Symposium on Religion and Public Life


The Henry Institute's ninth biennial Symposium on Religion and Public Life will provide opportunities to present current research, to foster personal and professional networks and collaboration, and to learn about opportunities for scholarship and professional development across the disciplines.

The Symposium will feature more than 30 panels on religion and public life covering a wide range of topics and approaches, including sessions on religion and foreign policy, evangelicals and the 2016 presidential election, the Trump presidency, religious freedom and LGBT rights, the future of charitable choice, democratic and anti-democratic movements abroad, Christians as public intellectuals, and a faith-based perspective on criminal justice reform, among many others.

In addition, several special events during the three-day Symposium will feature U.S Senator Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska) presenting the annual Paul B. Henry Lecture on Friday evening; Washington Post journalist Sarah Pulliam Bailey, along with Michael Wear and Burns Strider, veterans of faith outreach in several presidential campaigns, at a plenary session on faith and the Democratic Party (Friday at 12:45 pm); and Boston University’s Charles Glenn, an expert on education policy, presenting the Center for Public Justice’s annual Kuyper Lecture on Thursday evening (7:30 pm).

Symposium attendance is open to anyone interested in the intersection of religion and public life.