The centrality and importance of the intersection of Christianity and culture when it comes to English-speaking countries and particularly American culture, history, and politics is beyond doubt. The Routledge Handbook of Christianity and Culture is an outstanding reference source to the key topics, problems, and debates in this exciting subject. Comprising over 35 chapters by a team of international contributors, the handbook is divided into five sections:
Practicing Christianity
Christianity and the Word
Social and Political Aspects of Christianity and Culture
Christianity and Culture in a Global Context
Christianity and the Arts
During our evening together, you will hear from contributors about some of the topics in these sections. Topics include: liturgy, material Christianity, education, missions, religion and science, hermeneutics, Bible translations, Christian wars, human rights, law, social action, the secular, ecumenicalism, inter-religious relations, visual arts, literature, music, theatre, and film. The three editors (who are also contributors) of the book will then interact with the audience and engage with questions from the audience.
About the Editors:
Dr. Jens Zimmermann is professor of Theology at Regent College. He has published widely in continental philosophy and theology. He held the Canada Research Chair for Interpretation, Religion, and Culture from 2006 to 2016, was Visiting Research Fellow at Cambridge (Trinity Hall, 2017-2018), and a British Academy Visiting Fellow at Oxford (Christ Church College, 2018-2019). He is currently Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Theology and Modern European Thought at Oxford and Research Fellow in Historical and Constructive Theology at the University of the Free State, South Africa. His publications include Hermeneutics: A very Short Introduction (OUP, 2015), and Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christian Humanism (OUP, 2029).
Dr. Yaakov Ariel is a professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ariel’s research has focused on Interfaith relations and dialogue; Christian attitudes towards Jews, Judaism, the Holy Land, Zionism, and Israel; history of missions to the Jews; Jewish responses to Christianity; Jewish conversions to other faiths; Jewish-Christian groups; conversions of non-Jews to Judaism; Jewish movements of reform, renewal and outreach, and Jewish and Christian new religious movements.
Dr. Ariel has published several books and booklets, as well as 150 articles and reviews on these topics. His book, Evangelizing the Chosen People: Missions to the Jews (UNC Press, 2000), won the Outler Prize of the American Society of Church History. He received several other prizes and fellowships, including from the Leibniz Institute at the University of Leipzig and the Center for Hebrew and Jewish Studies at Oxford University. Detailed information on Ariel’s publications, lectures, courses, and prizes can be found in: https://independent.academia.edu/YaakovAriel and https://religion.unc.edu/_people/full-time-faculty/ariel/
Dr. Gregor Thuswaldner is a distinguished academic leader, scholar, and author with over two decades of experience in higher education. Most recently, he served as Provost and Executive Vice President at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, from 2020 to 2024. Prior to Whitworth, he was Acting Provost and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at North Park University in Chicago. He has earned prestigious accolades, including being named a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and elected member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Currently, on sabbatical, Dr. Thuswaldner is editing The Chief Academic Officer’s Handbook: A Provost’s Guide to Visionary Leadership, which will be published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2025. He also hosts the EdUp Provost podcast, a platform for engaging academic thought leaders.
Dr. Thuswaldner remains committed to lifelong learning, having earned an additional master’s in higher education administration and several certificates, including certificates in fundraising and mediation. A recognized thought leader, he serves on the boards of the Association of Chief Academic Officers (ACAO) and the American Association of University Administrators (AAUA). Among his nine book publications are the co-edited volumes The Hermeneutics of Hell: Visions and Representations of the Devil in World Literature (Palgrave, 2017) and Thomas Bernhard’s Afterlives (Bloomsbury, 2020).