Resmaa Menakem is a New York Times best-selling, artist, and psychotherapist specializing in the effects of trauma on the human body and relationships in Black families and Black society. His important book , was published in September 2017 and his most recent book, was published in 2022.

is a writer, liturgist, speaker seeking a deeply contemplative life marked by embodiment and emotion. She is the creator of , a space that integrates spiritual practice with Black emotion, Black literature, and the Black body; and a project of The Center for Dignity and Contemplation where she serves as Curator. In her work, she produces and curates content to guide others into deeper musings and embodiment of the faith. She was also a for Advent in 2020.

is a contemporary theologian associated with process theology and womanist theology. She is John and Patricia Cochran Scholar for Inclusive Excellence and Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Delaware. Her memoir reflects on her experience and process around faith, race, and mental health. Her second book, , is included in syllabi in theological schools around the country.

is a dynamic speaker, teacher, author, and reconciliation leader. Her mission is to inspire and empower emerging Christian leaders to be practitioners of reconciliation in their various spheres of influence. Her book, , offers a distinctly Christian framework for addressing systemic injustice. In her most recent book, Dr. McNeil looks to the biblical story of Nehemiah for action-based model for repairing and rebuilding our communities and transforming broken systems. Listen to Rev. Dr. McNeil on The Allender Center podcast.

Jemar Tisby (BA, University of Notre Dame; MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is听a co-host of the and the author of the New York Times bestseller, 听and several .

is an African-American Episcopal priest, womanist theologian, and the inaugural Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary. She is also the Canon Theologian at the Washington National Cathedral. She wrote which Dr. Ron Ruthruff uses in his course Word on the Street.

is a New York Times best-selling author, speaker, and media producer providing inspired leadership on racial justice in America. She is the author of and the Executive Producer of web series

Willie James Jennings teaches systematic theology and Africana studies at Yale Divinity School and is known for his award-winning book .

has 30 years of experience working with grassroots organizations, helping them unleash possibilities and reach their deeper potential. He has a PhD in Clinical and Community Psychology from Boston University, and Med in Counseling from Cleveland University. He is an executive coach, Professor of Practice, and the Associate Director of the Leadership Institute at the University of San Diego.

is a womanist theologian and activist, ordained United Methodist elder, and national and international lecturer. She currently serves as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Meadville Lombard Theological School and Associate Professor of Constructive Theology. Dr. Lightsey is also the author of . You can watch Dr. Lightsey engage with a panel of speakers at our .

is the Neil F. and Ila A. Fisher Chair of Theology at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and the author of . Dr. Brian Bantum was also our keynote speaker at the annual Stanley Grenz Lecture in 2020, .

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Ron鈥檚 education is an eclectic blend of social work, counseling, and theological studies. Ron holds a Doctorate of Ministry in Complex Urban Settings from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston. His dissertation title, Welcoming Kids to the Table of Community: New Horizons Ministries as a Model of Service to Homeless Runaway Adolescents, addresses the psychosocial and spiritual issues surrounding homeless adolescents and describes a relationally based and theologically-supported delivery strategy to serve these marginalized young people.

Ron is a senior fellow with the Center for Transforming Mission, providing training and support for grassroots urban leaders serving youth and families in hard places around the world. Closer to home, Ron is on a regular preaching schedule at several local churches. He lives in the Rainier Valley, a multicultural neighborhood in the south end of Seattle with his wife, Linda, with whom he has served for nearly 30 years. Their two adult sons, Ben and Clayton, live close by.

Ron teaches courses focused on Biblical ethics, social justice and community development, such as 鈥淏eing the Word on the Street,鈥� 鈥淓ngaging Global Partnerships,鈥� and 鈥淐are of the Soul and the Call to Sacred Activism.鈥�

What are you currently reading?

Over the past six months with the political climate in the US conflates nationalism, and whiteness with Christianity, I have been drawn in two directions. First to understand this shift, both theologically and psycho-socially.听 I have read The Flag and The Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy by Philip S Gorski and Samuel Perry American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens The Church听by Andrew Whitehead and The Psychology of Christian 听Nationalism: Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Great Divide by Pamela Cooper-White. The second direction is a strategy and corrective action taken to counteract the theological misappropriation and social narcissism that has led to the myth of exceptionalism and its misguided mandate regarding the election, doctrines of discovery, and manifest destiny.听 For this I have been reading Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party by Joshua Bloom and Waldo E. Martin, Jr. as well as other community organizing books. The best of which is Ben McBride’s Troubling the Water: The Urgent Call of Radical Belonging听

What have you been listening to lately?

