James Hudnut-Beumler

Religious liberty is one of the earliest civic values associated with the United States, yet defining and defending it has proved a centurieslong process. When divided opinions by the court claim to be speaking for religious liberty, it's because religious liberty under the Constitution contains both a right to freely exercise religion and a right not to be coerced via the state into accepting someone else’s religious practices. Read More

Vanderbilt University has received a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help Vanderbilt Divinity School establish a project focused on educating pastoral leaders who are exploring alternative pathways in ministry, today and the future. Read More

Pirates in the Atlantic world, religion in prison, and a workshop on jazz great Cole Porter are among the classes offered this spring by the Vanderbilt Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Read More

Vanderbilt faculty and alumni are featured at the free Southern Festival of Books, happening this weekend at War Memorial Plaza and the downtown Nashville Public Library. Read More

Extending "Southern hospitality" to everyone—including strangers—is a priority shared by most Christian congregations in the South, according American religious historian James Hudnut-Beumler. Read More

The opportunity to learn from Latino/a role models in the academy is among the benefits of being a Hispanic Theological Initiative fellow, according to two Vanderbilt Graduate Department of Religion students. Read More

The Rev. Dr. Emilie M. Townes will be installed as the 16th dean of Vanderbilt University Divinity School Aug. 23 at Benton Chapel. Read More

James Hudnut-Beumler, who is stepping down as dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School after 13 years, presented to his successor two gifts during an emotional celebration service. Read More

James Hudnut-Beumler sees a significantly larger, more diverse student population with much improved financial support at today's Vanderbilt Divinity School than he did when he arrived on campus 13 years ago. Read More

Watch James Hudnut-Beumler, who will step down this summer as dean of the Vanderbilt Divinity School, give a talk on the evolution of American religious trends during his school leadership. Read More

James Hudnut-Beumler, who will step down this summer as dean of the Vanderbilt Divinity School, will reflect on American religious trends during his school leadership at an April 9 community breakfast. Read More

The Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., who has played key roles in the Civil Rights Movement and Vanderbilt University’s history, has donated a significant portion of his papers to Vanderbilt Libraries’ Special Collections. Read More

Increased funding from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation to Vanderbilt University Divinity School will expand religious training on issues concerning gender and sexuality. Read More

Emilie M. Townes, a distinguished Yale University scholar and administrator whose areas of expertise include Christian ethics and womanist theology, has been named dean of Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Read More

Distinguished New Testament scholar and former Vanderbilt Divinity School dean has died. Read More

Jack Forstman, who built significant community and national support for the Vanderbilt Divinity School while serving as a beloved mentor and leader to many generations of students and faculty, passed away June 17. Read More

Key issues at the intersection of religion and American society – including health care, taxation and immigration – will be explored March 29 during “Religion and Politics 2012,” a symposium sponsored by the Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership. Read More

A highly charged atmosphere gradually evolved into a thoughtful and heartfelt discussion of the issues Jan. 31 in Furman Hall during a town hall meeting about Vanderbilt's nondiscrimination policy. Read More

Update: In anticipation of there being greater interest than the available venue will accommodate for this evening’s town hall meeting on the university’s nondiscrimination policy, the university has scheduled a live webstream of the event. It should be accessible at 6:15 p.m. to anyone on the Vanderbilt network. Read More

A unique program created by Vanderbilt University Divinity School to reshape the training for professors who prepare future ministers will expand under a $5 million grant awarded by Lilly Endowment Inc. Read More