Center for the Study of Law and Religion
The Center for the Study of Law and Religion (CSLR) is a research center at Emory University which was founded in 1982. CSLR’s stated mission is “to produce and promote path-breaking scholarship, teaching, and public programs on the interaction of law and religion around the world.”[1] It publishes the peer-reviewed Journal of Law and Religion in collaboration with Cambridge University Press; and Canopy Forum, an online publication focused on digital scholarship and contemporary issues of law and religion. John Witte Jr. is director of CSLR; other faculty include Abdullahi An-Na’im, Michael J. Broyde, Rafael Domingo, Michael Perry, and Johan van der Vyver.
History[edit]
In 1982, then-President of Emory University James T. Laney, and law professor Frank S. Alexander founded Emory’s first law and religion program. The program was created with the objective of contributing to Emory’s aspiration towards interdisciplinary academia and creating “a place where students could learn the fundamentals of church and state, religion and politics, faith and order, as well as the inner workings of the major religions and their respective places in historic law and modern civic structure.”[2] This program was the first of its kind among other major law schools in the United States;[2] however, in the past two decades, “a new interdisciplinary movement has emerged in the United States” with regards to the interactions of law and religion.[3]
In 1985, President Laney invited Professor Harold J. Berman of Harvard Law School to join Emory University’s faculty. Berman became Emory's first Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law[4] and played a role in the creation of Emory’s Law and Religion Program.[5] When he moved from Harvard to Emory, Berman was joined by a recent graduate of Harvard Law School, John Witte Jr., who had worked with him on several research projects. In 1987, Witte took on the position of director of the Law and Religion Program.[6]
In the years since Witte assumed the position of director, the Center has hosted numerous national and international conferences focusing on different aspects of law and religion. One of its earliest and most influential conferences was a 1991 conference on “Christianity and Democracy” which was attended by former President Jimmy Carter and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, among others. Later, in 2000, CSLR attained the Pew Charitable Trusts’ “Center of Excellence” grant of $3.2 million.[7] It was around this time that the center officially gained its title of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion.
Key Activities[edit]
Research Areas[edit]
CSLR faculty and fellows work in seven main focus areas covering multiple religious traditions, geographic regions, jurisdictions, and historical periods[8]:
- Law and Christianity
- Law and Judaism
- Law and Islam
- Law, Religion, and Human Rights
- Law, Religion, and Jurisprudence
- Law, Religion, and Social Justice
- Law, Religion, and Health
Each focus area is directed by a CSLR faculty member in collaboration with other scholars at Emory and around the world. Scholarship in each area includes research projects, publications, courses, and public presentations/conferences.
Publications[edit]
Journal of Law and Religion[edit]
CSLR publishes the Journal of Law and Religion (JLR) in collaboration with Cambridge University Press. Silas Allard has served as the managing editor of JLR since 2013. A prominent peer-reviewed journal in the field of law and religion, JLR publishes articles, symposia, and book reviews on topics including: human rights; religion freedom; religion-state relations; religious sources and dimensions of public, private, penal, and procedural law; religious legal systems and their status under secular law; theological jurisprudence; political theology; and legal and religious ethics.[9] Scholars who publish in JLR come from multiple academic disciplines and religious traditions including: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, indigenous religious traditions, and others.
Canopy Forum[edit]
Canopy Forum is CSLR’s digital publication which “produces expert analysis for the broader community of digital consumers” including scholars, policymakers, and others who are interested in law and religion.[10] Canopy Forum published its first issue in 2019[11], and has since published short articles and multimedia content curated by a team of editors. Dr. Shlomo Pill, an expert in Jewish, Islamic, and American law is Managing Editor of Canopy Forum.
Books[edit]
CSLR faculty, fellows, and collaborators have published over 350 books. CSLR has published multiple book series, including the ongoing Cambridge Studies in Law and Christianity series and the Emory University Studies in Law and Religion series.[12]
Recent examples of publications by CSLR faculty include:
- Michael J. Broyde, Sharia Tribunals, Rabbinical Courts, and Christian Panels (Oxford University Press 2017)[13]
- Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im, What is an American Muslim? Embracing Faith and Citizenship (Oxford University Press 2017)[14]
- John Witte Jr., Church, State, and Family: Reconciling Traditional Teachings and Modern Liberties (Cambridge University Press 2019)[15]
- Rafael Domingo, God and the Secular Legal System (Cambridge University Press 2016)[16]
- Michael J. Perry, A Global Political Morality: Human Rights, Democracy, and Constitutionalism (Cambridge University Press 2017)[17]
Degree Programs[edit]
In partnership with Emory University School of Law, the Laney Graduate School, and Candler School of Theology, CSLR offers six degree programs/concentrations in law and religion:
- Master of Laws (LLM)
- Juris Master (JM)
- Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD)
- Doctor of Law / Master of Theological Studies (JD/MTS)
- Doctor of Law / Master of Divinity (JD/MDiv)
- Doctor of Law / Doctor of Philosophy (JD/PhD)
Recent doctoral dissertations published by CSLR scholars include:
- “Interactions between Religious Faith and Legal Practice: Identifying Conflicts and Harmonies,” by David Zeligman (SJD)
- “The Religion of Race: Disestablishing Racism From the American Experience,” by Audra Savage (SJD)
- “Transitional Justice: Just Justice or just justice,” by Rinaldo Vito Cristofori (SJD)
- “Substance and Cell of the State: Interaction of Family Law and Religion in Joseon and North Korea,” by David Doome Taegyun Jung (SJD)
- “The Constitution of Religious Liberty: Religion, Power, and the Birth of the Secular Purpose Test, 1844-1971,” by Justin Latterell (PhD)
Distinguished Lectures and Lecture Series[edit]
CSLR hosts public lectures on topics relating to the interaction of law and religion.[18]
Distinguished Lectures[edit]
CSLR’s distinguished lectures include:
The Overton and Lavona Currie Lecture: This lecture was founded in 1986 with a gift from Overton and Lavona Currie. Among the lecture’s previous speakers are former President Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Judge John T. Noonan.[19]
The Harold J. Berman Lecture: This lecture was founded in 2009 with an endowment from the family, friends, and supporters of Harold J. Berman (1918-2007) who has been dubbed the “father of the modern study of law and religion.”[20]
The Don S. Browning Memorial Lecture: This lecture was founded in 2011 with gifts from the friends and colleagues of Don S. Browning (1934-2010). The lectures are “informed by his founding scholarship in practical theology and religious ethics, and their application to marriage and family life.”[21]
The Decalogue Lecture Series: This lecture was founded in 2002 with an endowment from Marion Kuntz, honoring her late husband, Paul Kuntz.