Sturgill Simpson, Yola Carter, Amythyst Kiah, Tyler Childers, Brandi Carlisle, and Marcus King are always on my playlist. I also just finished the Podcast The Walk Home, a public radio journalism project that tells the story of murdered Tacoma resident Emmanuel Ellis. For live music, you鈥檒l find me at the Tractor listening to alt-country and Americana music, or following my son’s band, Miss Prince. I love watching Clayton鈥檚 band play loud all over the city.

What research do you find yourself drawn to at the moment?

I鈥檝e been reflecting quite a bit on whiteness and identity. Dr Hoard and I are at the beginning stages of a project regarding the embodiment of Antiracist practice in contrast to ideological platitudes.

Any exciting summer plans?

I am always trying to be a more proficient motorcycle rider! Gardening with Linda. This July we hope to be on the Oregon Coast.

If you could have dinner with any person, dead or alive, who would they be?

No question: Johnny Cash.

If you weren鈥檛 in your current profession, you鈥檇 be鈥�?

I would love to own a tavern/BBQ joint that played blues and Americana music. I would also love to be a prison chaplain.

Who is your literary or living hero?

Arnold Spirit in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Also, my sons: My oldest is an elementary school teacher. His way of teaching and connecting with kids, being attentive to social/emotional learning, and actively working to address the opportunity gap is inspiring. My youngest is an artist and musician. His art is filled with complexity, and his music is loud and truth-filled.

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These books are not required for any particular course, but instead are a peek into our hearts and minds as we enter this new season.

As you discern what books you鈥檇 like to add to your summer list, we invite you to consult and consider buying a book from a Black-owned independent bookstore.

Community Recommendations
	by Padriag O鈥橳uama听 Recommended by Millicent Haase, MDiv ’21, Admissions Counselor听 From master storyteller and host of On Being’s Poetry Unbound, P谩draig 脫 Tuama, comes an unforgettable memoir of peace and reconciliation, Celtic spirituality, belonging, and sexual identity. 鈥�It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.鈥澨�
	by Cole Arthur Riley听 Recommended by McKenna Hight, MDiv ’24 This quote from the introduction sets the frame: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER: In her stunning debut, the creator of Black Liturgies weaves stories from three generations of her family alongside contemplative reflections to discover the 鈥渘ecessary rituals鈥� that connect us with our belonging, dignity, and liberation.听听 鈥淭o be human in an aching world is to know our dignity and become people who safeguard the dignity of everything around us.鈥澨�
	by Dr. Angela Parker听 Recommended by McKenna Hight, MDiv ’24 A challenge to the doctrine of biblical inerrancy that calls into question how Christians are taught more about the way of Whiteness than the way of Jesus.听 鈥淚n essence, If God Still Breathes, Why Can鈥檛 I allows me to hold the idea of Scripture as authoritative while interrogating the doctrines of inerrancy and infallibility as tools of White supremacist thought that promote the erasure of communal memory.鈥澨�

More Community Recommendations:

Cheryl Goodwin, Director of Institutional Assessment and Library Services 听

• by Brian McClaren听

Daniel Tidwell-Davis, Director of Student & Academic Services听

• 听 by Ash Van Oterloo听
• by James Alison听

Jana Peterson, MDiv ’21 & current theology doctoral student at 听

• by Randy Woodley听
• by Steven Heinrichs听
• by Robin Wall Kimmerer听
• by Osheta Moore
• by Jennifer Grace Bird Dr. Ron Ruthruff, Associate Professor of Theology and Culture

Dr. Joel Kiekintveld, Adjunct Faculty, Listening Lab Leader听

• by Randy Woodley听
• by Hartmut Rosa听
• by Andrew Root and Blair D. Bertrand听
• by James K. A. Smith听

Katrina Fitzpatrick, Assistant Instructor听

• by Richard Twiss听
• by Kristin Kobes Du Mez听听
• by Randy Woodley and Bo Sanders听
• by Isabel Wilkerson听

Krista Law, MACP ’12 & MATC ’13, Enrollment Manager听

• by Wil Gafney听

Lauren Peiser, Director of Partnerships听

• by Matthias Roberts听

Mackenzie Martin, Academic Advisor听

• by Rebecca Roanhorse听

Dr. Maria Fee, Adjunct Faculty听

• by Willie James Jennings听
• by Courtney Bryant听
• by Patrick Bringley
• by Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt
• by Lucretia B. Yaghjian
• by Madeleine L’Engle

