Joerg Rieger, Distinguished Professor of Theology and Cal Turner Chancellor鈥檚 Professor of Wesleyan Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School, has been busy.
He鈥檚 spent much of 2025 trotting from continent to continent鈥擡urope, Africa, Asia and Australia, to name a few鈥攁nd from university to university, spreading the word about his research on global solidarity in response to ecological challenges and economic development.
Rieger鈥檚 work raises the question: What shared commitment might bind us all together, and can it be leveraged for the good of humanity?
As a theologian, he looks to ancient religious traditions for solutions.
Religion, power and the common good
鈥淲hat I鈥檓 interested in, broadly conceived, is religion and power,鈥� Rieger said. 鈥淩eligion can be a force for the good in the world and also a force for the bad. What I鈥檓 trying to investigate are the problems with religion in order to find some of the solutions.鈥�
One problem he鈥檚 uncovered is something he refers to as false solidarities鈥攅fforts to bring people together that ultimately do more harm than good.
鈥淎t a time when we need global solidarity to be better off as human beings, we are finding all these false efforts at producing solidarity, but the people involved are not benefiting,鈥� Rieger said.
鈥淲ith nationalism, you鈥檙e not using it for the whole nation; you鈥檙e using it for the people at the top who are running the nation. I鈥檓 arguing that religion gets used this way also. Take missionaries鈥攚ho were deeply involved in colonialism鈥攖he wrinkle here is these missionaries oftentimes didn鈥檛 benefit a whole lot from colonialism.
鈥淚f you look at Africa, for instance, many missionaries died of malaria. They didn鈥檛 become rich or powerful. There are exceptions, but those on the ground usually didn鈥檛 benefit from the colonial systems they supported.鈥�
鈥淚 sometimes call this 鈥榰nite and conquer,鈥欌�� Rieger said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e uniting people, but you鈥檙e doing so in order to conquer them.鈥�
Exploring solidarity through religious and social perspectives
So what counters false solidarity? Deep solidarity, which Rieger describes as a connection rooted in the shared pressures that make life challenging for everyone.
鈥淚f the question is the common good, or the flourishing of humanity, then the common challenge is that everybody needs to make a contribution,鈥� Rieger said. 鈥淎nd of course, my response here comes back to religion and theology.鈥�
鈥淔or many people of faith, solidarity is mostly a moral commandment鈥攜ou must love your neighbor, and that鈥檚 just the way it is. But that solution is not strong enough. It isn鈥檛 getting us where we need to go.鈥�
Instead, Rieger points to a deeper interpretation: that you and your neighbor are connected.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the basis of deep solidarity鈥攍ove your neighbor as yourself. What鈥檚 happening to somebody else is happening to me. And that does not demand sameness,鈥� Rieger said.
鈥淚f Christians and Muslims recognize that we are all affected by global warming, all they need to do is to say, 鈥業鈥檓 using my Christian resources and you鈥檙e using your Muslim resources鈥攆or the same cause.鈥欌��
Rieger, who grew up in Germany, is finding that his message is resonating across cultures and communities.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 interesting is that people are really responding to it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 mean, here I come as a white European American from Vanderbilt University鈥攚hy should people listen, right? There鈥檚 a lot of suspicion when you talk to an Indigenous community, for example, in Fiji,鈥� Rieger said.
鈥淏ut at the same time, people understand this in their own histories and stories. Fijians understand not only the need for solidarity, but that there are different ways to build it.鈥�
Building the solidarity economy
In addition to taking the solidarity project around the world, Rieger, director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice, is putting his research into action.
Through Solidarity Circles, a leadership training program for clergy, faith leaders and organizers set on creating and sustaining social change, Rieger and his team collaborate with about 300 faith communities on initiatives ranging from ecological stewardship to economic empowerment.
And a recent $300,000 grant from the Vanderbilt Center for Sustainability, Energy and Climate has given the program more resources to support community-based projects involving climate action.
鈥淥ur response to the ecological crisis is putting faith communities all over the U.S.鈥攁nd a couple of international places too鈥攖ogether with climate adaptation or resilience efforts,鈥� Rieger said. 鈥淭his is one of the pillars for the VSEC grant. We鈥檙e basically encouraging solidarity through shared action.鈥�
When asked how the work is progressing, Rieger is optimistic.
鈥淚鈥檓 really excited about this work because I think something bigger than me is happening,鈥� he said. 鈥淥n the one hand, we do popular education. On the other, we do academic research. My research is stronger when I鈥檓 involved on the ground, and I have more meaningful things to say on the ground when I鈥檝e done my homework.鈥�
鈥淲hat I can do is run with it,鈥� he added. 鈥淗elp people see it more clearly鈥攁nd help them build around it.鈥�
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