The conference will explore the tension between religion and secularity in the United States, which is long-standing, widespread, and increasingly intense. This is evident in contemporary debates over such issues as evolution and intelligent design which challenge the traditional absence of religious discourse from education, in the increasing importance of religious priorities in political decision-making, in governmental reliance on spiritual or faith-based philanthropy, and on the role of faith-based communities in lobbying for legislation or bringing out the vote to elect candidates. Given the increasing number of calls we are hearing for lowering the “wall of separation” erected between church and state by our Constitution, the question at hand is whether we are experiencing a major shift in the role of religion in political decision making and in our lives.

These issues will be addressed from the perspectives of religious studies, legal studies, political science, sociology, and philosophy. The keynote address will be delivered by Charles Taylor, Professor, Northwestern University.

Conference attendees can also register for a guided tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that has been created for the conference. The tour of their permanent collection will addresses the ways in which art has engaged questions of religion, spirituality, and secularism throughout history. The tour is one hour on Saturday, March 6th, at 11:00 AM, is $10 per person and includes admission to the museum.

This conference is made possible by generous support from the Russell Sage Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, and Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts.