Duke Divinity School

Duke Divinity School faculty member Patrick Smith has received a Duke Intellectual Community Planning Grant for a new interdisciplinary project, "Developing a Jazz-Shaped Pedagogy for Professional Education and Formation."

Bringing together colleagues from divinity, nursing, and law, the initiative will explore how jazz, as a living framework for creativity and improvisation, can help reimagine professional education across disciplines.

The project is one of 10 faculty collaborations selected for Duke's 2026–27 Intellectual Community Planning Grants, which support innovative interdisciplinary research and teaching initiatives across the university.

https://interdisciplinary.duke.edu/news/ten-new-faculty-collaborations-receive-intellectual-community-planning-grants/

Visiting Professor of Catholic Theology Reinhard Huetter and a few of his fellow theologians have authored a major Vatican document, Quo vadis, humanitas? ("Where Are You Going, Humanity?"), which explores what it means to be human in an age shaped by artificial intelligence, technology, posthumanism, and rapid social change.

Huetter is one of 28 theologians on the Vatican's International Theological Commission, appointed by the pope to advise the Church on important doctrinal and moral questions.

His contributions to the document focused especially on artificial intelligence and the idea that true human flourishing comes through becoming more like God.

Read about the project in NC Catholics Magazine:
https://catholicmagazines.org/magazine-archive/nc-catholics/nc-02-summer-2026

This summer, Duke Divinity School is gathering with UMC alumni and friends at annual conferences across the country — including Florida, Virginia, South Carolina, and more.

Join us for lunch, fellowship, updates from the school, and a chance to reconnect with old friends and stay engaged with the Duke Divinity community.

Missed the registration deadline? Reach out to Minoka Yonts at [email protected]

Summer Gatherings for UMC Alumni | Duke Divinity School Duke Divinity School is hosting a series of gatherings for UMC alumni and friends of the school. Join the events to fellowship and to hear updates about what is happening at the school and learn about ways to stay involved!

Duke Divinity brought Closing Convocation to the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in a service honoring five women who earned the Certificate of Achievement in Theological Education, studying theology, religion, and ethics alongside residential Duke Divinity students.

Two of the students accepted their certificates at the school's Closing Convocation in April. The certificate represents two and a half years of study in Project TURN, Duke's in-prison education program. Project TURN—“Transform, Unlock, Renew”—is a Duke Divinity initiative originally co-founded by the NC Department of Adult Correction Chaplaincy Services Director Rev. Dr. Sarah Jobe in 2009.

Learn more: https://divinity.duke.edu/news/duke-divinity-brings-closing

Earlier this month, the Center for Reconciliation honored 34 participants who completed Conflict Transformation and Reconciliation Program (CTRP) certificates, designed to equip Christian leaders with theological foundations and practical tools for navigating conflict in churches, organizations, and communities.

"There has never been a time that we needed this more," said participant Rev. Kennette Thomas who also completed both certificates and is an ordained deacon and teacher at Surry Community College. "We need this in the workplace, our family, our congregations, and our country. We are beyond an inflection point."

Learn more about the program and participants: https://divinity.duke.edu/news/center-reconciliation-celebrates

Professor Norman Wirzba ‪shares why hope, compassion and community are essential to building a more sustainable future. Drawing inspiration from family, faith and the next generation, he reflects on how personal love can shape global responsibility, especially in the face of climate change.

Forever Duke Our Future Depends on Compassion

The "And Also With You" podcast is diving deep into the question "Who is Saint Julian of Norwich?" with Duke Divinity professor Amy Laura Hall.

They dive into the revelatory witness of radical love, the wounds of Christ, Rage Against the Machine, and motherly images of God in this two part episode. Check it out ⬇️

https://divinity.duke.edu/media/amy-laura-hall-st-julian-norwich

What Changed After the Cover Story That Never Ran | Duke Today What Changed After the Cover Story That Never Ran In Working@Duke’s 20th anniversary year, Rachel Meyer Gallagher revisits anxiety, growth and the seasons that followed ‘the issue that never printed’ due to the pandemic Image Since Rachel Meyer Gallagher, center, appeared on the cover of the W...