Tag: Progressive Theology

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April 16, 2026

Dr. Ginger Morgan Announced as New Associate Professor and Program Director for Interreligious Chaplaincy

Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, April 16, 2026 — United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities is thrilled to announce that Dr. Ginger Morgan will join its faculty as the new Associate Professor for Pastoral and Spiritual Care and Program Director for Interreligious Chaplaincy. Dr. Morgan will come to United from Madison, WI, where she is concluding her role at the Presbyterian Student Center Foundation as director of Candid and Community Initiatives. She is a highly qualified program director and chaplain with experience in healthcare, campus ministry, and higher education. With a PhD in Religion and Psychological Studies from Iliff School of Theology at the University of Denver, as well as a Master of Theological Studies (MTS) from Vanderbilt Divinity School, Dr. Morgan draws from her theological and multidisciplinary education in her work. Interreligious studies is one of United’s four pillars, and the Interreligious Chaplaincy (IRC) program—unique among peer institutions—constitutes the largest and fastest-growing of the seminary’s programs over the past five years. In alignment with United’s ethos, Dr. Morgan is a gifted scholar of religious pluralism, highly educated in progressive theological education, and foregrounds justice in chaplaincy and pastoral care. These values are evident in a chapter titled “Many Doors: Expanding Thresholds for Grace,” written by Dr. Morgan for the upcoming book Dispatches from Campus (Augsburg Fortress Press). Dr. Morgan’s career also reflects her personal experiences and identity. Writing to the search committee, she shared, “My formation includes reconciling my lesbian identity with my faith and living as a religious minority in India during high school, both of which shaped my intercultural perspective and vocational commitments.” She continued, “Throughout my career, I have sought to create inclusive spaces of belonging, whether supporting LGBTQIA+ students, young adults in recovery from addiction, or building programs attentive to justice and equity." Rev. Dr. Molly T. Marshall, President, reflects, “United welcomes Dr. Ginger Morgan with confidence and great enthusiasm. Her varied leadership roles, especially in chaplaincy, equip her uniquely to lead our robust IRC program and to teach pastoral and spiritual care.” In his announcement to the student body, Dr. Kyle Roberts—Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs—noted that Dr. Morgan’s “career in chaplaincy spans hospital, hospice, and higher education contexts, and extensive program leadership experience.” He added, “I want to thank Dr. Demian Wheeler for leading this search process, especially during its formative stages during my sabbatical.” After participating in a months-long faculty search and on-site candidate lecture, being recommended by a unanimous faculty vote, and gaining approval from the Board of Trustees’ Academic Committee, Dr. Morgan will officially begin on July 1. Students, faculty, and staff are eager to welcome her to United for this exciting new chapter. For more information about United’s Interreligious Chaplaincy program, click here. About United Founded by the United Church of Christ (UCC) as a welcoming, ecumenical school that embraces all denominations and faith traditions, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities has been on the creative edge of progressive theological thought and leadership since it was established in 1962. Today, United continues to educate leaders who, through the eyes of faith, engage in the dismantling of systems of oppression, exploring multi-faith spirituality, and pushing the boundaries of knowledge. Contact Nathanial Green (he/him) Director of Marketing and Communications press@unitedseminary.edu • (651) 255-6138 Admissions and Enrollment admissions@unitedseminary.edu

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March 19, 2026

Social Transformation Lunch—Easter as Uprising

"There has been a tendency to spiritualize resurrection, softening how radical and disruptive an act of resistance and justice it is. Some of our ancient spiritual forebears bore witness to the empty tomb as an uprising, an ongoing, embodied witness of getting up again and again in resistance to all that opposes abundant life." Rev. Dr. DeWayne Davis. Join us after Chapel on Thursday, April 9, for a lunchtime conversation with Rev. Dr. DeWayne Davis between 12:45 and 1:30 PM. Rev. Dr. Davis will lead a conversation reflecting on “Easter as Uprising.” Bring your own lunch and join the discussion in the Intersection on campus or on Zoom. This event is hosted by United’s Social Transformation Program and its Leadership Center for Social Justice. Rev. Dr. DeWayne Davis is ordained by the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches and has served as the lead minister at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis, with expertise in social justice analysis, advocacy, and organizing. As an adjunct professor at United, he teaches “Preaching and Your Public Voice” and “The Formed and Transformed Leader.” Rev. Dr. Davis is also a member of United’s Board of Trustees. Join us online at 12:45 PM CDT on April 9 at this Zoom link. >

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February 10, 2026

Rev. Dr. Andrew Packman Preaching at St. Paul’s UCC in Delano

Rev. Dr. Andrew Packman, United’s assistant professor of Theological Ethics and Formation, as well as our program director for Formation, will be preaching at St. Paul’s UCC in Delano (201 Buffalo Street, Delano, MN) on Sunday, February 22, during the 9:15 AM CT service. He would love to see you there! Visit the church’s website for details. 

