LDS Civic Theology: How Latter-day Saints Can Sustain Democracy

This lecture explores the doctrinal foundations of civic engagement in the Restored Gospel, emphasizing the pressing civic responsibilities Latter-day Saints have in a time of deep division and apathy. George Handley is Director of the Global Environmental Studies program in the Kennedy Center. A scholar of environmental humanities, his work bridges literature, theology, and environmental values, with research in Mormon Studies, ecocriticism, and the literatures of the Americas. He also brings firsthand civic experience to this topic, having previously served on the Provo City Council, and continues to write and speak on the intersection of faith, civic responsibility, and public life. Part of the Kennedy Center's fall 2026 lecture series, "Religion, Identity, and Public Life."