Christianity, Politics, and Power: What must we do?

Beverly Wildung Harrison, the first woman president of the Society of Christian Ethics, taught that the art of Christian social ethics lay in asking critical moral questions that were answered by something we must do. Womanist social ethicist, Katie Geneva Cannon pushed this idea even further by teaching us that authentic Christian ethics results in “doing the work our souls must have.” This lesson has been dear to many who followed in her wake with the knowledge that neither the church nor the academy quite knew what to do with our bodies, our knowledge, our lives, or our hearts.  

As we prepare to gather in our nation’s capital in the midst of a rising white Christian nationalism in the US and a populist turn across the globe; as we wrestle with the implications of AI for human intelligence and well-being; and cry out for justice in the midst of protracted armed violence in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and Yemen and beyond; as we watch capitalism succeed in creating vast amounts of wealth for the few and climate change for the many – I invite you to join me in asking critical moral questions about what we must do as Christian ethicists in the world today. 

Whether your questions are historical, philosophical, epistemological, methodological, pedagogical, applied, theoretical, or otherwise oriented – I invite you to think with Cannon and Harrison as you bring the critical questions that drive your ethical inquiry to our 2026 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Beyond your own scholarly questions, I also invite us to think together about what we are called to do as a guild in a world where Christianity is and has been deployed to wield power, allocate resources, and control the bodies and lives of others; where the practice of religion is increasingly marginalized in the academy and in society; where academic jobs are correspondingly fewer and farther between. 

Does the world still need Christian ethics? Do we? I think so. I hope you do too. See you in DC.

Plenary Speaker: Sarojini Nadar

Dr. Sarojini Nadar holds the Desmond Tutu Research Chair in Religion and Social Justice at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. She received her Ph.D. in biblical hermeneutics and gender from the University of Natal and identifies as a transdisciplinary scholar within the fields of gender and religion with a focus on religion and social justice, spanning issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality.

Respondent: Traci West

Dr. Traci West is Professor of Christian Ethics and African American Studies at Drew University Theological School. She received her MDiv. from Pacific School of Religion, her PhD from Union Theological Seminary in NY in Christian ethics. Her work is focused on sexual, gender, and racial justice, gender-based intimate violence, and clergy ethics.

Moderator: Rebecca Todd Peters

 
Nominations for International and Global Scholars 
The International Scholarly Relations Committee (ISRC) seeks to strengthen ties between the SCE and scholars and their institutions from around the world.   

• Two subsidy scholarships are available for international scholars to attend the 2026 annual meeting that include a waiver of the registration fee as well as a $500 stipend to offset the cost of attending the annual meeting.   Applications are due Friday, August 1, 2025.
• Bring a Global Scholar to the SCE Annual Meeting. The Global Scholar receives a waiver of the registration fee, expenses up to $4000, and a guaranteed concurrent session slot. SCE members are invited to nominate scholars from around the world, notably the Global South, to be SCE Global Scholars. . Click here for additional information.

 
Meeting Location:

The 2026 annual meeting of the Society of Christian Ethics will be held January 8-11, 2026 at the Capital Hilton, 1001 16th St. NW, Washington, DC. Phone number: 202-393-1000. Make a room reservation here.