Dr. O鈥橠onnell Day, Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology

• by Patrick Casement
• by M Fakhry Davids
• by Narendra Keval
• by Frank Lowe
• by Thomas Ogden听

Dr. Paul Hoard, Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology

• by Stephen Mitchell and Margaret Black
• by John Caputo听
• by Resmaa Menakem
• by Richard Mitchell
• by Neil Postman听听
• by Daniel Jose Gaztambide听
• by Emily Nagoski听
• by Slavoj Zizek听
• by Bessel van der Kolk听
• by Julia Serano听

Dr. Ron Ruthruff, Associate Professor of Theology and Culture

• by Philip S Gorski and Samuel Perry
• by Andrew Whitehead听
• by Pamela Cooper White听
• by Joshua Bloom and Waldo E. Martin JR听听

Dr. Pat Loughery, Affiliate Faculty听听

• by Rob Walker 听
• by Becky Chambers
• by Oliver Burkeman

Jeanette Scott, MACP ’08, Practicum Leader

• by Colin Woodard

We look forward to being in conversation with you about the places your own readings and curiosities take you this summer when we enter into learning together this fall. Until then, we hope each of us can find some good time in the sun.

The post What to Read Before September appeared first on 天美视频 of Theology & Psychology.

These new 39-credit degrees come as 天美视频 recognizes learners are looking for professional degrees with streamlined programs and highly applicable skills for the ways they are serving in the world. Previously, 天美视频鈥檚 48-credit Master of Arts in Theology & Culture allowed students to choose from three tracks (Interdisciplinary Studies, Global & Social Partnership, or Theology, Imagination & The Arts). These tracks have been reimagined and embedded into the integrative curriculum of the new degree programs. In these two-year programs, students engage both theory and practice through a contextual and applied orientation toward theology. Each of these degrees are composed of three elements: our common curriculum, a series of MATC core courses, and a set of degree-specific classes and learning projects built toward the arts, community development, or ministry.

鈥淲e are preparing leaders to engage culturally complex communities and innovative expressions of Christian faith into the future,鈥� says Dr. J. Derek McNeil, President and Provost of 天美视频. 鈥淚 am hopeful that these training degrees bring about a more balanced student body, decrease the burden of student debt, and that they better serve the needs of both those who come to us looking for training and the communities our students inhabit.鈥� Funding through the Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative supports this programmatic evolution for the school鈥檚 Theology & Culture degree as well as continued development of innovative programming aimed at training and supporting those leading faith communities.

鈥淭he Theology faculty have worked hard to develop an integrated curriculum that allows students to have in-depth study in their particular vocational pathway while retaining a cohort model that encourages cross-disciplinary thinking and engagement with colleagues.鈥� says Dr. Misty Anne Winzenried, Dean of Teaching and Learning. 鈥淲ith the low-residency model and the curriculum redesign, students are invited to see their own contexts as part of the learning experience. The ministries, organizations, and communities that students are already working in and members of become part of our collective classroom.鈥�

天美视频 will begin accepting applications for these three programs in February for the first cohort to begin in Fall of 2022. Current students enrolled in the MATC degree will be allowed to finish out and graduate under the existing curriculum. For more information on the three new degree programs, please visit the MATC landing page.

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Earlier this year we spoke with Millicent Haase (MDiv 鈥�21) to learn more about why she chose to pursue a Master of Divinity degree and her vision for ministry post-graduation. Keep reading to learn more about what Milli encountered in her courses and her Integrative Project鈥攁n in-depth dissertation each theology student completes as a culmination of their studies.

What drew you to 天美视频’s Master of Divinity graduate program?

Seminary had been on my mind for a while before pursuing my Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree at 天美视频. Before coming to the red brick building, I had completed my MA in Comparative Religion at the University of Washington and had taught undergraduate religion courses鈥攂oth as a Teaching Assistant and then as a Faculty Liaison. I was trained to look at religion secularly鈥攁s a human, social phenomenon with quantifiable data points鈥攖hat considering seminary was initially easily dismissed as 鈥渘o, I鈥檓 too academic for that.鈥� I grew up in Hawai鈥檌 with a fusion of progressive, non-denominational Christian theologies and indigenous worldviews, and felt comfortable taking a critical look at religion. What I found I was missing at UW, though, was the permission to both critically examine and engage religion鈥攂ecause I do believe religion is the most fascinating subject and the Bible is the greatest story ever told (especially if you read it in Hebrew and Greek!)鈥�and also be in conversation with God. Because when I am honest with myself, I am not just an academic, I am a fully embodied, believing, spiritual, soulful person looking for smart and alternative ways to engage the Divine in community. 天美视频 balanced both of these impulses, and today I feel like a more well-rounded and robust Christian scholar-practitioner.

