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Political Theology

Original Illustration from Thomas Hobbe's Leviathan

Throughout history, theological concepts across religious traditions have been used to legitimate political systems, actions, and stances. These resources examine how religious beliefs and principles motivate specific political action. In particular, they explore historic and contemporary understandings of political engagement in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

Our Experts

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David Hollenbach

Senior Fellow
Walsh School of Foreign Service and Department of Theology and Religious Studies

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Michael Kessler

Executive Director
Department of Government and Georgetown Law

Current and Past Projects

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Future of Political Theologies

The Berkley Center’s Future of Political Theologies project mapped and analyzed historic and contemporary understandings of political engagement across Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The Berkley Center project engaged political theologies not…

Political Theology A-Z Subtopics

Narrow your search for Political Theology content by selecting from this list of subtopics

Videos

October 1, 2025

11th Annual Costan Lecture in Early Christianity by Cilliers Breytenbach (Video)

Duration: 1 hours 10 minutes

April 29, 2025

Judaism and Pluralism in the Context of Global Diversity (Video)

Duration: 1 hours 5 minutes

April 24, 2025

Can Christianity Save Democracy—and Itself? (Video)

Duration: 1 hours 18 minutes

Publications

Article October 14, 2025

Converting the Deep State

Jerome Copulsky coauthored an article with David T. Buckley in "ARC Magazine" analyzing how religious actors and ideas influence the restructuring of the U.S. federal bureaucracy.

Blog Posts

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