Theology, Philosophy, and Religious Studies

Many Jewish thinkers have considered it close to heresy to validate life in the Diaspora.

Many Jewish thinkers have considered it close to heresy to validate life in the Diaspora. But what if the Diaspora is a blessing in disguise? In At Home in Exile, Alan Wolfe, writing for the first time about his Jewish heritage, makes an impassioned, eloquent and controversial argument that Jews should take pride in their Diasporic tradition. Wolfe is joined by a distinguished panel of scholars who review and critique this work. Alan Wolfe is the founding director of the Boisi Center and professor of political science at Boston College. Ben Birnbaum is special assistant to the president of Boston College, executive director of its Office of Marketing Communications, and editor of Boston College Magazine. Susannah Heschel is the Eli Black Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College. Kevin Kenny is professor and chair of the History Department at Boston College, where he teaches courses on American immigration and global migration.

Both our politics and the wider American culture are increasingly polarized. Public discourse is often vitriolic, and rhetoric divisive.

Both our politics and the wider American culture are increasingly polarized. Public discourse is often vitriolic, and rhetoric divisive. In such a context, nonetheless, there can still be found the few, but impressive writers who distinguish themselves with their thoughtful commentary on controversial and important topics. This Boisi Center panel brings together several such writers whose area of focus is a topic central to culture and individuals’ worldviews: religion. These writers discussed their insights regarding contemporary discourse on religion, including the challenges that exist for those who desire to engage in thoughtful reflection on provocative topics; as well as present their approaches to these challenges. Rod Dreher is a writer, editor and blogger, who currently writes a regular blog for The American Conservative; Mark Oppenheimer is the 2014-2015 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations at Boston College; Sarah Posner is an investigative journalist, author, and expert on the intersection of religion and politics; and Alan Wolfe is the founding director of the Boisi Center and professor of political science at Boston College.

Cardinal Kasper speaks on the topic of his newly translated book Mercy: The Essence of the Gospel and the Key to Christian Life (Paulist Press, 2014).

Novelist Alice McDermott addresses is it love that transforms us, or the recounting of it? Does the effort to shape a story reveal what goes unseen, or does the storyteller create meaning where life tells us no meaning can be found?...

Archbishop Emeritus of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, discusses the paradox of Revelation and Divine Action.

Francis has set a new tone for the papacy, but the impact of his leadership remains unclear this early in his reign. This panel brings together four experts of diverse experience and perspective for a robust discussion of his Papacy and the global church.

Christian M. Rutishauser, S.J., Provincial of the Swiss Jesuits, delivers the Third Annual John Paul II Lecture in Christian-Jewish Relations. Rutishauser, who lectures on Jewish studies at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Society of Jesus in Munich, is a member of the Commission for Jewish-Christian Relations of the Swiss and German Bishops Conference and Vatican delegate at the International Liason Committee for the Relations with the Jews.

Associate Director of the Philosophy Department's Lonergan Institute Kerry Cronin, discusses how to use what you’ve already figured out about dating and relationships to step up, make up, break up, speak up...and find your way to something real.

Fr. William Neenan, S.J., Vice President and Special Assistant to the President, shares five things that he has learned at Boston College.

Listen to an exciting conversation with Meyer Chambers of Boston College's campus ministry, for a special CHRISTMAS EDITION Agape Latte!

Jonathan Ben-Dov, the George and Florence Wise Chair of Judaism in the Ancient World at the University of Haifa, explores the reinterpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's monuments from Lebanon as a representation of the myth of the Watchers.

Listen to a conversation about the prophetic witness of Catholic women, who through their passion, talents, scholarship and personal sense of vocation, remain committed in hope to a Catholic Church at its best.

Boston College Director of Public Affairs Jack Dunn describes how baggage and regrets can hold us back from becoming our true selves. Let go and let God in.

John L. Allen, Vatican analyst and senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, shares observations and stories of the emerging papacy of Francis and how this humble pastor is renewing the Catholic Church of the 21st Century.

Fr. Michael Himes offers his commentary on this historic interview with Pope Francis.

Listen to special Agape Latte guest speaker Fr. Jeremy Clarke, S.J., Assistant Professor in Boston College's History Department, share his viewpoints on faith.

Elizabeth A. Johnson, C.S.J., Distinguished Professor of Theology at Fordham University, delivers the Evelyn Underhill Lecture in Christian Sprituality.

Professor Emeritus Lawrence Cunningham of the University of Notre Dame's Department of Theology discusses how the mystical experience may intersect with the life of the mind in the Catholic tradition.