Heather Miller Rubens, Ph.D., ICJS Executive Director and Roman Catholic Scholar, will be a visiting scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary this fall as she researches and writes a book to advance ICJS’ vision of an interreligious society.
The book will be an accessible work for a broad audience about why ICJS’ vision of an interreligious society is necessary, urgent, and viable. Rubens said the book will explore key questions such as:
- How can we envision and build an interreligious society?
- Who are the builders and sustainers of this society?
- What are the religious and political frameworks needed for such an ambitious project in the United States?
“The global rise of ethno-religious nationalism, such as the Christian nationalism we saw in the attempted Capitol insurrection, highlights that how our society currently builds and safeguards a religiously diverse population is critical religious and political work,” she said. “I propose the interreligious society as a hopeful and constructive framework both to dismantle religious bias and to inform and inspire civic conversations.”
Rubens expanded on the intersection of religion and politics in a recent essay, The Urgency of Interreligious Pluralism, posted in the Voices section of the ICJS website.
Rubens will step away from day-to-day duties as ICJS’ Executive Director during the four months, from September to December, that she serves as Visiting Scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary. Senior staff at ICJS will handle organizational matters during this time.
“By researching and writing this book, Heather is embarking on an important endeavor,” said Irfan Malik, president of the ICJS Board of Trustees. “She has the Board’s full support, and we are confident that with its strong staff leadership, ICJS will continue to operate without missing a beat.”
The Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies (ICJS) works to dismantle religious bias and bigotry to foster an interreligious society in which dialogue replaces division, friendship overcomes fear, and education eradicates ignorance. Through courses, fellowships, online events, and scholarship initiatives, ICJS builds learning communities where religious difference becomes a powerful force for good. ICJS is an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization. More information is at icjs.org.
