The Rise of Hate – the Jewish and Christian Response
By Rev. Dr. Bruce Chilton, Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Philosophy & Religion and Director of the INstitute of Advanced Theology, Bard College
Beyond Toleration: Surviving the Challenge of Contempt
Enlightenment Europe and America gave the world what was supposed to be the cure for the debilitating, self-defeating wars of the modern period: the principle of toleration. Especially in the field of religion, this moral and legal principle became a foundation of civilized life. But instead of relief from war, genocide came — often at the hands of allegedly Enlightened governments. The past two centuries in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia have brought many examples.
Framing an understanding of this terrible paradox, and offering the prospect of genuine progress, this series will investigate the thought of four key Jewish and Christian theologians: Martin Buber, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Hannah Arendt, and Martin Luther King. Their influence reached beyond their own constituencies, and key contacts with other religious traditions will feature in our discussion, but our central task is to conceive of what needs to be done to revise the principle of toleration so that its promise might be realized.
Lunch and program are free but donations will be accepted to help off-set the cost.