Some Reflections on the Hartford Institute at Forty

Abstract

The presentation was prepared for a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. It asks why a traditional theological school would include social science research as a centerpiece of “reinvention” in 1972. I argue that the former Hartford Seminary Foundation mission was grounded in its inclusive ecumenical theological vision and its operative style in partnership with local, national, and international partner movements (international mission, religious education, theological education, and social service or activism). In retrospect, the Hartford Institute embodies major Hartford emphases of the previous century.