Lecture Series[edit]
CSLR’s lecture series include:[22]
Restoring Religious Freedom Lectures: This lecture series ran from 2015 to 2018 and included public lectures by Shahar Lifshitz, Douglas Laycock, Ján Figeľ, and Tracey Hucks.
The McDonald Distinguished Scholar Lectures: This was a five-year lecture series (2013-2018) focusing on Christian Scholarship. This series was sponsored by the McDonald Agape Foundation. It included lectures and panel discussions with approximately 30 leading scholars of law and Christianity.
When Law and Religion Meet: This lecture series supplies a space within which religious leaders can explore and discuss “difficult legal, moral, and ethical issues facing their religious communities.”[23]
The Pursuit of Happiness: This lecture series was part of CSLR’s "The Pursuit of Happiness" project which was launched in 2010. This project sought to incorporate religion and science into the dialogue on happiness and love based on recent findings in these fields.
The Family Forum Series: This lecture series falls under CSLR's "The Child in Law, Religion, and Society" project. Previous lecture topics pertain to issues within these fields such as the relationship between church and state in America, same-sex marriage, and others. Previous speakers include former President Jimmy Carter, among others.
References[edit]
- ↑ "About CSLR | Emory University School of Law | Atlanta, GA". cslr.law.emory.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Loftus, Mary (September 10, 2007). "Law and religion a 'steeple of excellence' at Emory" (PDF). EmoryReport. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Witte, John (2012-08-22). "The Study of Law and Religion in the United States: An Interim Report". Ecclesiastical Law Journal. 14 (3): 327–354. doi:10.1017/s0956618x12000348. ISSN 0956-618X.
- ↑ Martin, Douglas (2007-11-18). "Harold J. Berman, 89, Who Altered Beliefs About Origins of Western Law, Dies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ↑ Dupraz, Emily (November 13, 2007). "Harold J. Berman, 1918-2007". Harvard Law Today. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
- ↑ "About CSLR | Emory University School of Law | Atlanta, GA". cslr.law.emory.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
- ↑ Bogle, April L. (2007). When law and religion meet : the point of convergence. Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. ISBN 978-0-8028-6294-5. OCLC 177061290. Search this book on
- ↑ "Focus Areas | Emory University School of Law | Atlanta, GA". cslr.law.emory.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
- ↑ "Journal of Law and Religion". cslr.law.emory.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ↑ "Canopy Forum | Emory University School of Law | Atlanta, GA". cslr.law.emory.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
- ↑ "Emory's Center for the Study of Law and Religion launches Canopy Forum". news.emory.edu. 2019-11-25. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ↑ Witte Jr., John. "Emory University Studies in Law and Religion". www.eerdmans.com. Retrieved 2020-05-06. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Broyde, Michael J. (28 June 2017). Sharia Tribunals, Rabbinical Courts, and Christian Panels: Religious Arbitration in America and the West. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-064028-6. Search this book on
- ↑ An-Na'im, Abdullahi Ahmed (3 February 2014). What Is an American Muslim?: Embracing Faith and Citizenship. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-989569-4. Search this book on
- ↑ Witte, Jr., John (April 2019). Church, State, and Family: Reconciling Traditional Teachings and Modern Liberties. Cambridge Core. doi:10.1017/9781316882542. ISBN 9781316882542. Retrieved 2020-04-29. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) Search this book on
- ↑ Domingo, Rafael (May 2016). God and the Secular Legal System. Cambridge Core. doi:10.1017/CBO9781316550212. ISBN 9781316550212. Retrieved 2020-04-29. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) Search this book on
- ↑ Perry, Michael (2017), "Human Rights, Democracy, and Constitutionalism", A Global Political Morality, Cambridge University Press, pp. 89–94, doi:10.1017/9781316665701.009, ISBN 978-1-316-66570-1
- ↑ "Lectures and Conferences". cslr.law.emory.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
- ↑ "The Overton and Lavona Currie Lectures". cslr.law.emory.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
- ↑ "The Harold J. Berman Lectures". cslr.law.emory.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
- ↑ "The Don S. Browning Memorial Lectures". cslr.law.emory.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
- ↑ "Lectures and Conferences". cslr.law.emory.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
- ↑ "When Law and Religion Meet". cslr.law.emory.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
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