My coming to 天美视频 was slightly serendipitous 鈥� or Spirit lead 鈥� in that I had a co-worker enrolled in the MACP program at the time I began looking at seminaries, and my mentor (Dr. James Wellman, UW) casually looped me in that his wife attended 天美视频 and he absolutely saw me attending. Upon arriving on campus for my initial campus tour and exploration with Ashlee Knight, Dr. Ron Ruthruff greeted me at the front desk, and I must say, his down-to-earth, real, no-nonsense welcome sealed it for me. I thought to myself: 鈥淲hat is this rugged, progressive, red-brick building of a school?鈥� And: 鈥淚f Dr. Ruthruff is the kind of faculty that鈥檚 here, I鈥檓 in.鈥� Dr. Ruthruff would go on to become my Integrative Project advisor and biggest source of understanding, support, and encouragement throughout my time at 天美视频.

What have you been surprised by in this MDiv program?

What鈥檚 so great about 天美视频 is its multi-denominational aspect. What surprised me was that, while a lot of my peers were deconstructing their long-held theologies鈥攁nd I was as well, to be sure鈥擨 found myself falling into theologies in a way that amazed me. I never felt indoctrinated, but the more we dug deep into the Bible, various historical translations, and how various translations have shifted through time, I didn鈥檛 find myself falling away from Christianity, but rather, falling deeper into Christianity in a more multifaceted way. And I feel tremendously hopeful in this. The time has long come for the deconstruction of calcified systems and patterns, and rather than feeling at a loss, I feel encouraged that something new and beautiful and Spirit lead is being birthed, and I鈥檓 thrilled to be part of the conversations.

In what ways has your story impacted, shaped, or inspired your studies?

My growing up in Hawai鈥檌 shaped my theologies, and my lived experiences bubbled up so powerfully that for my final Integrated Project, I researched Hawaiian de-colonial and anti-colonial theologies and practices. For my first Master鈥檚 degree (MA in Comparative Religion at UW), I spent considerable time on location in Israel and the Occupied Territories studying Modern Hebrew and Arabic and researching the ways the religious courts are modernizing, rendering religion a considerable part of human social change and influence. I鈥檓 absolutely in love with the Middle East and thought I might continue looking towards that region of the world in my research. But my story turned me around 鈥� literally 鈥� towards my Pacific context, a place which deeply informed me, a prophetic place that has claimed Jesus as their own to powerfully and radically undermine empire 鈥� and everything clicked into place. Of course, I see the world the way I do, and what鈥檚 more: there鈥檚 value to my perspective. So, I leaned into my story.

Tell us about the Integrative Project. What topic did you choose and why? What did you learn from the process, and how have you applied it to your work?

My Integrative Project鈥擲鈥攊s one example of an anticolonial engagement with a decolonial theologian for the shared venture of prophetically undermining empire as contextually located, fully embodied Jesus followers.

Eurocentric churches have attempted programs of racial reconciliation to varying degrees of success, most of which are left wanting. Our task as white Christians seeking appropriate antiracist and anticolonial ally-ship is to listen and to be changed by story. Rather than fit indigenous narratives into our own, for example, how can we be changed 鈥� seriously theologically and systemically changed? This project is an anticolonial project 鈥� one from within the dominating majority seeking to undermine power – that seeks to unsettle Eurocentric theologies. Decolonial theologians 鈥� theologians from the margins – are illuminating biblical motifs and theologies in nuanced ways, and these are the voices we need to guide us into more complete and unfolding ethics of Jesus if we are to advance the broader postcolonial project of dismantling systems of white supremacy.

By looking to Rev. Dr. Kaleo Patterson as one example of an indigenous decolonial theologian nuancing Eurocentric theologies, practitioners are invited to consider the ways the Hawaiian demigod Kukailimoku illuminates: 1. God鈥檚 desire to simply be with us; 2. The invitation to re-image the Cross; 3. The shortcomings of atonement theories and the invitation to something new. Drawing upon social anthropology, theology, biblical studies, and history, I excavate Patterson鈥檚 sermons, take us to the biblical motifs Patterson himself highlights, and then explore what indigenously nuanced theologies look like and what this means for anticolonial allies. While I am drawing heavily on the work of Rev. Dr. Patterson as one example of a decolonial indigenous theologian, I am not merely reporting his words and ideas. Rather, I am accepting Patterson鈥檚 invitation, among other decolonial theologians, to poke holes in Eurocentric theologies, and modeling ways by which our theological imaginations can play and expand in liberating ways.

