Harvard has a new chief chaplain — and he’s an atheist.
Greg Epstein, author of “Good Without God,” will be the new president of the organization of chaplains for Harvard, according to The New York Times. His election was unanimous.
Epstein celebrated the role in a social media post on Thursday night.
- “I’m obliged and honored to share personal news,” he said.
- “Thank you especially to my amazing @HarvardChaplain colleagues. This story is really about them and about the importance of our common work, which is more important than ever in these times.”
- “Thank you to humanist institutions who inspired me down this now 20+ year path. I wouldn’t be here but for you; you mean so much to so many of us,” he said.
- “Thank you humanist allies in US politics, my true religion.”
- “Thank you interfaith groups who bravely set a precedent of warm partnership w/humanists like me.”
For the role, Epstein will “coordinate the activities of more than 40 university chaplains, who lead the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and other religious communities on campus,” per The New York Times. He has already been mentoring students on campus and has worked as the school’s humanist chaplain since 2005, Newser reports.
- “Greg’s leadership isn’t about theology,” Charlotte Nickerson, an electrical engineering student, told The New York Times. “It’s about cooperation between people of different faiths and bringing together people who wouldn’t normally consider themselves religious.”
That said, he has been deemed an unconventional choice because of his religious background. He has also received some social media criticism.
Samuel Goldman, of The Week, said the decision could be a “contradiction.” And there are some questions about his election.
“The implications of Epstein’s selection as head chaplain are also dubious,” Goldman wrote. “On the one hand, there’s nothing wrong with him occupying an administrative position for which he’s demonstrated ability over many years of service. On the other, the decision implies that there’s nothing special about theistic religion or appeals to transcendent authority that justify a distinctive status.”