Tag: social justice

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June 5, 2026

Rev. Dr. Justin Sabia-Tanis to Be Appointed Inaugural Occupant of the Wilson Yates Chair in Theology and the Arts

Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, June 5, 2026 — United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities is elated to announce that Rev. Dr. Justin Sabia-Tanis will be appointed as the first-ever occupant of the Wilson Yates Chair in Theology and the Arts. Until now, he has served faithfully as the McVay Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Social Transformation, as well as Director of the Social Transformation Program. Before joining United, Rev. Dr. Sabia-Tanis served as a congregational minister in Boston, Honolulu, and San Francisco, and was Director of Leadership Development for Metropolitan Community Churches, after which he joined the United Church of Christ (UCC). Rev. Dr. Sabia-Tanis’ ministry includes community organizing and advocacy. He has served as managing director at the Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion (CLGS) as well as communications director for the Hawai’i Equal Rights Marriage Project, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. He received his PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies from Graduate Theological Union in 2017, his DMin from San Francisco Theological Seminary in 2003, and his MDiv from Harvard Divinity School in 1990. His teaching experience spans courses at the University of Arizona, Pima Community College, Iliff School of Theology, and Pacific School of Religion. As an eminent academic and theologian, Dr. Sabia-Tanis’ scholarship has deepened the study of the intersection of art and LGBTQ+ religious identity. He recently completed writing Queer Spirituality, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity in Contemporary Visual Art, to be released later this year by Bloomsbury Academic. Dr. Sabia-Tanis also wrote the groundbreaking book Transgendered Ministry, Theology and Communities of Faith (Cleveland: Pilgrim Press, 2003; Wipf & Stock, 2018) and authored a chapter in Transbiblical: New Approaches to Interpretation and Embodiment in Scripture (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2025).  In 2024, he gave a lecture in the art gallery of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis, MN, on the life and art of Keith Haring. Dr. Sabia-Tanis is himself an artist, and he hones and cultivates the creative expression of the artist-theologians enrolled in his courses. In his announcement of the news to United students, Dr. Kyle Roberts—Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs—connected Rev. Dr. Sabia-Tanis’ education and qualifications to the field of theology and the arts. “Dr. Sabia-Tanis appreciates and champions the legacy of Dr. Yates and the leadership of United in the area of arts and theology,” Dr. Roberts asserted. “He also advocates for the intersection of the arts with movements for social justice and will bring to his teaching and leadership a synergy of theology and arts, along with his contributions to the education of social transformation at United.” Rev. Dr. Molly T. Marshall, President, commended the news for this esteemed member of the faculty. “The wide-ranging scholarship of Dr. Justin Sabia-Tanis will elevate this position as the arts serve as a medium for social transformation.” Established in 2025 by generous gifts from friends, alums, and former United faculty, the Wilson Yates Chair in Theology and the Arts is an endowed faculty position named after Rev. Dr. Wilson Yates, President Emeritus and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Religion, Society, and the Arts. Yates joined United’s faculty in 1967, became Dean in 1988, and was made President in 1996. He retired from the seminary in 2005, having led and innovated in theology and the arts, deepened scholarship, and integrated the subject as a pillar of United’s academic programs. Rev. Dr. Yates celebrated the news and is eager to see Rev. Dr. Sabia-Tanis installed into the chair. He reflects, “I am very excited about Justin’s selection for this role. His studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley will provide an important background to this work. Justin brings a solid understanding of the relationship to the arts in theology, the church, and everyday life. It is not incidental that he is also a practicing artist.” On his appointment to the chair, Rev. Dr. Sabia-Tanis shares, “United has valued and integrated the arts since our founding. They are critical to how our students are formed, and in the ministries and projects they will lead when they graduate. I am so honored to move into this important role at United and continue the incredible legacy of Wilson Yates. And I'm looking forward to the ways this program will evolve and grow in the coming years.” The installation of Dr. Sabia-Tanis into the Wilson Yates Chair in Theology and the Arts will be formally celebrated at Fall Convocation on Thursday, September 24, 2026. Details will be announced in the coming months. 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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November 8, 2024

