Universities: Doubts & the Divinity School

Nathan Pusey's first speech as president of Harvard in 1953 was a call to revitalize the Harvard Divinity School, an institution that seemed to be dying in the face of secular criticism. Last week Pusey returned to the school for a convocation speech on its 150th anniversary at a time when the quality of its students and faculty has never been higher. Yet, Pusey noted sadly, "the world of unbelief is all about us," and doubts about the school's role seem to be rising with "increased poignancy, in new and awful forms."

From its beginning, said Pusey, the Divinity School...