Kwok ’n’ Roll

Christian Zionism, Palestinians, and the Attack on Iran

John and Samuel Munayer are brothers and younger Palestinian theologians living in Jerusalem. They have coedited The Cross and the Olive Tree. They shared what life is like living in Jerusalem during the U.S.-Israel attack on Iran. The war has disproportionately affected the Palestinian communities because they may not have bomb shelters. John and Samuel shared their stories of how they became interested in theology. They discussed the difference between the theology of martyrdom and the theology of survival. Even as their family suffered from the Nakba (catastrophe) of 1948, they still maintain hope for their people. They hope Palestinian Christians will remain steadfast and faithful to the Gospel, just as the olive trees survive drought and disaster. They admonish the Western churches that root for empire and encourage churches to speak up and see their problems as relating to justice for Palestinians.

John and Samuel Munayer’s book is The Cross and the Olive Tree: Cultivating Palestinian Theology Amid Gaza

 

God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit in the Age of Migration

Dr. Peter C. Phan is the Ignacio Ellacuria Chair of Catholic Social Thought at Georgetown University and a Vietnamese-American Catholic theologian. In this episode, he shares how his personal experience as a migrant has shaped his theology. In the book Christianity and Migration, Dr. Phan explores the overlap between migration studies and Christian theology. His theology of migration offers new ways of thinking about God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit in the age of migration. As a leading Asian American theologian, he encourages the next generation to pay attention to the pastoral care of Asian youths and to the relationship between the state and religion. He also shares his secret to being a prolific and productive scholar and the books he is working on.

Dr. Peter C. Phan’s newest book is Christianity and Migration: A Christian Theology of Migration.

How to Respond to Trauma in Theology and Mission

Dr. Septemmy E. Lakawa teaches mission studies, trauma theology, and feminist theology at Jakarta Theological Seminary. She interviewed women who have experienced violence and responded to the sexual abuse of Chinese women in Indonesia. To do justice for the abused victims, she urges us to address their ruptured lives and the wounds that remain. She believes that love is still possible for these victims, but it is a kind of ruptured love. She also shares her current research on blue theology to address climate change. Since much has been done on green theology, she wants to research women’s rituals and the sea—including rituals of resistance, healing, and persistence. She is the first female full professor at her school and the author of Compassion and Trauma: A New Imagination of Christian Mission in Indonesian.

Sexuality in the Black Church and Black Aesthetics

Dr. Ralph Basui Watkins is a professor of evangelism and church growth at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. He discusses his forthcoming book, Inclusive Love: Seeing the Black Church in the Rainbow, and his journey of affirming and embracing LGBTQ brothers and sisters. As an acclaimed photographer, he shares his experience creating portraits while honoring each person as created in God's image. His appreciation of Black aesthetics is inspired by Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Sojourner Truth. He insists that churches need to learn how to communicate visually, since people spend much time on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and other social media. During Black History Month, he has been posting important books by African American authors on Facebook. He discusses the authors who have influenced him most.

The LGBTQ Community Fights Back Trump’s Policies

The Rev. Dr. Nancy Wilson is the former moderator of the Metropolitan Community Church and a longtime LGBTQ rights activist. She reflects on the political changes that have occurred a year into Trump’s second presidency, especially their impact on the LGBTQ community. She praises the efforts of clergy and faith leaders in Minneapolis for their protest against ICE and their witness to the Gospel. She shares that MCC churches in Florida, together with other progressive leaders, have been out on the streets protesting ICE and discriminatory bills. She discusses the development of MCC in ministering to the LGBTQ community through its 57 years of existence. MCC churches have been growing, especially in Brazil, and MCC churches and groups have been established in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Wilson also shares the spiritual practices that have sustained her as a prophetic leader who breaks barriers.

World Christianity from a Latin American Perspective

Dr. Raimundo César Barreto from Brazil teaches World Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey. He discusses the recent U.S. bombing of Venezuela and the Donroe Doctrine from the long history of American hegemony of the continent. His work focuses on the study of ecumenism in Latin America, not from the top, but from grassroots movements working together to address land dispossession, labor issues, and mass poverty. He calls this base ecumenism. Base ecumenism has contributed to both Catholic and Protestant ecumenical discussions, making it more contextual and grounded in social justice. His books discuss the development of Latin American Christianity in the 21st century, paying attention to popular religion, indigenous experience, the roles of women, and the growth of Pentecostalism. He says that world Christianity has moved away from a Eurocentric interpretation of Christianity to local agency and expressions. The next step is to examine how these local stories are interconnected and mutually influence one another.

Dr. Barreto's books include Engaging Coloniality: The Liberative Story of Christianity in Latin America and Base Ecumenism: Latin American Contributions to Ecumenical Praxis and Theology.

Feminist Theologian Speaks Out on U.S. Politics

Dr. Susan Thistlethwaite is an emerita professor and president of Chicago Theological Seminary. She is a feminist theologian, political commentator, and author of mystery novels. As a long-time public intellectual, she reflects on one year into the second Trump administration and the protests against ICE brutality in Minneapolis. She discusses how clergy and faith leaders bear witness in their nonviolent resistance and how this affects the country. Feminist theology, she says, is more relevant than ever, as toxic masculinity has dominated national discourse and politics. She uses her Substack “No Fear Religion and Politics” and writes mystery novels to spread her ideas about faith, democracy, and feminism.

Dr. Susan Thistlethwaite’s mystery novels include When Demons Float: A Kristin Ginelli Mystery and Malice: An Alex Bell Mystery.

How Did Asian Feminist Theology Begin?

Sr. Mary John Mananzan, a Missionary Benedictine nun, is a pioneer in Asian feminist theology. She was a keynote speaker at one of the first Asian theological conferences in Sukabumi, Indonesia, in 1981. An educator and activist, she co-founded GABRIELLA, a federation of women’s organizations in the Philippines, and served as its chairperson for 18 years. She discusses the early beginnings of Asian feminist theology and her awareness of the religious roots of women’s discrimination. As an early member of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT), she recalls that many male theologians were gender-blind. She shares how women struggled to gain their voices, leading to women’s eruption within the organization. Although women’s organizations and shelters face financial and other difficulties, witnessing women change from being victims to advocates inspires Mananzan to keep on. She hopes that the upcoming generation of Asian feminist theologians will continue to combine theory and praxis and work for the protection of vulnerable women in society.

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