News & Analysis


What Americans Know About Religion
The Foundation for Religious Literacy was honored to sponsor the event launch of Pew Research Center’s release of the 2019 religious knowledge survey.


Religious Literacy & Business: Media & Entertainment
The Symposium on Religious Literacy and Business: Media & Entertainment was held at Harvard Divinity School on September 20-21, 2018. Filmmaker and philanthropist Abigail E. Disney delivered the keynote address.


Religious and Scientific Perspectives on the Future of Life
The Leadership and Multifaith Program (LAMP) held its fourth annual symposium, entitled “Religious & Scientific Perspectives on the Future of Life” on February 17, 2018, at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.


Religious Literacy and Government Symposium
Held on December 7–8, 2017, the Religious Literacy and the Professions Initiative at Harvard Divinity School considered how government agencies approach immigration, in both constructive and antagonistic ways.


Asylum, Refuge, and Relocation
In February 2017, LAMP hosted its third symposium on asylum and refugee relocation. The program was created to raise public awareness of the issues refugees face and outline how concerned people can help address these issues.


Religious Literacy & Humanitarian Action
The Religious Literacy and Humanitarian Action symposium at Harvard Divinity School opened on January 19, 2017, with a plenary panel featuring Alastair Ager, Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, and Azza Karam.


Religious Literacy & Journalism
The symposium on religious literacy in journalism was held at Harvard Divinity School on December 8–9, 2016. Laurie Goodstein of The New York Times gave the keynote address, providing an expert overview of the current state of the field.


H. Bruce McEver Receives Medal in Global Business & Interfaith Peace Awards
H. Bruce McEver, co-founder and president of The Foundation for Religious Literacy, was awarded a bronze medal at the Global Business and Interfaith Peace Awards of The Religious Freedom and Business Foundation.


Six Guidelines for Teaching About Religion
Benjamin P. Marcus, special advisor to the Foundation, shares strategies for including religion in the public classroom. The strategies are constitutionally sound and draw upon sophisticated pedagogies developed by scholars of religion.


Food, Farming, and Faith
In March 2016, the Leadership and Multifaith Program (LAMP) hosted its second symposium on issues of food and farming from religious, scientific, historical, and public policy perspectives.


Whose Evil? Whose Good? Religion’s Role in Foreign Policy
In a commentary about the role of religion and diplomacy, Benjamin P. Marcus, special advisor to the Foundation, explains that religion is neither good nor evil. Rather religions, more precisely, religious communities define good and evil.


Religious Restrictions Worldwide
The Pew Research Center released a report detailing the latest trends in religious restrictions and hostilities worldwide, showing notable declines while concluding that government restrictions of religious communities are still staggering.


Compassion and Leadership in a Multifaith World
In February 2015, the Leadership and Multifaith Program (LAMP) held its first annual symposium, entitled “Compassion and Leadership in a Multifaith World” on February 18, 2015, at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.


The Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris
Benjamin P. Marcus, special advisor to The Foundation for Religious Literacy, reflects on the massacre at the Charlie Hebdo headquarters on 7 January 2015, which left 12 people and 11 others injured, sparking rallies around the world.


In Memory: Ronald F. Thiemann, 1946–2012
Ronald F. Thiemann, Bussey Professor of Theology and former dean of Harvard Divinity School, died on Thursday, November 29, 2012, at the age of 66.