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August 5, 2025

2025 Fall Convocation

United's 2025 Fall Convocation will include a formal celebration of United’s newly established Wilson Yates Chair of Theology and the Arts. Our speaker will be the chair’s namesake, Rev. Dr. Wilson Yates (President Emeritus & Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Religion, Society, and the Arts, 1967–2005). Wilson has made significant and lasting contributions to the life of United as well as the field of theology and the arts. He has expanded and deepened the connection between imagination, creativity, and theology as expressed through the arts, all of which have been at the core of United’s academic ethos for decades. The establishment of the Wilson Yates Chair of Theology and the Arts was made possible by a group of generous donors, including alums, current and former faculty, staff, and trustees, as well as those whose lives and vocations Wilson has impacted. Their gifts support, in perpetuity, the centrality of the arts at United as a core pillar of the seminary’s educational experience. This free event will take place on Thursday, September 25, at 12:15 PM CT. Happening onsite and online, Fall Convocation is always free and open to the public. Please park on the south side of the CASE building (767 Eustis St., St. Paul, MN 55114). Need directions? Click here > Direct any questions to Jen Bingen Buck at jbuck@unitedseminary.edu or 651-255-6162. Deadline: Please register by Tuesday, September 23, 2025. Note: We are aware of and working quickly to resolve an intermittent issue with our form vendor. If you experience any difficulties registering, please wait a couple of minutes and refresh the page. If you still encounter a problem, contact Andrew Fox at afox@unitedseminary.edu, and he will ensure you are registered. We regret any inconvenience. Photo by James Butler. Used with permission from Hennepin Avenue UMC.

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March 10, 2025

2025 Cohort Graduation and Showcase | Leadership Center for Social Justice

The Leadership Center for Social Justice at United invites you to join us onsite or online from 6:00 to 8:00 PM CT on Thursday, May 22, to celebrate the graduation of the Center’s 2024–2025 Cohort and experience a showcase of members’ transformational projects. Throughout this nine-month program, each student has committed time to sensing and discerning what is happening in their community and congregation. From that perspective, they worked to build a social justice ministry project that is concrete and contextual to their community and its needs. This graduation and showcase is an opportunity to learn more about projects the students have worked on and to celebrate them for their intentional and important work. Registration is free! Direct any questions to Stella Pearce: spearce@unitedseminary.edu Register

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December 10, 2024

Susan Draper White Lecture: “Battle for the Minds, Revisited” with Rev. Molly T. Marshall, PhD

United is very pleased to announce that our 34th annual Susan Draper White Lecture will take place on February 24, 2025, and feature Rev. Molly T. Marshall, PhD, United’s esteemed and beloved president. President Marshall’s lecture is titled “Battle for the Minds, Revisited.” Thirty years ago, writer and producer Steve Lipscomb created his first documentary, Battle for the Minds, about the Southern Baptist Convention’s conservative shift and how that was affecting women pastors. Prominently featured in the film was a progressive, feminist professor of Christian theology, and experienced pastor, at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky: Dr. Molly T. Marshall.  This year's lecture will feature Rev. Dr. Marshall's reflections on that pivotal episode in her professional and theological life and how the experience shaped the theologian and leader she has become, as United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities’ president. The evening will include a screening of the documentary along with Rev. Dr. Marshall’s remarks and reflections. Dr. Marshall writes: If you attend the Susan Draper White Lecture, you will witness a story of resilience. The documentary chronicles what happens to a woman who challenges the power structures that deem women unfit to exercise spiritual leadership. Although filmed nearly 30 years ago, it remains a cautionary tale about the crushing power of patriarchy—all too resilient itself as recent days attest. Indeed, misogyny is hurtling forward. It is not just my story, but the story of countless women whom the Church has silenced, marginalized, and castigated. While there have been many breakthroughs for women in ecclesiastical circles, contempt and abuse stalk their presence, claiming their leadership to be invalid and contrary to theological tradition. On the larger social landscape of politics, law, commerce, and education, the pernicious oppression of women—especially women of color—continues. Naming this reality and concrete resistance remains urgent. It will be an evening of reflection and thoughtful conversation about what is at stake when patriarchy prevails. This special event will begin at 7:00 PM and conclude by 9:15 PM. It will take place on United’s campus and will be available via live streaming. To learn more, please contact Jen Buck (jbuck@unitedseminary.edu). REGISTRATION

