The Stephen and Kathi Austin Mahle Endowed Fund for Progressive Christian Thought empowers Hamline University to explore fresh expressions of progressive Christian theology in dialogue with a wider multi‑faith and secular community. The Fund supports student fellowships and programming and the annual Mahle Lecture, all of which invite thoughtful reflection on how faith and religious traditions, deep values, and/or spirituality shape personal, social, political, and economic life.

Through the Lecture Series we profile activists, scholars, and community leaders whose spiritual convictions drive transformative work. Each year’s program yields new “lived theology” visions that aim to ignite moral imagination and civil courage for addressing today’s stark inequalities.

Check out the new Mahle Lecures Journal for published content from lectures beginning in 2023.

Gratitude

We owe heartfelt thanks to Rev. Kathi Austin and Steve Mahle for their vision and generosity and to the many partners and volunteers whose hospitality make each Spring lecture a success.

Their generous support makes it possible for us to bring together thought leaders and emerging practitioners to foster interreligious dialogue, build bridges across traditions, and explore reparative practices that address suffering and division in our world. We are grateful for their ongoing generosity that helps us make this transformative series a reality.