Atla Annual 2025

In this session, the Atla Committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will guide conversation between Atla members and Jeannine Hill Fletcher’s essay, “The Promising Practice of Antiracist Approaches to Interfaith Studies.” We will examine Atla’s history of diversity efforts and initiatives and look forward to potential futures.

Professor Hill Fletcher teaches at the intersection of Systematic Theology and issues of
diversity (religious diversity, Christian cultural diversity, race, and gender). In her essay, “The Promising Practice of Antiracist Approaches to Interfaith Studies,” Hill Fletcher outlines the ways that racial and religious identities have been used to structure relationships between those with power and those without power. By examining the history of White Christian identity within a US context, Hill Fletcher argues that interreligious and interfaith studies in particular, and theological education more generally, must grapple with the histories of White Christian privileges in order to reimagine the impact of religion and education in the US.

The purpose of this session is to better understand the history of Atla within the religious and racial history of the US, reflect on the institutions that make up religious studies and theological education, and identify ways to advance Atla’s affirmation of the intrinsic value of all members.

To fully engage in conversation, participants are encouraged to read Jeannine Hill Fletcher’s essay “The Promising Practice of Antiracist Approaches to Interfaith Studies,” in Interreligious/Interfaith Studies: Defining a New Field, ed. By Eboo Patel, Jennifer Howe Peace, and Noah J. Silverman (Beacon Press, 2018): 137-146.

Learning Outcome

Attendees will leave this conversation session with further knowledge regarding Atla and diversity efforts, especially with regard to interfaith and interreligious initiatives. They will contribute to an ongoing dialogue on the future of diversity in Atla and in their own institutions. Participants will share with each other their laments for their current situations and their hopes and intents for moving forward.

Audience Engagement

After a brief presentation based on the Hill Fletcher article, we will break into small groups for guided conversation and then the groups will report back to the whole.