Welcome to CSLR
Founded in 1982, CSLR at Emory University is the premier center for the study of law and religion. We have published more than 350 books, convened scores of interdisciplinary conferences, and support Emory Law School’s offering of a JD concentration in law and religion and joint degree programs with Candler School of Theology and Laney Graduate School.
The mission of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion is to produce and promote path-breaking scholarship, teaching, and public programs on the interaction of law and religion around the world.
Johan van der Vyver Professorship in Law and Religion Announced
McDonald Agape Foundation Awards $2 Million to CSLR
CSLR Study on Law and Ministry
Law impacts the activities of religious believers, clergy, communities, and organizations in numerous seen and unseen ways. The attention of the American public is focused on the church—and its relationship to the state—now more than ever. In the past several years, many instances of clergy sexual abuse, financial crimes and tax fraud, employment disputes, organizational misgovernance, and property disputes have made national news headlines. This multi-year study of Law and Ministry in the United States (“Study”), begun in Spring 2020, was generously funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc. and prepared by the Center for the Study of Law and Religion (“CSLR”) at Emory University.
CSLR Welcomes Dr. Thomas Jared Farmer
CSLR is pleased to welcome Dr. Thomas Jared Farmer as McDonald Scholar in Residence. Jared will work closely with John Witte and Amy Wheeler on the planning and administration of the new McDonald Distinguished Senior Fellows program. He will also provide research support to John Witte and advance his own research agenda in the philosophy of religion.
We sat down with Jared to learn more about his path (back) to Emory and plans for the future.
The Battle for Sabarimala: Religion, Law, and Gender in Contemporary India
Journal of Law and Religion Celebrates 40th Anniversary
On April 28th, the Center for the Study of Law and Religion hosted a special webinar to celebrate “4o Years of the Journal of Law and Religion.” Silas Allard, Managing Editor of the Journal of Law and Religion and Harold J. Berman Fellow in Law and Religion at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University, welcomed supporters and friends to engage with several presentations on JLR’s long history. The journal has succeeded in offering the latest research in the field of law and religion for the past four decades.
Human Rights Legend Johan van der Vyver (1934-2023)
On May 22, 2023, Johan D. van der Vyver, I.T. Cohen Professor of International Law and Human Rights and affiliated faculty with the Center for the Study of Law and Religion, passed away at 89. Johan was a great friend, colleague, mentor, and teacher to many within the CSLR community and well beyond. Johan leaves a remarkable 65-year record of scholarship, advocacy, teaching, public lecturing, project leadership, and humane living in pursuit of justice and human rights for all.
CSLR Video Archive
CSLR has convened scores of interdisciplinary conferences, both physical and virtual. Our YouTube channel includes hundreds of lectures, presentations, and interviews from eminent scholars like Robert Bellah, Jimmy Carter, Jonathan Walton, Mona Siddiqui, Mary Ann Glendon, and more. These conversations cover a wide range of pressing issues including Vlada Knowlton on transgender rights, Rohit Chopra on the Bhagavad Gita, and a virtual conference on the first six-months of the COVID-19 pandemic.