Cultural Witness and Public Theology in Dialogue

We live in a time when there is little common vision for the future of Western societies, while continuous crises – COVID-19, Ukraine war, climate change to name but a few – further threaten social cohesion. How then can we regain trust? How can social relationships and social cohesion be built again? How do we strengthen our understanding of our common humanity and dignity within our respective cultures and across them? This expert consultation aims to contribute to both critical reflection on and contribution to social coherence and the common good by connecting two major discourses in academic theology, namely "Cultural Witness" and "Public Theology". About 20 academics from different Swiss (Fribourg, Bern and Zurich) and German (Berlin, Heidelberg and Jena) universities with UK and US universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, Yale and Duke, will engage in the discussion.