Academics Archives - Page 3 of 3 - United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities

March 20, 2019

The Arts are in United’s DNA: An Interview with Jennifer Awes Freeman

Photo of Jennifer Awes Freeman by Angela Jimenez Photography Last summer this blog introduced you to Jennifer Awes Freeman, the new assistant professor of Theology and the Arts at United. More recently I sat down with Jennifer to talk about her role in United's theology and the arts programs. Here are some excerpts from our conversation. Tell me a little about your role as a professor of Theology and the Arts. (more…)

Q&A on United’s Campus Move with President Lew Zeidner and Dr. Kyle Roberts

In May, the city of New Brighton approved the sale of United's campus to Global Academy. With the move approaching, President Lew Zeidner and Dean Kyle Roberts have come together to answer a few questions about United's academics, being in an urban setting, and the challenges and opportunities of relocating to St. Paul. (more…)

Readings on Rosh Hashana: Hagar, Abraham, and the Reality of Pain

This semester I am taking Interpretation as Resistance: Womanist, Feminist, and Queer Approaches to the Bible taught by Professors Alika Galloway and Carolyn Pressler. This week’s reading concerns the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar. Sarah is unable to bare children, which is unfortunate since her husband Abraham is supposed to father “a great nation” (Gen. 12.2). Sarah comes up with a plan to have Abraham use a surrogate: her Egyptian slave Hagar. Abraham agrees, lays with Hagar, and Hagar conceives. The Bible then tells us that Hagar “saw that she had conceived [and] looked with contempt on her mistress”(Gen.16.4). Sarah responds by being so cruel to Hagar that she runs away to the desert. Upon finding a spring of water, Hagar meets an angel of God who gives her an ambivalent message: go back and submit to a life of cruelty but also your son Ishmael will be the father of nations. A mixed bag, for sure. (more…)