Duke Divinity School

How does theological education shape the way we understand disability and community?

For Duke Divinity student Elliot Krause, pursuing dual degrees in divinity and social work has created space to wrestle deeply with questions he has carried for much of his life.

"So much of my life has been spent wondering where God is present in suffering," he said. “This has been particularly pronounced in questions around bodily limitation: Why God would place limits on our bodies—limits that can be the source of so much pain?”

His field education placement at L'Arche North Carolina has provided space to see some of those questions differently and see differences as strengths.

As Executive Director of L'Arche Laura Steed observes, "People with disabilities are leaders, and when we include people of all abilities, we more wholly reflect the kin-dom of God."

Krause's story highlights how field education forms leaders not only through what they learn, but through the communities with whom they learn.

Read more: https://divinity.duke.edu/news/where-questions-about-god-can-lead

Duke Divinity professor Polly Ha has been named a Provost Faculty Fellow for the 2026-27 academic year.

Professor Ha's work will investigate ways to connect the Provost’s Initiative on Pluralism, Free Inquiry, and Belonging with other Duke programs that aim to reinvigorate thought and debate about “the big questions."

https://provost.duke.edu/news/five-named-provost-faculty-fellows/

This year's Divinity Magazine journeyed alongside the church's celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, exploring how this ancient confession continues to shape Christian faith, worship, and witness today.

Take a deeper look at that journey through the magazine's feature stories, including "Theotokos: The Bearer of God" by Dean Edgardo Colón-Emeric.

"The ecumenical councils' articulation of beliefs about the Trinity and their approbation of Mary as Theotokos are not simply abstract doctrines," Colón-Emeric writes. "They are carried by the people of God as the subject of prayer and praise, and that praise and prayer leads to further clarification of the faith."

Read the Spring 2026 issue of Divinity Magazine: https://divinity.duke.edu/news/divinity-magazine/spring-2026