About the Event
Approaches for Teaching Religion and America at 250
This conversation will feature several venues and methods for teaching religion in light of the United States’ 250th anniversary. Kate Soules will discuss the challenges and opportunities of teaching about religion in K-12 schools, particularly public schools. David Krueger will discuss a public history initiative in Philadelphia called Religious Freedom Trails that includes training tour guides and public history educators in religious literacy, as well as a digital app that educates residents and visitors about the city’s early religious diversity and its impact on national conversations about religious freedom. Andrew Mark Henry will share insights on public engagement through his popular YouTube education channel, Religion for Breakfast.
This is the third in our “Religion and America at 250” webinAAR series that will engage central questions around the meaning of religion, the meaning of America, and the intersections of those terms, with special consideration of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Event Guidelines
Please note: AAR membership is not required to register for this event. In order to register, you will need to login or create an account if you don’t already have one. Creating an account is free, quick and easy and enables us to let you know about related upcoming events.
For assistance, please view our video walkthrough. You can adjust the playback speed on the video next to the closed caption icon. If you still have questions, please contact us.
Panelists
Kate Soules is an education researcher and independent consultant specializing in religious literacy and religious diversity education. She works with organizations to assess the outcomes and effects of their programs so that they can increase the reach and impact of this work. Her research examines the assessment and evaluation of religious literacy education, teacher professional learning about religion, and the impacts of religious literacy education for both students and educators. Dr. Soules is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Religion and Education Collaborative (REC), an interdisciplinary network of scholars and practitioners working at the intersections of religion and schooling.
David Krueger is the executive director of the Dialogue Institute, based at Temple University, and is co-editor of the Journal of Ecumenical Studies. He is an author, educator, and scholar passionate about public history, religious literacy, and dialogue. His expertise includes American religious history, religious pluralism and freedom, race, and ethnicity. Dr. Krueger is a sought-after lecturer and speaker and has frequently served as a narrator and scholarly contributor on the Travel Channel and the Science Channel. He received a ThM from Princeton Theological Seminary and a PhD in religion from Temple University. His book, Myths of the Rune Stone: Viking Martyrs and the Birthplace of America, was published by the University of Minnesota Press. Dr. Krueger has taught at Chestnut Hill College, Palmer Theological Seminary, Temple University, Rutgers University-Camden, and various community-based organizations.
Andrew Mark Henry is the creator and host of the YouTube channel Religion for Breakfast, one of the largest public-facing platforms for the academic study of religion. On the channel, he translates current scholarship in religious studies into accessible, visually rich videos. His work often features collaborations and interviews with leading scholars in the field, reaching a global audience of over a million subscribers. Dr. Henry is a scholar of ancient Mediterranean religion, with a particular focus on popular religion, magic, and demonology in Late Antiquity. Andrew is the winner of the 2026 Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion.
Related Events
