Political Theology

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

Shaun Casey

Director
Walsh School of Foreign Service

David Hollenbach

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

Michael Kessler

Managing Director
Department of Government and Law Center

Political Theology A-Z Subtopics

Narrow your search for Religion and Development content by selecting from this list of subtopics

B

Blasphemy Subtopic

C

Caliphate Subtopic

H

J

L

Law Subtopic

N

New Testament Subtopic

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Publications

Policy Brief September 18, 2020

Iran's Shia Diplomacy: Religious Identity and Foreign Policy in the Islamic Republic

In this policy brief, Edward Wastnidge argues that parastatal organizations play an important role in helping cement transnational religious links between Iran and the wider Muslim world and highlight Iran’s combined spiritual and political mission in global politics.

Other Publications

Article June 15, 2020

Waiting for Armageddon: Theological and Ethical Aspects of Nuclear Deterrence

Book May 14, 2020

Islam and Politics

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Events

Nov
23

2020

Values as a Key Component of Good Governance: The Islamic Case

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. EST Online

Nov
5

2020

Indian and Western Varieties of Secularism

Oct
14

2020

Iran's Shia Diplomacy

Sep
29

2020

Erdogan and the Ambivalent Nature of Turkey’s Religious Soft Power

Jul
29

2020

India’s Challenges in Wielding Religious Soft Power

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Blog Posts

August 28, 2020

Orthodoxy in the Belarus Protests

What are the challenges and possibilities of faith engagement in the Belarus protests? How might Orthodox ethics contribute to the current conflict? Are other examples of religious activism in protest movements from the post-Soviet world instructive for Belarus? If so, how?

January 27, 2020

National Populism and Christian Symbolism: A Conversation with Tobias Cremer

The Berkley Forum sat down with Visiting Researcher Tobias Cremer to discuss the ambiguous relationship between Christianity and national populist movements in the United States and Western Europe.

January 13, 2020

Islamic Soft Power in the U.S.-Iran Crisis: A Conversation with Peter Mandaville

The Berkley Forum sat down with Senior Research Fellow Peter Mandaville, director of the Berkley Center’s Geopolitics of Religious Soft Power Project, to discuss tensions between Iran and the United States in the broader context of religion and politics in the Middle East.

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Videos

November 23, 2020

Values as a Key Component of Good Governance: The Islamic Case (Video)

Duration: 1 hours 0 minutes

November 5, 2020

Indian and Western Varieties of Secularism (Video)

Duration: 1 hours 19 minutes

October 14, 2020

Iran's Shia Diplomacy (Video)

Duration: 1 hours 4 minutes

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