jonathan Beasley speaks with Harvard Divinity School professor Catherine Brekus about the role of faith in Revolutionary America—from Sunday worship and the influence of ministers to the experiences of women, enslaved people, and Indigenous communities. Brekus also explores how religion shaped t...

Is the world becoming more religious or less religious? Gina Zurlo, Lecturer on World Christianity at Harvard Divinity School, talks about the demographic, cultural, and social forces reshaping religion around the globe. Drawing on a recent Pew Research Center report on religious diversity, Zurlo explores Christianity's shift toward the Global South, the impact of migration and demographics, and w...

In this episode, Hiatt and Jordan celebrate the end of their tenure as Hope Podcast hosts by interviewing each other about poetry, ministry, and how the two together make a kind of life.

In this episode, Hiatt and Jordan celebrate the end of their tenure as Hope Podcast hosts by interviewing each other about poetry, ministry, and how the two together make a kind of life.

One year after his election, Pope Leo XIV’s leadership is beginning to take shape—blending continuity with change. How is he guiding the Catholic Church in a moment of global uncertainty, and what does it reveal about the future of the papacy? Raúl Zegarra, Assistant Professor of Roman Catholic Theological Studies, offers insights into Pope Leo's first year. Produced and hosted by Jonathan Beasley...

Meaning Makers of HDS is a podcast by the Harvard Divinity School Office of Communications that explores the many dimensions of human meaning making. In interviews with HDS alumni, faculty, and others, this podcast showcases how members of the HDS community create meaningful lives—through religion, spirituality, faith, and beyond. Each episode features conversations that highlight the deeply perso...

In episodes 21 and 22 of the Pop Apocalypse, host Matt Dillon welcomes musician and mathematician Robert Schneider. Schneider is the lead singer of the psychedelic pop band The Apples in Stereo, a producer for bands including Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control, and currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Michigan Technological University. In part one, we di...

What does it mean to live out faith in a moment when human dignity feels under pressure? In this episode of the Harvard Religion Beat, host Jonathan Beasley speaks with the Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas—Episcopal priest, author, and professor at Harvard Divinity School—about moral imagination, sacred dignity, and the role of faith in public life. Drawing on her scholarship and ministry, Douglas reflect...

This week we sat down with MRPL candidate Amy Brenneman to talk about her coming back to Harvard, writing the unknowns in a creative life, and hope in action.

This week we spoke with MDiv candidate Leah Gawel about the intersections of the arts, religious trauma, and the healing and empowering transformations we can bear witness to.

For Pop Apocalypse Episode 20, Host Matthew Dillon welcomes actress, writer, producer, and activist Amy Brenneman. After earning her BA in the Comparative Study of Religion at Harvard, Amy went on to a successful acting career, with star turns in the film Heat and in television shows including The Leftovers, The Old Man, and Judging Amy (which she also wrote and produced). In this wide-ranging con...

This week we're joined by Jamie Feinberg, MDiv candidate, for a conversation about surrendering to the pursuit of our passions, finding systems of faith that work for and challenge us, and the continual process of becoming our most authentic selves.

This week we sat down with fellow second year MDiv candidate Julia Jackson to talk about the ways hope and mortality are tied together, about the power of reading, and about the promise of otherwise.

In this long read from Harvard Divinity Bulletin, author and educator Sarabinh Levy-Brightman starts treating sleep as worthy of attention and cultivation as any other soulful domain. As a result, she experiences shifting energies and curious moments of insight. This special audio version of "Sacred Sleep of the Wandering Fool" is narrated by Sarabinh Levy-Brightman and appears in the Autumn/Winte...

Meaning Makers of HDS is a new podcast by the Harvard Divinity School Office of Communications that explores the many dimensions of human meaning making. In interviews with HDS alumni, faculty, and others, this podcast showcases how members of the HDS community create meaningful lives—through religion, spirituality, faith, and beyond. Each episode features conversations that highlight the deeply p...

In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 19, we welcome author and musician, Gary Lachman, to the show. Lachman was the original bassist for the seminal new wave band, Blondie. He later became an intellectual historian; to date, Lachman has published twenty-six books, most recently a memoir, Touched by the Presence: From Blondie’s Bowery and Rock and Roll to Magic and the Occult (Inner Traditions, 2025). In this wi...

This week we're joined by Hannah Snyder (MTS 1). We discuss the sense of imposter syndrome she felt within her own religious community, the complications and pressures she felt as a religious community leader, and about the sense of fulfillment she eventually found as a participating member of religious community life, and more! Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/12/11/hope-podcast-...

This week we're joined by Austin Ball (MDiv 1). We talk about the difficulty learning and growing that comes with leaving home, about navigating multiple religious belongings, about the unexpected intersections of intellectual and spiritual life, and more. Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/12/11/hope-podcast-featuring-austin-ball-mdiv-candidate.

For episode 18 of the Pop Apocalypse, we welcome theologian, author, and Episcopal priest, Cynthia Bourgeault. Cynthia is the author of numerous books, including Eye of the Heart: A Spiritual Journey into the Imaginal Realm and The Heart of Centering Prayer: Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice. Her work brings the Christian contemplative and wisdom traditions, ‘The Work’ of GI Gurdjieff, a...

On this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from MTS candidate Michelle Millben about family, spiritual math, and the substance of things hoped for. Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/12/01/hope-podcast-featuring-michelle-millben-mts-candidate.

What does it really mean to “love your enemies”? In this episode of the Harvard Religion Beat, host Jonathan Beasley talks with Rev. Matthew Potts—Professor of Religion and Literature at Harvard Divinity School and Pusey Minister at Harvard’s Memorial Church—about forgiveness, anger, and living with harm without letting it define us. Edited by Eden Olayiwole. Sermon audio courtesy of the Memorial...

On this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from Rob Anderson, a first-year MDiv candidate, about falling apart and coming back together again, about a multitude of ways to offer ministry, and about trying to be curious before we get furious. Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/11/06/hope-podcast-featuring-rob-anderson-mdiv-candidate

On this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from first year MDiv student Audrey Zhou on open question of home, the clarity of coming to a resolution, different ways of asking why, and many, many other things. Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/10/22/hope-podcast-featuring-audrey-zhou-mdiv-candidate

On this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from first year MTS student Mishka Banuri about home, spiritual autobiographies, and connecting hope and action. Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/10/21/hope-podcast-featuring-mishka-banuri-mts-candidate.

Do we live inside a Matrix-like simulation? For Episode 17 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome one of the leading theorists behind the simulation hypothesis, Rizwan Virk, to discuss that question. Virk is an entrepreneur, videogame pioneer, and academic author of two major works on simulation theory: The Simulation Hypothesis (Tarcher, 2025) and The Simulated Multiverse (Bayview Books, 2021). In the int...