“Mementos of Failure” Exhibition: Learning from Our Failures

As part of our exhibition Mementos of Failure, we welcome Tyrone Fowlkes, curator and current DMin student in Theology and the Arts, who will reflect on the concept behind the exhibition, as well as the place and meanings of failure in our lives. After a brief presentation, he will be joined by a few panelists to extend the conversation, which will be followed by Q&A and further reflection with the audience. This will be taking place onsite in the United Chapel or online via Zoom. Light refreshments will be served. Join Via Zoom >

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October 22, 2024

Social Transformation Lunch: Post-Election Conversation

Now that we are a week past the 2024 election, what lessons have we learned? Where do we go from here? How do we reconcile with our neighbors after all the chaos and intensity of the last few months? How do we move forward with peace, grace, and renewed purpose? Join Rev. Dr. Ry Siggelkow, director of the Leadership Center for Social Justice, and Rev. Dr. Justin Sabia-Tanis, associate professor of Christian ethics and social transformation supported by the McVay Endowment and the director of the United’s Social Transformation program for this interactive conversation. Join us in person at the Intersection or online through Zoom.

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October 1, 2024

Social Transformation Lunch: Christians Against Christian Nationalism

Join us for a session led by Jerry Gale from Christians Against Christian Nationalism Minnesota. Christians Against Christian Nationalism was started in 2019 as an initiative of the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty (BJC). BJC was started in 1936. It is a faith-based advocacy organization, headquartered in Washington DC, that focuses on upholding the historic Baptist principle of religious liberty. Jerry Gale is retired and a member of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church. In January 2024, with BJC’s support, he started Christians against Christian Nationalism Minnesota. The group’s goal is to improve communications and coordination among Minnesota Christians who are concerned about Christian Nationalism. Onsite attendees can gather at 12:15 PM CT in The Intersection. Online attendees can join via Zoom at this link. >

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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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March 13, 2024

Social Transformation Showcase

Every year, each Social Transformation student at United completes a project or internship that addresses a significant social issue. Join us onsite or through Zoom on April 3 at 7:00 PM to learn about this year's group of projects and the meaningful impact these students have made. This showcase will include seven brief presentations and the opportunity to ask questions and celebrate the work of these students. We will also serve light refreshments.   Register