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November 27, 2024

Social Transformation Lunch: “Post-Inauguration Conversation”

Are you feeling anxious, fearful, and hopeless since the election? Oppressive power seeks to render us powerless by creating confusion and isolating us from one another. Join us for a theological conversation about our current conjuncture and what might be on the horizon nationally and globally. How are you “discerning the spirits” and what does it look like for you to act faithfully with others today? Gather onsite and online with Rev. Dr. Ry Siggelkow, director of United’s Leadership Center for Social Justice, and Rev. Dr. Justin Sabia-Tanis, director of our Social Transformation program, for a conversation about this fraught moment in US history and how we can move through grief and anger to affirm the exigency of justice. Join Us Via Zoom >

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November 22, 2024

Social Transformation Lunch: “Pre-Inauguration Conversation”

Feeling anxious, fearful, and hopeless since the election? Oppressive power seeks to render us powerless by creating confusion and isolating us from one another. Join us for a theological conversation about our current conjuncture and what might be on the horizon nationally and globally. How are you “discerning the spirits” and what does it look like for you to act faithfully with others today? Gather onsite and online with Rev. Dr. Ry Siggelkow, director of United’s Leadership Center for Social Justice, and Rev. Dr. Justin Sabia-Tanis, director of our Social Transformation program, for a conversation about this fraught moment in US history and how we can move through grief and anger to affirm the exigency of justice. Join Us Via Zoom >

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August 5, 2024

Guest Lecture with Rev. Dr. Gary Dorrien

United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities and St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in St. Paul are jointly sponsoring a lecture by the highly esteemed American theologian and ethicist Rev. Dr. Gary Dorrien. The free event will take place at 6:30 PM on September 25, in the main church at St. John’s and be live-streamed on St. John’s YouTube channel. Dorrien, the Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Religion at Columbia University, will base his lecture around two of his recent publications: Anglican Identities: Logos Idealism, Imperial Whiteness, Commonweal Ecumenism and the autobiographical Over from Union Road: My Christian-Left-Intellectual Life. Both books have a 2024 publication date. In Anglican Identities, Dorrien offers a comprehensive historical examination of Anglicanism, encompassing the faith’s longstanding proclivity toward ecumenicalism and idealist approaches. He also argues that the religion’s aspirational ecumenical vision is directly antithetical to English Anglican’s entanglement with colonialism and white supremacy.  Over from Union Road, on sale September 30, is a rich memoir that describes Dorrien’s unlikely journey from being an academically inattentive high school athlete to becoming a renowned social ethicist, theologian, and intellectual historian. The book also covers Dorrien’s participation in the civil rights movement and other social and cultural upheavals during his lengthy career.  Dorrien will also participate in United’s Fall Convocation on September 26 as he joins us to celebrate the installation of his former student, Dr. Demian Wheeler, into the new Sophia Chair in Religious and Theological Studies. The Lecture at St. John’s and United’s Fall Convocation are completely free to attend! View the venue address and information below.

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August 1, 2024

Fall 2024 Convocation

Fall Convocation is an annual event that kick-offs to the new academic year and enables us to celebrate a new faculty member or initiative. This year, we are thrilled to be celebrating the installation of Dr. Demian Wheeler into the Sophia Chair in Religious and Theological Studies. The newly endowed Sophia Chair was made possible through a generous donation from Dr. Mary Farrell Bednarowski, Professor Emerita of Religious Studies (1976–2004), and her husband, Keith Bednarowski. Dr. Wheeler's installation address is titled “Religious Studies and the Opening of the Theological Imagination: Honoring and Extending the Legacy of Mary Farrell Bednarowski.” Fall Convocation is always free and open to the public. Please park on the south side of the CASE building (767 Eustis St., St. Paul, MN 55114). Need directions? Click here > Direct any questions to Stella Pearce at spearce@unitedseminary.edu or 651-255-6162. Deadline: Please register by Tuesday, September 24, 2024.

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