One Nation Under God? Heschel, Niebuhr, King, and the Intersection of Religion and Politics in America
Date: Jun 22, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Location: Online
Category: America at 250: Jewish Ideas and the American Experiment Online Learning
One Nation Under God? Heschel, Niebuhr, and King and the Intersection of Religion and Politics in America
Part of Our Summer 2026 Learning Series, America at 250: Jewish Ideas and the American Experiment
Monday, June 22, 2026
Online
1:00–2:15 p.m. ET
With Dr. Arnold Eisen, Chancellor Emeritus; Professor of Jewish Thought, JTS, and E.J. Dionne, Journalist, Harriman Chair in American Governance, Brookings Institute
A frank and wide-ranging conversation between two admirers of these great religious leaders about the fateful linkage of politics to prophecy in America from the “greatest generation” until our own day. Focusing on the intertwined legacies of Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Joshua Heschel, and Reinhold Niebuhr, the discussion will explore how their distinct approaches to prophecy, justice, and political responsibility continue to shape American public life.
If you have previously registered for another session in this series, your registration admits you to all sessions in the series, and you may attend as many as you’d like.
About the Speakers
Arnold Eisen is chancellor emeritus of the Jewish Theological Seminary and professor of Jewish Thought. One of the world’s foremost authorities on American Judaism, Professor Eisen is the author, among other works, of Galut: Modern Jewish Reflection on Homelessness and Homecoming. He has written, spoken, and taught extensively about Abraham Joshua Heschel. Before coming to JTS, Professor Eisen served on the faculties of Stanford, Tel Aviv, and Columbia universities. He is a lifelong and devoted Conservative Jew.
E.J. Dionne, Jr. is a distinguished university professor in the Foundations of Democracy and Culture at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, and a senior fellow and W. Averell Harriman Chair in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. He is also a contributing writer for the New York Times. He is the author or co-author of nine books including, most recently, 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting, coauthored with Miles Rapoport. Others include New York Times Bestseller Why the Right Went Wrong, Our Divided Political Heart, and Why Americans Hate Politics. He has been a commentator on NPR and MSNBC and was a columnist for 32 years at the Washington Post.
About the Series
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the JTS Summer 2026 Learning Series will explore the rich and surprising intersections between Jewish thought and American life. From baseball and youth culture to constitutional law, storytelling, and democratic theory, leading scholars reveal how Jewish ideas, texts, and experiences have shaped—and been shaped by—the American experiment.
