Center for the Study of Law and Religion |

On the last day of January, the Center for the Study of Law and Religion welcomed our newest colleague, Terri Montague, to Emory’s campus. An alumna of Emory Law School and Candler School of Theology, Montague is embarking on a three-year fellowship in residence at CSLR. During that time, she will conduct research, teach courses at the law school, and lead collaborative efforts to develop “large, bold, rational solutions” to some of the biggest challenges facing communities today.

We sat down with Professor Montague to learn about her path to Emory and her plans for the future. It was a fascinating conversation that ranged from her early role in developing the Atlanta BeltLine to her recent work at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and how religious faith has informed her life and career. We are delighted to share some of the highlights of that conversation below.

The Center for the Study of Law and Religion (CSLR) is pleased to announce the appointment of Terri Montague as McDonald Distinguished Senior Fellow at CSLR, and Senior Lecturer at Emory Law School.

Terri Montague is a multi-disciplinary scholar, attorney, and leader who joins Emory following a seven-year tenure in the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), where she served as program counsel for federal housing and community development grant programs and closed on $1.14 billion in federally-assisted and FHA-insured residential, mixed-use, and healthcare transactions. Most recently, Montague helped HUD develop guidance and tools to systematically embed an equity framework and redress inequities in HUD policies and programs, pursuant to the President’s Executive Order 13985, “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.”

Online course dates:  January 18 — February 22, 2022.

Description: Loyalty is at the center of human life – and often death. It defines families and friendships, philosophies and faiths. It also creates enemies, divides nations, and inspires people to kill and die for their country or creed. The nature and force of our loyalties to different people, ideas, and things shapes virtually every aspect of our lives. In this course, Professor Mona Siddiqui explores the polyvalent meanings of ‘loyalty’ in Christian and Islamic thought. You will learn about: religious believers who resisted repressive governmental authorities and paid with their lives; the challenges facing countries where new forms of diversity conflict with dominant cultures; pursuing the ideals of beauty, joy, and truth in unjust societies; living out ancient religious traditions in modern situations; and more!

FOUR-YEAR PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON VALUES-DRIVEN IMPACT IN LAW, RELIGION, HEALTH, AND SECURITY, INCORPORATING ISRAELI AND INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS

The Center for the Study of Law and Religion (CSLR) has received a seven-figure gift from The MirYam Institute to fund a new program called The MirYam Project in International Ethics & Leadership: Law, Religion, Health & Security.

This four-year undertaking will be led by Dr. Ira Bedzow, in collaboration with the Jewish Legal Studies Program at CSLR, directed by Emory Law professor Michael J. Broyde. The project will develop future leaders in public service, government, industry, health care, and community by providing students with exceptional curricular and extra-curricular programming, mentoring, and international travel to Israel. Students will interact with top academics and industry/social leaders from the United States, the State of Israel, and throughout the globe.

In the Fall of 2021, Dr. Philip L. Reynolds – a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Medieval Christianity, and Aquinas Professor of Historical Theology at Candler School of Theology – retired. For almost four decades, Reynolds has taught and published extensively in the field of historical theology. CSLR recently asked Dr. Reynolds to reflect on his career and life as a scholar. What led him to the field of historical theology? What did he learn along the way? What advice does he have for scholars who are at the early stages of their careers? Reynolds – who plans to devote his retirement to writing, gardening, and exploring rural landscapes in his native England – responded with characteristic insight, erudition, and wit.

We sat down with Jeffrey B. Hammond to learn more about his time at CSLR and his advice for current students. This interview is part of a new series of discussions with distinguished CSLR alumni working at the intersections of law and religion in academic, legal, and religious professions. Professor Hammond is an Associate Professor of Law at the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law at Faulkner University. His research interests include law and religion, especially Christian theological intersections with Anglo-American law and Free Exercise and Establishment Clause theory, health law, and law and bioethics, especially end-of-life issues.

CSLR sat down with Dr. Allen Calhoun to talk about his newest book: "Tax Law, Religion, and Justice: An Exploration of Theological Reflections on Taxation."