What are your hopes, dreams, and desires as they relate to your future vocation?

I accepted the position of Assistant Instructor for 天美视频 and I am honored and thrilled to continue in this project of robust engagement with the Divine in such a life-giving community. Coaching graduate-level writing and research in the seminary classroom pulls on both parts of me: one comfortable with critically interrogating religion鈥擟hristian missions in Hawai鈥檌 have a lot to answer to鈥攁nd also one deeply engaged with the Divine all around me. I鈥檇 love to keep working with religion in academic settings, perhaps even continue my research in a doctoral program? Dr. Ruthruff held strong to Integrative Project page limit because I was ready to write another 100 pages more, so there鈥檚 so much more for me to say and learn and experience and challenge.

How has your time at 天美视频 prepared you for what’s next?

I thought I was too academic for seminary, but while at 天美视频 I have pastored my peers and teachers. I have co-facilitated communion for our community in ways that challenge traditional church hierarchies. I have preached on campus and for an urban church community. I have broken bread with our unhoused neighbors, prayed with them, laughed and cried with them, and have been taught by them. I belong to a cohort of peers and teachers that have journeyed alongside me and will no doubt be with me through every next stage (my baby shower was even on campus!). I have co-hosted campus vespers services, vigils, celebrations, and banquets alongside student leadership. I was chosen to be our graduation student speaker. I have practiced pastoring in a safe space, and now I鈥檓 ready for more.

What drives you to continue in ministry?

This is such a robust field bursting forth with new life and potential. This is especially felt in the Pacific Northwest, a place of church 鈥渘ones,鈥� who aren鈥檛 鈥渘one鈥� as initially thought, but are looking for 鈥� and bringing forth – alternatives. This is absolutely the place to be at the most exciting time.

What advice would you give someone who鈥檚 interested in our Master of Divinity program?

I was tucked in a corner on campus once, reading, and President Dr. Derek McNeil paused while passing by to tell me to look up every now and then. Yes, so much learning comes from our books, and for a theology student, our reading lists are like gift lists, but what we will remember most comes from our experiences in community. 天美视频 is a special place. You will be challenged, to be sure, you will learn, and you will grow, but it鈥檚 the people who make this place what it is. If Spirit is wooing you, like she did me, come and experience.

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The Integrative Project serves as a capstone for students in our MDiv and MATC degree programs as they both look back on their training and discern what it will look like for them to serve God and neighbor in their post-graduate contexts. Students work with a faculty advisor to form a project that integrates the student鈥檚 passions and calling, drawing from the fullness of their experience at 天美视频 and a robust research methodology to create a major project or paper.

The 12 presentations below synthesize each project鈥檚 thesis along with the student鈥檚 experience in creating it, and are organized into three framing categories. In the coming months, final drafts of each Integrative Project will be available in 天美视频鈥檚 library after the candidate鈥檚 graduation.

Integrative Project Symposium Q&A

Crossing Boundaries, Coming Home

Hawaii Pupu Sampler: A Historical Account and Cookbook of Hawaii Local Dishes

Keone Villaplaza, MATC

Abstract

Father, Son, and The Aloha Spirit: An Anticolonial Engagement with Decolonial Theologies

Millicent Haase, MDiv

Abstract

Elders and Adolescents: Adolescence Reimagined

Michael Alfstad, MATC

Abstract

Art, Fragmentation, and Transformation

Transfiguration of the Maternal Bond: Re-forming Divine Image through Embodied Visual Memoir

Ellie Bosworth, MATC

Abstract

Stitch by Stitch: Art from the Ashes

Emma Groppe, MATC

Unfortunately, due to family circumstances, Emma is unable to attend the Integrative Project Q&A. To share reflections or questions with Emma in response to her project, please submit this .

