Public Lecture by Hannah M. Strømmen and
Panel-Discussion with Hannah M. Strømmen, Francis Cheneval (Political Philosophy), and Rafael Walthert (Theory of Religion). Moderator: Michael Coors (Dean TRF)
Interested parties are cordially invited to attend the lecture. “Apéro riche” afterwards.
From Vladimir Putin quoting the Gospel of John through Jair Bolsonaro citing Isaiah to Donald Trump selling his own “Trump Bible”, there are plenty of provocative and potent ways in which scripture is mobilized politically. This talk focuses on a shift in how figures from the Bible are used politically – namely from supporting secular to supporting anti-secular agendas on the rise today. I suggest that this anti-secular use of the Bible is becoming more prevalent in the public sphere as notions of secularism come under strain. Yet whether it is seen as secular or anti-secular, the Bible has long functioned politically to define the Western world and its “others”. It is crucial to pay attention to the way parts of the Bible are remembered and reinforced and the effects of such Bible-use today.