On July 31st, 2026, an excellent review was published by Church Times regarding the book, The Many Faces of Christianism: The ‘Russian World’ in Europe. This exceptional and most timely book was edited by Marietta van der Tol, Sophia R.C. Johnson, Petr KratochvÃl, and Zoran Grozdanov, and published by Brill. The reviewer, Rev. Alexander Faludy, was especially gracious regarding my chapter, which along with Veronica Cibotaru’s chapter, he called the “book’s conceptual heart.” Read the full review below and buy yourself a copy!
While at the 16th Annual Sakharov conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, I had the fortunate opportunity to do a couple interviews for Lithuanian news outlets, wherein we talked about Putin’s war on Ukraine, populism in the U.S. and Europe, as well as my book, The Dark Charisma of Donald Trump: Political Psychology and the MAGA Movement. These two interviews turned into numerous news articles. The links to the articles are below (All in Lithuanian).
From April 27th to May 10th, I led a group of students and friends on a journey to Italy to study Medieval and Renaissance Christianity. We began our trip in Venice, where we studied Venetian mercantilism, the history of the Doges, as well as the history of this unique water-bound city. After visiting the Doge’s Palace, we traveled up the bell tower in St. Mark’s Square to see the city from its highest point. We took a day trip to Padua to visit the Scrovegni Chapel as well as the Basilica of San Anthony, the both of which are amazing examples of medieval religiosity. From Venice, we traveled to Florence, where we studied Dante Alighieri, Niccolò Machiavelli, Savonarola, and the Medicis. We visited the Santa Maria del Fiori, the Franciscan church of Santa Croce, the Uffizi Galleries, as well as the Galleria dell ’Accademia. By chance, while standing in line to visit the Museo di San Marco, I ran into the American travel guru, Rick Steves, with whom I had a wonderful conversation about traveling and the state of the world. He was there to update his Florence guidebook; I was there to see the martyr Savonarola, on whom I will eventually write a book. We had a wonderful concert that night of Pachelbel, Bach, Mozart, and Vivaldi. Leaving Tuscany, we traveled to Assisi to study the life of St. Francis and St. Clare. This year has been declared the year of St. Francis by Pope Leo XIV, since it was 800 years ago that St. Francis died. I also met the author and longtime resident of Assisi, Mrs. Pricilla Calderini, and purchased a copy of her book, Mount Subasio: A Legend of Assisi. She is an amazing Brit-turned-Italian lady, who grew up near Oxford, but has lived in Assisi for over 60 years. Leaving Umbria, we traveled to Rome, the eternal city. While the students were all exhausted, we continued our studies, visiting the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine, the Roman Forum, the Capitoline Museum, The Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica. We also spent some time at the catacombs of San Callixtus. In Rome, we saw our second concert, a mix of opera arias at an Episcopal Church: St. Paul’s Within the Walls. We had wonderful guides, wonderful dinners, and wonderful conversations. Overall, we had an amazing trip, which I hope the students learned a lot from. As always, thank you Witte Travel and Tours and Kristina Choura for constructing this most amazing travel class. I look forward to teaching on the road again!
On April 18, 2026, I had the wonderful opportunity to join the PAGMANGNO series of seminars held by the Philosophy Circle of the Philippines – Legazpi Chapter. In its 20th iteration, PAGMANGNO XX adopted the theme, “Philosophy in the Time of Authoritarian Regimes,” highlighting the importance of philosophy in times where actions and thoughts are being suppressed. I would like to thank my dear brother Hadje Cresencio Sadje who initiated the invitation, as well as the amazing students who had excellent questions.
On April 8th, 2026, I gave a presentation on the centrality of music within the African American struggle within the United States. Tracing the “tenacious recalcitrance” of African Americans back to the spirit of West Africa, I argued that such recalcitrance animated the music of enslaved African Americans in the antebellum South to the Jim Crow period, through the Civil Rights struggle unto the Black Power movement, a spirit which was once again reborn in the music of the 1990s. I pressed the students once again to rediscover that “tenacious recalcitrance” in the music they listen to and that they perform, and to allow such meaningful music to be the soundtrack of their lifeworld – pushing them to achieve greater things in this life beyond the trappings of comfort and conspicuous consumption. The invitation to speak came from the men of Alpha XI Omega “Elite,” an amazing fraternity on campus, advised by Prof. Laura Barlond-Maas. I was joined on stage by UO President Steven Corey, Dr. Linda Logan, and the men of Elite, who discussed numerous Black musicians who contributed to the struggle for equality, dignity, and freedom. The pictures below were taken by the student Sydney Lynch (Sigma Beta) and Dr. Linda Logan.
On March 7th, I spent an hour talking with my Doktorvater, Rudolf J. Siebert, about the origin and struggle between the authoritarian and democratic personalities, and how such personalities have shaped the past and are shaping the present. You can find the video on the Rudolf J. Siebert Audio-Visual Archive on YouTube. Our discourse was sponsored by Ekpyrosis Press and the Institute for Critical Social Theory.
On Wednesday, January 21st, I had the distinct pleasure to be a speaker at the 2nd annual Symposium of the Hiram Archer Student Success Academy (HASSA) at The University of Olivet. I spoke on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s conception of Justice, and why it is needed in the world today, as we, like Dr. King, live in a time of despair, a time of troubles, and a time wherein faith in our ability to govern ourselves with justice for all is disintegrating. I joined President Dr. Steven Corey, Author and Speaker DeAndre Carter, Oakland University’s Dr. Tonya Bailey and her amazing husband Lee Bailey, as well as the unconquerable recording artist, LaQuisha Burries-Finn. We also had the pleasure of listening to the UO Gospel Choir and the violinist, Rodney Page. This was a tremendous event, one wherein the spirit of Dr. King emanated through all the speakers and performers.
In late November 2025, Routledge just released the edited volume, On Christian Nationalism: Critical and Theological Perspectives, edited by David M. Gides and Joan Braune. In it, I have a chapter entitled, “Messianic Ruscism: Christian Nationalism and the Lure of Putin’s Russkii Mir,” which discusses why certain American Christian Nationalists look to palingenetic Russia, with its reversal of Soviet theomachism for the resurgence of Orthodoxy and autocracy, as a model of what they’d like to do in America. The “symphonia” of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Putinist state is a template for a renewal of “Christian America” for many self-avowed Christian Nationalists, who see “shared values” in the conservative values of the anti-West politics of Putin (and Alexander Dugin). Obviously, I’m deeply critical of this vision for America as well as for Russia. Get yourself a copy of this book. Joan and David did an excellent job!
On September 3rd, 2025, I had the opportunity to present my work on the ethical problems of AI in warfare at the “Catholic Social Teachings and AI” conference at St. Mary’s University-Twickenham-London, Edinburgh campus. Stephen Dolan was the genius who organized the conference and I’m especially grateful that he invited me to address the attendees. My presentation discussed the ethical issues regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence in warfare, with Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza as a particular egregious case. While I’m no expert on the technical side of AI, the ethics of its use for military means seems deeply problematic, especially as it relates to the 7-point Just War Theory.
dustinjbyrd
Dustin J. Byrd, Ph.D. 