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February 20, 2024

United Days

We are living through perilous and divisive times. The idea of building walls that keep “us” safe from “them” is as much a vexing spiritual and theological problem as it is a social and political one. How might faith leaders and congregations courageously and creatively engage in socially transformative action from a place of spiritual grounding and depth? How might compassionate listening and radical imagination help us forge new connections across lines of difference, build a more just world with others, and facilitate a “revolution of values,” rather than fuel the flames of fear, hatred, and exclusion? We are excited to welcome you back May 9 and 10 as we explore these questions together in plenary sessions and workshops. Susan Draper White and Keynote Speaker Joy Ladin is a widely published author, essayist and poet, literary scholar, and nationally known speaker on transgender issues. From 2003 to 2021, she held the David and Ruth Gottesman Chair in English at Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University; her gender transition and return to teaching in 2008 made her the first openly transgender employee of an Orthodox Jewish institution. Since coming out as transgender in 2008, Joy has become a nationally recognized speaker on transgender issues. She has been featured in many National Public Radio interviews, most notably “On Being with Krista Tippett,” which has been rebroadcast three times, as well as numerous interviews and profiles in numerous publications. Joy holds a PhD in American Literature from Princeton University, where she was awarded the Porter Ogden Jacobus Fellowship as top graduate student in the Humanities, an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), and a BA from Sarah Lawrence College. Joy has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts writing fellowship, a Fulbright Scholarship, an American Council of Learned Societies Research Fellowship and two Hadassah Brandeis Institute Research fellowships, among other honors. Note: Due to health issues, Joy will be joining us via Zoom. All other workshops will be led by onsite presenters. Schedule Thursday, May 9, 2024 8:30 AM    Registration/Gathering/Coffee 9:00 AM    Opening Worship 10:00 AM    Coffee Break 10:45 AM    Welcome—President Molly T. Marshall 11:00 AM    Susan Draper White Lecture–“Divinity in the Key of ‘She:’ Feminist and Trans Theology in Shekhinah Speaks”—Dr. Joy Ladin Noon    Lunch 1:15 PM    Workshop 1: "Deeply Rooted Leadership for Tumultuous Times"—Rev. Dr. Gary F. Green II and Rev. Dr. Justin Sabia-Tanis Workshop 2: “The ‘Art’ of Organizing”—Dr. Jennifer Awes Freeman and Ricardo Pérez  Workshop 3: “Tools of the Trade: Gifts from the Shareable World”—Rev. Frenchye Magee 2:15 PM    Break 2:45 PM    Workshop 1: "Spiritual Formation: A New Vision, the Foundation of Formation"—Rev. Dr. Andrew Packman and Rev. T. Michael Rock Workshop 2: "Deepening Our Roots and Engaging Our Differences"—Rev. Dr. Jessica Chapman Lape and Dr. Munjed Murad Workshop 3: “Uprising Theology: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church after the Murder of George Floyd”—Dr. Amy Levad and Rev. Ingrid Arneson Rasmussen   4:00 PM    What’s New at United? A Conversation with Dr. Molly T. Marshall, Dean Kyle Roberts, and friends. Join in a lively conversation with United folks curated by the president and the dean. 4:30 PM    Presentation of Spirit of United Award 6:00 PM    Banquet at Town and Country (includes presentation of Bossard Ward, Distinguished Alum Awards) Friday, May 10, 2024 8:15 AM   Gathering/Coffee 9:00 AM   Plenary—Mike Klein and Nikki McComb from Art is My Weapon 10:00 AM   Break 10:15 AM   Keynote Speech–“Babel and Beyond: Understanding and Responding to the Transformation of Gender”—Joy Ladin 11:15 AM   Final Words/Blessing     This year’s United Days programming was organized by United’s Leadership Center for Social Justice with support from the Susan Draper White Lectures that were established by Priscilla Braun* (’83) in memory of her grandmother, Susan Draper White. This endowed event provides lectures in the areas of women in religion, theology, and ministry. * Deceased Registration Details Early Registration (by April 12) Regular Registration (April 13–April 26) Both Days (including lunch and banquet) $85 Registration closed Current United Student (Plenary only, no meal) $10 $20 Current United Student (Plenary + meals) $50 Registration closed Non-Student Zoom $25 Current United Students Zoom No Cost Note: Space is limited. If you intend to register for the banquet or lunch, we must receive your request by April 26. Onsite registrations (with no food) will close May 1 and we will not be able to accommodate late registrations. If you have food allergies, please contact Andrew Fox at afox@unitedseminary.edu. Able to Do More? Consider adding a gift of $61 for the United Fund in honor of United’s 61st year as a seminary. The United Fund provides unrestricted operating funds for the seminary. If you are interested in making a gift of a different size, click here for our Give page. Registration Form

