Pacific Coast Theological Society – Retrospective and Relevance of Robert Bellah in Today’s World

November 8, 2024

The gathering in the fall of 2024 at the Graduate Theological Union  (GTU) was a crucial event in the Bellah Legacy Group’s deliberations with the Graduate Theological Union to co-host the Robert Bellah Lectureship in “Religion and Public Life.” It demonstrated the long history of Bellah with the GTU and the significant interest in Bellah’s work today in the Bay Area and Beyond, especially with younger scholars.  Numerous members of the Bellah Legacy Group participated in the event.  Facilitated by Harlan Stelmach, one of Bellah’s students at the GTU.  Galen Watts, a presenter and member of the Bellah Legacy Group, is a Bellah scholar with a close history with some of Bellah’s co-authors of Habits of the Heart.  Ann Swidler, a co-author of Habits of the Heart with Bellah, was present to receive the Pacific Coast Theological Society’s annual book award for Challenging Modernity.  Mark Juegensmeyer, a former colleague of Bellah’s at the University of California participated in the discussion.  On camera, on Zoom, Richard Madsen and William Sullivan  with Ann Swidler provided capstone comments at the end of the event.  Sam Porter, the long-time organizer of the Bellah website attended via zoom from Oregon. Bellah’s daughters, Hally Bellah Gunther and Jennifer Bellah McGuire joined the event and the banquet following the presentations to sign copies of Challenging Modernity.  Special thanks to the Board of the Pacific Coast Theological Society, long affiliated with the GTU, for sponsoring the event. 

More info: https://www.pcts.org/meetings/2024/Fall.html