Challenges to Theology in a Globalized Religious Environment, with Rabbi Daniel Polish, Monday, 5/4, 7-9pm

In a world no longer isolated by geography or culture, it becomes increasingly difficult to think theologically without an awareness of the religious traditions and theologies of others. This challenge is anticipated in the work of four theologians of previous times: Soren Kierkegaard, Martin Buber, Paul Tillich and Abraham Joshua Heschel. Through an examination of their oeuvre we will explore ways to approach this fundamental issue for theology today and consider responses to that challenge.

Rabbi Polish was ordained at the Cincinnati campus of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He earned his Ph.D. in the History of Religion from Harvard University. He is widely recognized as an authority in the area of inter-religious affairs. He has written widely in the field including numerous articles in scholarly and popular journals and chapters in books. He has co-edited two books on the subject of the religious basis of social policy in the Catholic and Jewish traditions for Notre Dame University Press. He has also held numerous leadership roles in the Jewish community, most recently as Director of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism. Earlier, he served as Associate Executive Vice President and Director of the Washington Office of the Synagogue Council of America, the umbrella organization of the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements. He has also served as Director of Education of Inter-Met, an interfaith, inter-racial seminary in Washington D.C.

Rabbi Polish has also taught and written extensively in the area of Jewish religious thought. He has taught at Harvard, Tufts, the University of Maryland, Occidental College, and at the Los Angeles campus of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He is currently teaching courses in World Religions and Bible at Mount Saint Mary’s College in the Hudson Valley. He has taught at many adult learning programs including the national Kallot of the Reform movement, the Center for Religious Inquiry at Saint Bartholomew’s Church in Manhattan and the Skirball Institute at Temple Emanuel in Manhattan. Rabbi Polish’s articles on Jewish religious themes have appeared in numerous books and journals including Moment, Reform Judaism, The Reconstructionist, and the Los Angeles Times. His most recent book is Talking about God: Exploring the Meaning of Religious Life with Kierkegaard, Buber, Tillich and Heschel, published by SkyLight Paths (2007). He is the author of two earlier books exploring Biblical themes: Bringing the Psalms to Life (2001) and Keeping Faith with the Psalms (2005), both published by Jewish Lights publishers.

This session is the final meeting of the 2008-2009 season of The University Seminar on Innovation in Education which is co-chaired by Ronald Gross who also conducts the Socratic Conversations at the Gottesman Libraries; and Robert McClintock, John L. and Sue Ann Weinberg Professor in the Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Education at Teachers College. Founded in 1970, the Seminar explores the process of learning in individuals, organizations, and society – throughout the lifespan and via major institutions.

The next University Seminar will be held in October.

Where: 305 Russell