This panel addresses an ongoing debate among scholars of religion, theology, and political theory concerning the relation between secular politics and religious traditions. According to influential interpreters such as Carl Schmitt and Giorgio Agamben, religious traditions intervene politically by legitimating worldly power. Because it is dangerous for a given political system to possess divine authority, many conclude that the effect of political theology is invariably corrosive and at odds, in particular, with democratic politics.The panelists will respond to this position by exploring the critical potential of political theology. Each panelist has written a recently-published (or soon-to-be-published book) which argues that religious traditions model critical practices that undermine theocratic regimes. In conversation with each other, they will address the ways in which scholars of religion offer a distinctive contribution to debates about democratic theory among philosophers and political theory. It is our hope that the panel will therefore clarify the way political theology can support democratic practices and institutions that are widely under threat.Chair: Naser Ghobadzadeh (Australian Catholic University) Speakers:Jenny Leith (University of Cambridge), Discipleship Amidst DemocracyKing-Ho Leung (University of St Andrews), Political (Onto)theology: Towards a CritiqueDavid Newheiser (Australian Catholic University), Political Theology and Populist Conflict: On the Need for Negativity