Category: Political Religion

“Critical Theory in an Age of Social Disintegration” – ICST Conference in Bristol, UK

On July 17-19, the Institute for Critical Social Theory hosted their inaugural conference at the University of Bristol, UK. I was a great honor to welcome so many scholars to the ICST event. We had thirteen presentations, two plenary addresses, and a round table discussion about critical theory during times of war (See the schedule below). We are looking forward to our next conference in 2026, with Istanbul being the agreed upon destination. Keep an eye out for that Call for Papers.

ICST 2025 Conference ScheduleDownload

If you’d like to listen to my plenary address, wherein I discuss what it means to be critical in an age of social disintegration, you can find it on YouTube:

For more information on the Institute for Critical Social Theory, please visit our website: ICST

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Discussing the life and legacy of Pope Francis with Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert

On May 31st, 2025, I sat down with the critical theorist and Catholic theologian, Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert, to discuss the life, work, and legacy of Pope Francis. We discussed the Pope’s life before the papacy, the twelve years of his papacy, and the numerous ways in which he “changed the tone” of the Catholic Church, making it more inclusive and open to the world. Elected in 2013, Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, 2025. To the end, he maintained his positions against Russia’s war on Ukraine, Israel’s genocide of Palestinians, and the need to address Global Climate Change before it is too late. In many ways, Pope Francis was a force unto himself, as he, as Dr. Siebert says, put the poor at the forefront of faith, as the church should be a “field hospital” as opposed to a bunker. Our discourse was sponsored by Ekpyrosis Press and the Institute for Critical Social Theory.

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Islamophobia in Granada, Spain

On May 22, 2025, I had the awesome opportunity to present my work on the metaphysics of Islamophobia at the Fourth Annual International Islamophobia Studies Research Association (IISRA) Conference, which took place in the shadow of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. The conference was sponsored by the Instituto de la Paz y los Conflictos (Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies) and Departments Studios Semiticos (Department of Semitic Studies), at the University of Granada. My presentation was based on my chapter in the new book, Secularism, Race, and the Politics of Islamophobia (University of Alberta Press), edited by Dr. Sharmin Sadequee. The chapter is entitled, “The Limits of the Translation Proviso: The Inherent Alien in the Willed-Community,” wherein I discussed Habermas’ “translation proviso” for Muslims in the West, its problems, and the rightwing retreat into metaphysical Islamophobia, especially in the concept of the “Volksgemeinschaft” (ethnic community), as a means of marginalizing Muslims in post-secular societies. No trip to Granada is complete without a tour of the Alhambra and the Albaicín part of the city, which is a historically Muslim part of the city. I also toured the Monastery of St. Jerome, Cartuja de Granada (Carthusian Monastery), and the Basílica Catedral Metropolitana de la Encarnación (Granada Cathedral), which sits on the remains of the central mosque of Granada. I also visited the Islamic madrasa (which is not a madrasa anymore) and the square in which Catholic Spaniards burned the Islamic books from the madrasa. This was an amazing conference and visit to Andalusia. I look forward to returning to visit Seville and Cordoba.

Fourth Annual International Islamophobia Studies Research Association (IISRA) ConferenceDownload

Buy the book here: Secularism, Race, and the Politics of Islamophobia.

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Resisting Fascism: Father Alfred Delp

On May 3rd, 2025, I had the opportunity to discuss with the critical theorist and theologian, Dr. Rudolf Siebert, the life, times, and martyrdom of the Jesuit priest, Father Alfred Delp. Born of his Catholic faith, Delp was a staunch anti-Nazi, and was part of the Kreisau Circle that envisioned a new and radically different society that would come after the fall of the Nazis. Because of this, and because of his tangential connection to Claus von Stauffenberg’s failed assassination plot against Hitler, Delp was arrested, imprisoned, interrogated, beaten, and eventually stood trial in front of the communist-turned-fascist judge, Roland Freisler. Found guilty, Delp was executed on February 2, 1945. This discourse was sponsored by Ekpyrosis Press and the Institute for Critical Social Theory.

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Talking Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Fascism with Rudolf J. Siebert

On March 15th, 2025, I had the pleasure of discussing the life and work of the German Lutheran Pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, with the critical theorist and theologian, Rudolf J. Siebert. We discussed the historicity of the 2024 movie, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Assassin, and why it is important to remember individuals like Bonhoeffer who resisted fascism, especially in light of the latest rise of authoritarian populism in the West. We also discussed Bonhoeffer’s concept of “stupidity” and “cheap grace” among others. The discourse was sponsored by Ekpyrosis Press and the Institute for Critical Social Theory.

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Remembering Malcolm X in an Age of Crisis

On February 21st, 2025, we remembered the anniversary of Malcolm X’s 1965 assassination at The University of Olivet, at my annual Malcolm X Lecture Series. For an audience of students, faculty, and administrators, I gave a presentation entitled, “Remembering Malcolm X in an Age of Crisis: 5 Lessons from a Revolutionary Life.” In this presentation, I focused on what we can learn from Malcolm X’s own life in a time of social disintegration, racial and religious antagonisms, and political-economic strife, and how we can apply those lessons to our own time, as we experience the rise of populist parties and figures, attempting to negate the progress that has been made in Western society. This event was sponsored by the Department of Arts and Humanities at UO.

Some years ago, Seyed Javad Miri and I edited a volume of essays on Malcolm X, which is available through Haymarket Books: Malcolm X: From Political Eschatology to Religious Revolutionary. Get your copy now!

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Institute for Critical Social Theory – Inaugural Conference, 2025

Come join the Institute for Critical Social Theory at our inaugural conference, July 17-19, 2025, at Bristol University (UK). Seyed Javad Miri and I are the plenary speakers in this three day conference. Our conference theme is “Critical Theory in an Age of Social Disintegration.” The Call for Papers is below, or visit us at the ICST website: Institute for Critical Social Theory.

ICST – Call for Papers – Bristol Conference 2025 2.0Download
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Talking Christian Nationalism in Scotland

On January 9th and 10th, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the “Whose Christianity Anyway: Theological Contestations in the Public and Political” conference at New College, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh in Scotland. My presentation was entitled, “From the Cold War to the Warm Embrace: Russian Church-State Symphonia as a Template for the Re-Christianization of the United States.” The presentation sparked an excellent conversation about the nature of Christian Nationalism, why in particular the Russian model of “Symphonia” appeals to American Christian Nationalists, and the important differences between American Christian Nationalists and the Russian Orthodox Church. Our two keynote speakers, Jan-Werner Müller (Princeton) and Mariëtta van der Tol (Cambridge), gave very insightful presentations. A big thank you goes out to Thiu Elias and Stephen Dolan for all their hard work organizing the conference, and The University of Olivet for their financial support.

Whose Christianity Schedule and SessionsDownload

On the 11th of January, I was able to spend some time in Edinburgh as a simple American tourist, seeing numerous important landmarks, such as the Edinburgh castle, Victoria Street, Greyfriars Church and Kirkyard, and St. Giles Cathedral (where old fuss-and-feathers John Knox preached). Below are some pictures from the journey.

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The Fromm Connection: A Discourse

On December 7th, 2024, I had the wonderful opportunity to join Rudy Leal McCormack and Maior Levitin on “The Fromm Connection,” wherein we discussed a variety of topics as they related to my recent publication, “Can Religion be Rescued in the 21st Century: On Erich Fromm’s Religious Humanism in an Age of Authoritarian Populism” (Journal of Psychosocial Studies). I deeply appreciate their invitation to discuss Erich Fromm and his continual relevance to today’s society.

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