Engaging a Polarized Classroom and Church: A Discussion of Ordinary Faith in Polarized Times by Amy Carr and Christine Helmer

Many are deeply concerned about the current state of political, ethical, and religious polarization. This panel focuses on the pedagogies and best practices that attempt to dismantle polarization, also by critically and constructively engaging ideas advanced in Amy Carr and Christine Helmer's Ordinary Faith in Polarized Times: Justification and the Pursuit of Justice (Baylor University Press, 2023). While Carr and Helmer introduce a theological model based explicitly on the doctrine of justification by faith to envision possible ways of decreasing polarization between different visions of justice among Christians in churches, the panel addresses the many dimensions of conflict in classroom and society and explores theories, methods, and tools to facilitate mutual understanding and peace.