Abstract

Recovery, Escape, and Consolation: Fantasy鈥檚 Generous Gifts

Lisa LaMarche, MATC

Abstract

Embodied Story and Re-Formation

Blood and Soil: Tending Ancestral Wounds of White Christianity

Kathryn Fontana, MDiv

Abstract

The Idolatry of Consciousness: Materiality and Spirituality in Christian Formation

Samuel Koekkoek, MDiv

Abstract

In the Realm of Jungian Psychoanalysis: Examining Popular Culture Fandom as a Catalyst for Individuation

Rachel Zeller, MACP

Abstract

Imagining for the Beloved Community: Challenging Orthodoxy With Embodied Orthopraxy

Tiny Pieces: Finding 鈥淲holiness鈥� by Shattering the Body Terrorism of the Church and Forming a New Embodied Theology of Imago Trini Dei

Sophie Katrina Fitzpatrick, MDiv

Abstract

Toward an Inclusive, Anticolonial Hermeneutic of the Bible

Jana Grosenbach Peterson, MDiv

Abstract

Deconstruction: Toward the Prophetic Art of Language Construction

Mikaela Serafin, MDiv and MACP

Abstract

View All Presentations

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As I sat down to write a Harry Potter fanfiction for class this past term, I drew both on my experiences reading the seven canonical novels as well as my engagement with the best fanfiction that I鈥檝e read. I was reminded of how developed my own imagination was at 12 when I started reading fanfiction and writing some of my own; this began right after the book series ended, when I feared a loss of mystery and discovery in the secondary world that helped me make sense of my own experiences more than any other fiction work had before. In the hundreds of new stories that I devoured then, these writers suggested that the discovery journey was just beginning.

The onset of my fanfiction engagement coincided with great turmoil in key relationships. For a number of reasons, I became disenchanted with my own life and felt more like a stranger in many of the circles I occupied. Here, fanfiction in the Wizarding World was a healing balm for me. In a beautiful reversal, the stage became my life, and I could act out my adolescent frustrations and fears. Before I had the language to detail the grief and disorientation of personal trauma, I could lead the wizards and witches in my story to engage pain on my behalf.

Seeing their ability to persist in the face of mortal peril and acknowledging that their success was at my demand as their creator, I learned to consider my own power to do the same in my own life. Harry Potter offers a unique sense of agency here. The richness of its world makes the story as accessible for a young child as it is for any adult. The characters of Harry Potter are people to meet and know well, and fanfiction in the world of Harry Potter allows a writer to be themselves alongside original inhabitants, just transported to a new magical country. I didn鈥檛 naively assume that my influence stretched very far past the page; I was still 12 and still unsure of my place in the world. Rather, I noticed that my ability to hope and imagine could endure in the face of a world that seemed to indicate that the exact opposite was true. Not only that, but I could also create hope in another, even if that other was a fiction from my own head. I credit the nameless authors whose work inspired me to become a co-creator in my own life story. I consider them collaborators in my personal world as much as that of the Wizarding World.

Fanfiction can even synthesize micro-zeitgeists that those close to a secondary world share deeply. For those who want to imagine redemption for evil, there are stories detailing Voldemort鈥檚 ownership of his wrongdoing and subsequent penance, while others allow Draco Malfoy to overcome his cowardice to become the man that we all hoped he could be. For those who are used to being relegated to the background of their own lives, Colin Creevey tales represent a centering of any unexpected and unnoticed voice. Indeed, fanfiction can enable representation in areas where it is currently missing.

As beloved as J.K. Rowling鈥檚 created world is, it is often lambasted for its lack of effective diversity of characters. Everyone, primary to tertiary, is a straight, cisgender, White person, with the occasional, heavy-handedly written BIPOC. Even in these few instances of representation, we see nothing meaningful in Cho Chang鈥檚 Asian heritage or Dean Thomas鈥� Blackness. Our only known queer characters were identified after the series鈥� publication and still remain defined only by the tragedy in their stories. They all read as stand-ins to satisfy a white gaze, or to comfort heteronormativity without disrupting the typical world order. Fanfiction reimagines stories like these through subversion, where Hermione isn鈥檛 white, Ron isn鈥檛 straight, and our Wizarding community migrates from the mountains of Scotland. Imagination here becomes a recursive phenomenon; as new ideas are generated, they encourage and produce other novel stories, which invite more readers to create their own as well, all in the same shared secondary world. This is the 鈥渇irst fruits鈥� of any liberative work, where people need to see themselves living rich and full lives before creating them; they can rehearse fostering hope in the safety of a fictional secondary world before returning to our primary world to put it to practice.

Far from being the immature musings of uninspired fans, fanfiction invites readers to consider themselves as co-creators in their spiritual stories rather than consumers or spectators. For children and adults alike, it offers a chance to create a world within a world, to break and make rules of engagement, and to prepare the courage they need to confront despair and anguish in their own lives. A rich tool for capturing goodness and injecting often anemic hope with vitality, fanfiction asks us to hope that our primary world, the personal and the communal, might one day be just as magical.

