news Archives - Page 2 of 3 - United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities

May 29, 2020

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Students Respond to the Killing of George Floyd

In response to the violent killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, MN, students in Professor Eleazar Fernandez's Public Theology for Social Transformation class worked together to write this statement. We share it as a reminder that the work of theology is always grounded in lived human experience and that calls for justice remain fundamental for people of all faiths. (more…)

May 28, 2020

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United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities Statement on the Death of George Floyd

United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities is outraged and grieved at the death of yet another unarmed Black person while being detained by the police. We join countless voices in the Twin Cities and across the nation calling for justice for George Floyd and an immediate end to the horrific killings of Black people in this country. Injustice and death continue to run rampant so long as there is impunity for those who murder Black members of our communities. (more…)

August 9, 2019

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Statement on White Nationalism

The events of the last week tragically remind us of the devastating impact hatred continues to have on our nation. We recognize that these horrific acts of violence far too often have a common thread—white nationalism, which is the wrong and sinful belief in white superiority, and the warped desire to rule our country by and only for the benefit of white people. White nationalism in the United States is stoked by daily political diatribes, easily-accessed hate-filled ideas, and faulty theology. We acknowledge a direct connection between white nationalism and Christian nationalism—the dangerous falsehood that the United States was meant to be a country that privileges and protects the lives and beliefs of white Christians above all others. We denounce these ideas as heresy. (more…)

August 8, 2019

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United Graduate Elected Bishop of ELCA Western Iowa Synod

Rev. Lorna Halaas was recently elected bishop of the Western Iowa Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Halaas is a 2008 graduate of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, where she received her MDiv. Halaas chose United for its ecumenical context and educational approach. (more…)

April 17, 2019

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Response to the Fire at Notre Dame from Professor, and Resident Medievalist, Dr. Jennifer Awes-Freeman

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March 15, 2019

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Message from President Lew Zeidner on Christchurch Shootings

We all are faced with devastating news this morning about the killing of people engaged in prayer in the mosques of Christchurch, New Zealand. The irony of the city's name underscores the hypocrisy of the hatred. (more…)

March 4, 2019

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“Many Waters Cannot Quench Love:” United’s Response to the UMC General Conference.

This week a special General Conference of the United Methodist Church voted to reaffirm and even to strengthen its opposition to same-sex marriage and to gay clergy. When the majority of delegates decided to pass the Traditional Plan, the denomination voted in favor of exclusion. Rev. Judy Zabel, a clergy delegate who serves Hennepin Avenue UMC in Minneapolis, said: (more…)

October 30, 2018

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Statement from United: Violence in the Name of Hate Is an Affront to God

As we grieve for those murdered in Pittsburgh, we are called individually and collectively to demand elimination of the political rhetoric that flames divisiveness and hatred toward people who are perceived to be different. The time is now to turn our collective rage, fear and sadness into community action and change. Vigils and prayers must evolve into sustained expressions of a healthy and loving community. It will take more than healthier politicians to reduce the pathology of hatred in our communities and nation. (more…)

September 27, 2018

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Will We Make a Difference or Stop at Outrage?

It has been more the rule than the exception through the last six months or so that our world, national and local news has focused on one unbelievable human atrocity after another; with a seemingly endless ability to trump the previous week’s painful emotional impact. The capstone of this last week was the criminal case of the Philando Castile murder ending in an acquittal of the police officer who shot him. (more…)