Earlier this Pride Month, June 2019, Dr. Carolyn Pressler preached at New Brighton United Church of Christ as they celebrated 25 years of being Open and Affirming. The following post is excerpted from her sermon. (more…)
At United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, one option of study is the concentration in Religion and Theology, available both for the MA and MDiv degrees. An MDiv can prepare students to become pastors, ministers or religious leaders whose ministerial focus is religious or theological education, while those pursuing an MA might become public theologians or teachers of religion/theology in private schools or churches. However, one of the most likely outcomes for either an MA or MDiv student in this concentration is moving on to a PhD in Religion or Theology in preparation for teaching. (more…)
As a queer, Jewish artist, when I told my friends and family that I would studying at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, many were confused. “So like, are you becoming a priest?” some would ask. Others more directly retorted, “But you’re Jewish!?!?!?! Why would you want to do that?” The fact is, there are numerous reasons why I think it is important to study at a progressive, pluralistic seminary rooted in Liberal Christianity. Three key reasons are that Christianity is a defining theological and ideological component of our culture; that being in conversation with Christians helps us better understand our own traditions; and that our presence and voice helps decenter Christianity as an assumed norm. (more…)
I love beer. I love it enough that I decided to learn how to make it. It helps that making beer is an uptight person’s dream-come-true: steeping the grains in water that’s just the right temperature; adding hops at just the right time to balance the sweetness of the wort (aka pre-beer); selecting just the right yeast to bring out just the right flavors; keeping the fermenting beer at just the right temperature. (more…)
It has been more than a week since the Special Session of the General Conference of the UMC adjourned. The result of that gathering came as a shock to many people, especially to me as I witnessed it in person. I went to the Special Session of the General Conference because the Filipino American Caucus (National Association of Filipino American United Methodists) was launching the Global Filipino United Methodist Movement -- a missional ministry for Filipinos in diaspora worldwide. I also went to provide support for the delegates of the Philippines Central Conference. (more…)
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Early this November, Dr. Pamela Ayo Yetunde (Director of Interreligious Chaplaincy and Assistant Professor of Pastoral and Spiritual Care and Counseling), Jessi LeClear Vachta (Associate Director of Admissions) and a group of current students attended the 2018 Parliament of the World's Religions in Toronto, Ontario. There, they held a panel "Making Interreligious Chaplaincy Education Meaningfully Inclusive." We will be publishing content from this presentation as a series over the next few weeks. This first post is from Dr. Yetunde's opening remarks about United's commitment to interreligious chaplaincy education. (more…)
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…)
nDr. Demian Wheeler with Dr. James Cone (more…)