At the American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting in Boston, the Boniuk Institute and its Religion and Public Life Center co-hosted the "Centers for Religion and Public Life Workshop" for leaders of academic institutions and non-profits working at the intersection of religion and public life. The event moved beyond standard organizational updates to address a more pressing theme, articulated by co-host Rachel Schneider (University of Tennessee Knoxville): "Care and advocacy for ourselves, centers, and scholarship in this current moment."
The opening plenary, facilitated by Joseph Tucker Edmonds (IUPUI), set a tone of radical honesty. While Tiffany Puett (Institute for Diversity and Civic Life) discussed the realities of "scarcity" for small non-profits, Harold Morales (Morgan State) urged a narrative shift toward "joy and flourishing" to combat professional burnout. Perhaps most poignantly, Jonathan VanAntwerpen (Henry Luce Foundation) acknowledged the emotional weight of the field, sparking a vital conversation on the vulnerability required to ask for help.
The dialogue grew more urgent during the discussion on public scholarship. Panelists Elizabeth Reiner Platt (Law, Rights & Religion Project), Brett Krutzsch (NYU), Isaac Weiner (Ohio State), Terrence L. Johnson (Harvard Divinity School), and facilitator Justine Esta Ellis (Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life) explored the challenges in the present, including state legislation affecting language in the classroom and strategies adopted to prevent institutions from social-media attacks. Despite these risks, the group found hope in the rising public demand for "concrete steps" and the courage of religious leaders taking stands on issues like immigration.
To finish the day, the Boniuk Institute's Elaine Howard Ecklund offered a powerful, four-part charge for the future:
- The Vitality of Religion: With over 85% of the world's population considering themselves religious, the study of religion is more critical now than ever
- Institutional Value: Centers must help their parent institutions understand their unique value
- Bridge Building: Religious studies reach the public in ways that other research canon
- Sustainability: Leaders must implement sustainable systems to "go the distance"
The workshop served as a powerful reminder that while the field faces unique pressures, the opportunities for empowerment and public engagement have never been greater.