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Edited by Heather A. Horst and Daniel Miller

Through a range of case studies from Facebook to Second Life to Google Earth, Digital Anthropology explores how human and digital can be defined in relation to one another, from avatars and disability; cultural differences in how we use social networking sites or practise religion; the practical consequences of the digital for politics, museums, design, space and development to new online world and gaming communities.

By Donald E. Knuth

How does a computer scientist understand infinity? What can probability theory teach us about free will? Can mathematical notions be used to enhance one’s personal understanding of the Bible? Perhaps no one is more qualified to address these questions than Donald E. Knuth, whose massive contributions to computing have led others to nickname him “The Father of Computer Science”鈥攁nd whose religious faith led him to understand a fascinating analysis of the Bible called the 3:16 project. In this series of six spirited, informal lectures, Knuth explores the relationships between his vocation and his faith, revealing the unique perspective that his work with computing has lent to his understanding of God.

Listen to the founders of TheoTech interview people about 鈥渋ntegrating faith and tech, theological takes on the latest tech news, stories from the frontlines of industry, book summaries, and more.鈥�

By Neal Stephenson

Neal Stephenson imagines an alternate universe where scientists, philosophers, and mathematicians live in seclusion behind ancient monastery walls until they are called back into the world to deal with a crisis of astronomical proportions.

Directed by Jeff Orlowski

Dr. Kj Swanson says, 鈥淚f you鈥檝e had questions for yourself or for younger generations about how the massive changes in internet technology and social media over the past 15 years may be affecting us, carve out time immediately for this documentary. Interviews with tech leaders and social psychologists, along with dramatization of how one family undergoes these dynamics, highlight the vital importance of educating ourselves not just about how we use technology, but how technology uses us. This doc also serves as an excellent intro to Dr. Shoshana Zuboff鈥檚 The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power (2019) ISBN: 9781781256855.鈥�

By Alister McGrath

Einstein鈥檚 revolutionary scientific ideas have transformed our world, ushering in the nuclear age. The current pace of scientific and technological progress is simply astounding. So is there any place for faith in such a world? Einstein himself gave careful thought to the deepest questions of life. […] In this book, McGrath examines the life and work of Einstein, explaining his scientific significance and considering what Einstein did and did not believe about science, religion, and the meaning of life.

Chris Ridgeway and Adam Graber tackle conversations about the integration and intersection of theology and the technology we use on a day to day basis.

Krista Tippet interviews Kevin Kelley, founding editor of WIRED and a 鈥減hilosopher technologist,鈥� about our role in the rapidly approaching tech evolution of AI and the importance of asking questions.

Special thanks to Dr. Kj Swanson, Dr. Pat Loughery, and Kate Rae Davis, MDiv for their contributions to this list.

The post Read, Watch, Listen: 8 Theology & Technology Resources appeared first on 天美视频 of Theology & Psychology.

by Shelly Rambo

鈥淚n Spirit and Trauma, Rambo draws on contemporary studies in trauma to rethink a central claim of the Christian faith: that new life arises from death. Reexamining the narrative of the death and resurrection of Jesus from the middle day-liturgically named as Holy Saturday-she seeks a theology that addresses the experience of living in the aftermath of trauma.鈥�

Surprising Connections between Neuroscience and Spiritual Practices That Can Transform Your Life and Relationships

by Curt Thompson, MD

鈥淒r. Thompson reveals how it is possible to rewire your mind, altering your brain patterns and literally making you more like the person God intended you to be. Explaining discoveries about the brain in layman鈥檚 terms, he shows how you can be mentally transformed through spiritual practices, interaction with Scripture, and connections with other people.鈥�

A Journey Of Faith In The Face Of Severe Learning Disability

By Frances Young

Theologian Frances Young writes a personal narrative about her son鈥檚 learning disability and 鈥渉ope and help for all who struggle with faith in the face of unremitting suffering.鈥� Though not distinctly about trauma, Young asks difficult questions about life, God, and how we are to respond in the midst of difficult circumstances.

