Dear Friends,
The Fall 2022 semester is in full swing and as the temperatures drop and leaves change color, life at EDS at Union has become even more vibrant and busy. The Anglican Studies students now find themselves deep in their studies, challenged by new perspectives and questions as they seek to find that elusive balance between spiritual life, academics, and extracurriculars.
The past few weeks have been incredibly rich as EDS at Union has held our Fall 2022 community book read, the first film screening of a new program on religion, race, and film, as well as multiple online course offerings through our Anglican Social Justice pilot program. These opportunities enrich the life of our community providing diverse opportunities, both inside and outside the classroom, for learning and formation.
In this, my final year as Dean, I am especially proud of the recently-announced program called Religion and Racial Justice: Expanding the Moral Imaginary Through Film. Through a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, EDS at Union is bringing together a cohort of scholars, faith leaders, activists, and artists of color to explore religion and racial justice through the lens of film. Our first in-person event was held on October 12th and was a resounding success.
I am also very glad to see the growing opportunities for continuing education that EDS at Union is offering. In addition to the Anglican Social Justice pilot program, I want to highlight two upcoming courses. The first is an online two-day course taught by the Rev. Sarah (Cedar) Monroe on Chaplaincy and Building a Movement in Poor Communities on November 4-5. The second is the online course Queer Theology on Thursday evenings at 8 pm ET in the Spring 2023 semester. See more details below.
This is a great moment in the life of EDS at Union as we carry forth our legacy of transformative theological education. We continue to find new ways of responding to an ever-changing world.
I wish you every blessing this Fall.
God’s Peace,
The Very Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas, Ph.D.
Dean, Episcopal Divinity School at Union
Bill and Judith Moyers Chair in Theology, Union Theological Seminary
On August 31, EDS at Union hosted its annual welcome reception for new and returning students and their friends and partners. Dean Douglas stated, “Seminary education is an adventure, and that adventure will bring you to new levels of discernment.” View photos from the reception here.
EDS at Union has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation for Religion and Racial Justice: Expanding the Moral Imaginary Through Film. The grant funds a two-year program that brings together a cohort of scholars, faith leaders, activists, and artists of color to explore religion and racial justice through the lens of film. Learn more about the cohort and this exciting new project.
On October 4th, EDS at Union hosted Katherine Stewart for an address on her important book, The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism. Following the lecture, Stewart, Dean Douglas, and Professor Liz Reiner Platt from Columbia Law School and The Law, Rights, and Religion Project discussed Christian Nationalism and how religious freedom and liberty have become tools for discrimination. Watch the Community Read Lecture here. Check out photos from the event here.
The Rev. Sarah (Cedar) Monroe ’13 will be teaching a two-day online course called Chaplaincy and Building a Movement in Poor Communities on November 4-5. Click here to learn more. The registration deadline is today, Thursday, October 27th.
The Rev. Dr. Patrick Cheng will be teaching the online course Queer Theology on Thursday evenings at 8 pm ET. The course will be taught online via Zoom, and auditors are welcome. Registration opens in mid-November!
In August, Dean Douglas spent a week as the lead preacher at the Chautauqua Institution. Throughout the week, she lead worship services, public addresses, and joined a panel discussion with Darren Walker from the Ford Foundation. Click here to view photos and the Twitter thread.
In September, Dean Douglas was the keynote speaker for the Global Theology Conference at Liverpool Cathedral, organized by Emmanuel Theological College. The gathering featured luminaries at the forefront of global theology who addressed crucial topics ranging from church planting to persecution, ecology to intersectionality. Dean Douglas’s concluding remarks focused on the role of the Church in addressing racism from the legacy of slavery to COVID-19. Check out #ETCGlobal on Facebook to see more photos and commentary on the day!
Inaugurated in September 2021, the Anglicanism and Social Justice (ASJ) pilot program is a non-degree, low-cost, online theological education program for busy lay people and clergy of the Episcopal Church. Programmatic components include reading lists, two-day courses, and day-long conferences. Learn more here: Learn more here.