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February 9, 2024

Flamy Grant in Concert

We are beyond excited to announce that United will host award-winning drag songwriter and singer, Flamy Grant, for a performance on April 10 at 7:00 PM.  Billboard-charting artist Flamy Grant, describes herself as a “shame-slaying, hip-swaying, singing-songwriting drag queen from western North Carolina.” Her 2022 debut record, Bible Belt Baby, was nominated for best pop album at the San Diego Music Awards, reached the top spot on iTunes Christian Charts (a first for a drag performer), and was named as one of the Top Ten Queer Country Albums of 2023 by Rainbow Rodeo Magazine. “Good Day,” a single from the album, debuted at number 20 on the Billboard Christian digital sales chart.  Among other accomplishments, Flamy won the 2023 Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition, was nominated for a 2023 QueerX award, and has been featured in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and People. Her music has more than 750,000 streams on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon music. Much of Flamy’s music focuses on the queer spiritual journey with stories of resilience and recovery from religious trauma in a world where LGBTQ+ people are too often ignored by, harmed in, or ejected from religious spaces. Rev. Dr. Justin Sabia-Tanis, associate professor of social transformation and leadership, shares, “Drag has a long and established history in the performing arts and as a form of personal expression. It is also a means of resistance against oppressive gender and sexual norms; after all, the first person to use the term ‘drag queen,' William Dorsey Swann, was also the first to organize and petition the US government for rights for sexual and gender minorities.” Learn more about Flamy via United student Amanda Schultz’s profile published by the LGBTQ Religious Archive Network. United students, faculty, and staff can attend this special event for no cost (or a donation). Non-United students pay just $5.00; guests who come with United faculty and staff, and other community members, can enjoy the show for $10.00. Space is limited! Students and alums who are not able to attend onsite have the option of joining via Zoom.  We encourage you to learn more and sign up via the form below.

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January 31, 2024

Accompanying: The Journey of Staughton and Alice Lynd—A Documentary Viewing & Panel Conversation

Join the Leadership Center for Social Justice and the Justice and Peace Studies program at the University of St. Thomas as we view a documentary about the life of Quaker activists Staughton and Alice Lynd. Accompanying: The Journey of Staughton and Alice Lynd is a documentary by Catherine Murphy that covers the Lynds’ remarkable partnership in social justice struggles over seven decades, including Staughton’s time as director of the SNCC Freedom Schools and their opposition to the Vietnam War. After watching clips from the film, enjoy a panel discussion about the Lynds. The Panelists We are delighted to announced that Alice Lynd will be joining us through Zoom as will our three expert panelists: Marcus Rediker—Marcus Rediker is the Distinguished Professor of Atlantic History at the University of Pittsburgh. His “histories from below,” including The Slave Ship: A Human History, have won numerous awards, including the George Washington Book Prize, and have been translated into 17 languages worldwide. He produced a film, Ghosts of Amistad, with director Tony Buba, and wrote a play, “The Return of Benjamin Lay,” with playwright Naomi Wallace.  Zoharah Simmons—Dr. Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons is a human rights activist, a scholar of women in Islam, and faculty member in the Department of Religion at the University of Florida, Gainesville. A former leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in Laurel, Mississippi and Atlanta, Georgia, Simmons helped found independent Black political organizations in the 1970s. She is also a Sufi Muslim who draws on the compassion and inclusiveness of her faith in her work. In 2016, at the invitation of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, she lectured in four European countries about the history and meaning of the African American freedom movement. Catherine Murphy—An independent producer, Catherine Murphy focuses primarily on social documentaries. She has field-produced films like Saul Landau’s, Will the Real Terrorist Please Stand Up? and Eugene Corr’s From Ghost Town to Havana. Catherine also served on Gay Cuba’s production crew and subtitled Stealing America by Dorothy Fadiman, Jaime Kibben’s The Greening of Cuba, and Out and Refusenicks by Sonja de Vries. While in Caracas in 2009, Catherine founded Tres Musas Producciones, a collaborative production house of independent women producers working in film, music, and literature. Eduardo Galeano published four short stories based on her interviews in his most penultimate book, Espejos. Rev. Dr. Ry Siggelkow, director of the Leadership Center for Social Justice, is moderating the event. East Side Freedom Library, Maestra Productions, and the Justice and Peace Studies Program at the University of St. Thomas are co-sponsors.  Timing/Location for the Event The evening will begin at 6:00 PM CT on Wednesday, April 10 and will take place in person inside the O'Shaughnessy Education Center (OEC) Auditorium at the University of St. Thomas (off Cleveland Avenue). Enjoy snacks and refreshments before the event. Register Below

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