Religion continues to be present in the public sphere today in ways that many had not anticipated, shaping lives, communities and nations in dramatic ways all around our world. Faith communities provide great resources of vision and social capital to address the problems of our age. But strands of religion also create their own problems, as extremism, intolerance and violation of religious freedom divides societies.
So as a university that gathers people from every corner of the world and every imaginable faith tradition, the LSE Faith Centre models an accommodation of robust religious pluralism within our staff and student bodies, as well as setting a strong agenda for developing the religious literacy and interfaith understanding that is so urgently needed in the wider world.
The Faith Centre at LSE has been a major step in recognizing the crucial importance of faith for the understanding of contemporary society. A genuine sign of hope.
Rowan Williams, Former Archbishop of Canterbury
The LSE Faith Centre runs innovative programmes and events promoting religious literacy and transformational interfaith leadership supporting students to explore, challenge and question religious differences. We are unafraid to delve into the difficult spaces within and between faiths in order to build relationships and transform attitudes across a diverse student body.
We host a wide range of religious and wellbeing activities for all LSE staff and students and we are working to create a fully faith-inclusive campus.
Our work is now having an international impact as we extend our student programmes and public engagement, working with governments, universities and civil society groups around the world. We are building our alumni network to pioneer new initiatives in interreligious cohesion and understanding. All this work is resourced by LSE's world-class research, bringing critical thinking to bear on the interaction of religion and global affairs.
Want to learn more? View our vision document here.
The LSE Faith Centre is quite audacious. It reaches out into challenging subject matter which can be avoided by other interfaith initiatives.
LSE alumnus