By Resmaa Menakem

鈥淚n this groundbreaking work, therapist Resmaa Menakem examines the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of body-centered psychology. He argues this destruction will continue until Americans learn to heal the generational anguish of white supremacy, which is deeply embedded in all our bodies. Our collective agony doesn’t just affect African Americans. White Americans suffer their own secondary trauma as well. So do blue Americans鈥攐ur police. My Grandmother’s Hands is a call to action for all of us to recognize that racism is not about the head, but about the body, and introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our entrenched racialized divide.鈥�

by Thomas Lewis (et. al)

鈥淎 General Theory of Love demonstrates that our nervous systems are not self-contained: from earliest childhood, our brains actually link with those of the people close to us, in a silent rhythm that alters the very structure of our brains, establishes life-long emotional patterns, and makes us, in large part, who we are.鈥�

Living in the Afterlife of Trauma

By Shelly Rambo

鈥淪helly Rambo rereads the Thomas story and the history of its interpretation through the lens of trauma studies to reflect on the ways that the wounds of race, gender, and war persist. Wounds do not simply go away, even though a close reading of John Calvin reveals his theological investments in removing wounds. This erasure reflects a dominant mode of Christian thinking, but it is not the only Christian reading.[…] Again, the visceral display of Jesus鈥� wounds, when placed at the center of Thomas鈥� encounter in the Upper Room, enacts a vision of resurrecting that addresses the real harm of the real wounds of war.鈥�

By Elie Wiesel

鈥淔irst published in 1958, Night is the autobiographical account of an adolescent boy and his father in Auschwitz. Elie Wiesel writes of their battle for survival and of his battle with God for a way to understand the wanton cruelty he witnesses each day. In the short novel Dawn, a young man who has survived World War II and settled in Palestine joins a Jewish underground movement and is commanded to execute a British officer who has been taken hostage. In Day, Wiesel questions the limits of conscience: Can Holocaust survivors forge a new life despite their memories?鈥�

Theology in a Ruptured World

By Serene Jones

鈥淐entral to its overall theme is an investigation of how individual and collective violence affect one鈥檚 capacity to remember, to act, and to love; how violence can challenge theological understandings of grace; and even how the traumatic experience of Jesus鈥� death is remembered. Jones focuses on the long-term effects of collective violence on abuse survivors, war veterans, and marginalized populations and the discrete ways in which grace and redemption may be exhibited in each context.鈥�

The Bible鈥檚 Traumatic Origins

By David Carr

鈥淗uman trauma gave birth to the Bible . . . the Bible鈥檚 ability to speak to suffering is a major reason why the sacred texts of Judaism and Christianity have retained their relevance for thousands of years. In his fascinating and provocative reinterpretation of the Bible鈥檚 origins, the author tells the story of how the Jewish people and Christian community had to adapt to survive multiple catastrophes and how their holy scriptures both reflected and reinforced each religion鈥檚 resilient nature.鈥�

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Quotes

鈥淭o what extent do we think that God actually took on our humanity?鈥� Dr. Chelle Stearns

鈥淕od is aware of the wounds of our body, the hurts to our soul, the aspects of our spirits that are downtrodden 鈥� God is not simply elevated and distant, but close, and probably we feel the hunger for closeness most when we are in pain. So the sense of aloneness that can come from pain and the sense that god is with us, coming alongside people to engage them in woundedness, in another type and depth of healing.鈥� Dr. J. Derek McNeil

鈥淭he presence of God isn鈥檛 just solidarity, this is a presence that works on the world constantly. It calls to us into a way of being that doesn鈥檛 accept the pain and suffering in the world. And that鈥檚 the other side of it – it鈥檚 not a given that there is suffering, but there is fierce resistance against it as well.鈥� Dr. Chelle Stearns

鈥淚t raises for me 鈥� puts me in the mind of thinking not about 鈥榟ow does God fix it,鈥� but 鈥榟ow does God live presently in it with us?鈥欌�� Dr. J. Derek McNeil

鈥淪o what body, what kinds of bodies are enough, are full enough, are really human, to the point of imagining Jesus taking on their flesh?鈥� Dr. Chelle Stearns

鈥淲here does our brokenness fit with our hope of restoration?鈥� Dr. J. Derek McNeil

鈥淣o wonder people responded to Jesus the way they did. He actually saw their faces, confronted their sorrows. It鈥檚 not just that he healed people and touched them, he saw who they were and this deep longing we have as humans, regardless of where we come from, but yet we each have that deep sorrow within us of we just want to be seen for who we are and known more deeply鈥攏ot just deeply but being known truly, honestly, warts and all.鈥� Dr. Chelle Stearns

Resources

• Watch Dr. Chelle Stearns speak on 鈥�Lament and Hope Through a Trauma-Informed Theology鈥� at our Seventh Annual Stanley Grenz Lecture
• Learn more about , author of 鈥淏lessings for a New Baby鈥�
• Read

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