Chicago Theological Seminary

Did you miss this valuable conversation at the last Wednesday Gathering on being a spiritual leader in these troubling times? Take a listen here.

Wednesday Gatherings: Being a Spiritual Leader in Troubled Times For this Wednesday Gathering, we were joined by several faith leaders came together to discuss how to respond to the multiple crises in which we find ourselv...

Plan to join us virtually next Wednesday, March 26 to celebrate these Womanist theologians! The event is hosted by Dr. JoAnne Marie Terrell.

Registration is OPEN for our 4th annual Interfaith Trolley Tour. Register today! Always sells out!

Chicago Interfaith Trolley Tour Join us on our 4th Chicago Interfaith Trolley Tour. This experiential learning opportunity presents the chance to learn about faith in practice, prayer and communal religious space, and some history of the neighborhood and its religious communities. You will get to meet people from other faith tradi...

Our friends at CTU are offering this March 24 program regarding Jewish Theology of the church. Please consider registering and joining.

Spring Shapiro Lecture | A Jewish Theology of the Church - Catholic Theological Union In recent decades, Jewish theologians, responding in part to overtures from Christians, and building on precedents recovered from their tradition, have articulated a range of Jewish theological approaches to Christianity. […]

Please join us THIS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27 at 6:00pm CST, for the 2025 LaCocque Interreligious Lecture hosted by the InterReligious Institute at Chicago Theological Seminary.

We are honored and excited to present a conversation between writer and journalist Katherine Stewart; and author, commentator, and scholar of religions Reza Aslan. Our two guests will join in a conversation entitled, "Religion and Politics: Talking Together About the Issues Driving Us Apart", delving deep into what is driving white Christian Nationalism in the United States and how we can respond to this profound moment. Don't miss this important conversation.

Register here:
https://www.ctschicago.edu/registrations/2025-andre-lacocque-lecture/

Don't miss Reza Aslan and Katherine Stewart as CTS presents the 2025 Andre LaCocque Lecture & Schaalman Award! Thursday, February 27, 6:00pm on Zoom. For more information or to register: https://bit.ly/lacocque25

Join us TOMORROW at NOON CST for our next Wednesday Gathering, "Reparations: A History of Black Economic Resistance" with Drs. Jonathan Brooks and Brian E. Smith!

https://bit.ly/wednesdaygatherings25

Join us Monday, March 10, 2025, for a special hybrid Obenhaus Lecture with PhD student Yoshua Harahap! Yoshua will give a lecture entitled, "Benevolent Empire Unmasked: Christian Ethics, Transpacific Wounds, and the Moral Cost of US Imperialism."

The event will begin at 5:30pm with light refreshments in-person, preceding the lecture's start at 6:00pm (the virtual lecture room will open at 6:00pm). Please join us!

https://bit.ly/obenhaus25

We were pleased that CTS's own Rev. Dr. Brian E. Smith was able to bring some history to North Shore Country Day! We love seeing the Jackson Oral History Project used to teach the next generation of what it took to get us here. Only by learning our history can we avoid the same mistakes.

For more information on the Jackson Oral History Project, visit https://www.ctschicago.edu/jackson

Do Christians and Jews love the same way? That's the question Shai Held will attempt to answer at Catholic Theological Union at Chicago on February 10, 2025 at 7:00 pm CT.

Register: https://ctu.edu/event/winter-shapiro-shai-held-do-jews-and-christians-love-the-same-way/

For centuries, Christian anti-Judaic prejudice insisted that whereas Christianity is about love, Judaism is about … something else, like law, or justice, or obedience. Rabbi Shai Held’s new book argues that Judaism, no less than Christianity, is a religion of love. And yet Judaism is not just Christianity avant la lettre, and so there are some key differences in the ways Jews and Christians tend to think and talk about love. In this lecture, we’ll consider some of those crucial differences: divergent understandings of human nature, of the relationship between love and law, of the relative priority of the particular and the universal, and of the ideal of loving our enemies.

Winter Shapiro | Shai Held - "Do Jews and Christians Love the Same Way?" - Catholic Theological Union Winter Shapiro Lecture Synopsis: Do Jews and Christians Love the Same Way? For centuries, Christian anti-Judaic prejudice insisted that whereas Christianity is about love, Judaism is about … something else, […]

Plan to join us Feb 12 noon central online at https://bit.ly/wednesdaygatherings25

In the first week of 2025, the Washington Theological Consortium hosted a weeklong interfaith dialogue program at the United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia. We are proud to present one of the products of this collaboration, a collaboration between Bayan Islamic Graduate School / CTS Chaplaincy student Sherouk Ahmed and Jewish Theological Seminary rabbinical student Claire Davidson Bruder.

Moses’s Lessons in Interfaith Dialogue - Jewish Theological Seminary In the first week of 2025, the Washington Theological Consortium hosted a weeklong interfaith dialogue program at the United Lutheran Seminary in

Today we were thrilled to welcome several special guests to discuss Prof. André LaCocque! It's all thanks to a wonderful new book by CTS alum Dr. Doreen M. McFarlane on interfaith biblical scholarship.

Purchase here:
https://wipfandstock.com/9781666776812/furthering-interfaith-biblical-scholarship/

Since its founding in 1855, Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) has educated courageous ethical leaders who seek to increase justice and mercy in the world. Known for its pioneering leadership in social justice and interreligious engagement, CTS aims to “advocate gender justice, nurture movements for women’s equality...and celebrate le***an, gay, bis*xual, transgender, and other individuals within the spectrum of human s*x and s*xuality.” Chicago Theological Seminary celebrates LGBTQ+ equality.

In this PBS video, CTS President Dr. Brad Braxton provides a progressive religious rationale for LGBTQ+ equality.

Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly | Brad Braxton Extended Interview | Season 16 Watch more of our interview with Rev. Dr. Brad Braxton on black churches and gay marriage.

Don't miss this very special Wednesday Gathering to honor the memory of Professor Andre LaCocque! Join us tomorrow at noon central in person at the Skyline Chapel at Chicago Theological Seminary or online at https://bit.ly/wednesdaygatherings25

An Expression of Gratitude for the Life and Legacy of President Jimmy Carter

Along with countless people across the United States and around the world, we at Chicago Theological Seminary celebrate the life of one of our great compatriots, former President James Earl Carter, Jr. President Carter embodied the faith and values we hold dear at CTS, consistently putting them into action throughout his life.

His presidency has been reevaluated multiple times and is viewed more favorably today than it was at the time. However, it was President Carter’s post-presidential service that truly highlighted his profound commitment to love, justice, and peace.

Jimmy Carter, a son of the South, was born and raised in Plains, Georgia. His faith drew him to the civil rights movement, leading him to become an activist within the Democratic Party. As President, he used his faith to lead by example on local, national, and international stages.

One of President Carter's first acts was to pardon all those who evaded the military draft during the Vietnam War. He negotiated significant treaties, including the Camp David Accords, which ended hostilities between Egypt and Israel. In his post-presidential life, he tirelessly pursued peace, earning the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts with the Carter Center to promote human rights worldwide.

At CTS, we hold our mission and commitments dear. Among them is this:

"We are committed, in a world suffering from spiritual impoverishment, which is characterized by meaninglessness, lovelessness, and hopelessness, to proclaim a message of divine purpose, compassion, and promise."


President Jimmy Carter exemplified this commitment, not through words or proclamations, but through actions. With great gratitude, we remember his life and strive to continue his legacy of peace.