Kwok ’n’ Roll

Stand In Solidarity with LGBTQ Communities in Precarious Times

Dr. Cody J. Sanders is a queer Baptist minister, pastoral theologian, and Associate Professor of Congregational and Community Care Leadership at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Previously, he served as pastor of Old Cambridge Baptist Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In this episode, he responds to the taking away of trans rights and the Supreme Court decision not to reconsider the legality of same-sex marriage. He argues that the affirming of LGBTQ people by churches is only the first step. Churches must publicize LGBTQ stories and learn from how LGBTQ lives have become sources of theological wisdom. Despite the rejection and violence LGBTQ Christians have experienced, they have been practicing faith at the margins of religious communities. Dr. Sanders shares why he wrote the first book on the intersection between religious and spiritual narratives and LGBTQ suicide and interviewed LGBTQ people who had attempted suicide. He analyzes the stories that came out from the survivors and learned about their inspiring refashioning of Christian faith and queer theology. In our precarious times, churches and faith communities must take risks to stand in solidarity with this marginalized community in the public square.  

Dr. Cody J. Sanders’s books include Christianity, LGBTQ Suicide, and the Souls of Queer Folk and A Brief Guide to Ministry with LGBTQIA Youth

Listen wherever you get your podcasts

Watch full episodes on YouTube

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X

Website www.kwokpuilan.com

 

 

 

 

Notes of Rest with Julian Davis Reid

Julian Davis Reid is the founder of the ministry Notes of Rest®, which invites the weary into the rest of God practiced in the Bible and Black music. He is a musician, speaker, writer, and a Black artist-theologian of Chicago, who graduated from Candler School of Theology. In this episode, he discusses his upbringing in the church, immersed in both Black and classical music. He has studied and appreciated contemplative spirituality in the Black tradition, influenced by the works of Barbara A. Holmes, Howard Thurman, and Barbara L. Peacock. Reid has released the album Vocation, which includes the single “Moan.” He plays a short excerpt in the episode. In addition to music, Reid has published chapters in books and is writing a book, Notes of Rest. His Substack newsletter is entitled “Julian’s Notes.”

Julian Davis Reid’s Website

His Substack

Listen wherever you get your podcasts

Watch full episodes on YouTube

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X

Website www.kwokpuilan.com

Asian American Buddhist Women and Emergent Dharma

Dr. Sharon A. Suh is a professor of Religious Studies at Seattle University, a practicing Buddhist, and a yoga teacher. In this episode, she shares why she edited the book Emergent Dharma, inviting Asian American Buddhist scholar-practitioners to share their practices. American Buddhist scholarship has focused on white Buddhist communities. This book intervenes by introducing the lives and practices of Asian American women. Suh has also published Occupy This Body: A Buddhist Memoir, in which she discusses eating disorders, family dynamics, and trauma. She discusses the journey behind writing this moving book. She teaches yoga through a trauma-informed lens, helping women of color reconnect with their bodies. As we face uncertain and anxious times, Suh discusses how Buddhist practices can nurture a spirituality of resilience.

Dr. Sharon A. Suh's books Emergent Dharma and Occupy This Body

Listen wherever you get your podcasts

Watch full episodes on YouTube

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X

Website www.kwokpuilan.com

 

Liberation Theology and the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil

The Right Revd Humberto Maiztegue Goncalves is the bishop of the Meridional Diocese of  in the southern region of Brazil and a professor of the Bible. The Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil is a progressive church that ordains women to the priesthood and welcomes LGBTQ+ people. In this episode, the bishop introduces the history and mission of the church, the influences of liberation theology and decolonization, and the Brazilian Book of Common Prayer published in 2015. He discusses the United Nations’ climate conference COP30, which will be held in Belem, Brazil, in November 2025, as well as his reactions to the changing relationships between Brazil and the U.S. and China. One of the issues the Brazilian church faces is the role of Mary in the Christian faith. The bishop discusses his collaboration with the community in the publication of a book on Mary. He also comments on the proposed changes of Anglican structures to make the Anglican Communion more responsive to our times.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts

Watch full episodes on YouTube

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X

Website www.kwokpuilan.com

 

What Are Global Queer Theologians Saying Today

Dr. Lisa Isherwood teaches at the University of Wales Trinity and Saint David, and she is a prolific writer and leader on queer theology, feminist theology, and body theology. She and Hugo Córdova Quero coedited the pioneering book The Dare Primer on Global Queer Theologies, with 21 contributors from around the world. In this episode, she shares how this volume came about and her forthcoming book coauthored with Quero, entitled Global Queer Theologies: Intercontextual and Interreligious Perspectives. She discusses the rise of right-wing politics and Christian nationalism in the world and how queer and feminist theologians might address this urgent situation. In a lively exchange, she shares what she has learned from postcolonial theology and her hope for liberative and progressive theologians in the future.

Dr Lisa Isherwood’s The DARE Primer on Global Queer Theologies and Global Queer Theologies: Intercontextual and Interreligious Perspectives

Listen wherever you get your podcasts

Watch full episodes on YouTube

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X

Website www.kwokpuilan.com

 

 

People’s Movements and Decolonial Theology from Mexico

Dr. Carlos Mendoza-Álvarez, a street theologian in Mexico City, has taught theology in the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico. He discusses how his decolonial theology is informed by the marginalized and the survivors of violence and oppression. As a novice of the Dominican Order, he visited  Chiapas in southern Mexico and learned about the indigenous peoples’ struggles, wisdom, and hope. His decolonial theology brings theologians into dialogue with the voices of the vulnerable and those in the peripheries. His book Resurrection as a Messianic Anticipation discusses eschatological anticipation for the Kingdom of God through the memories and grief of survivors. He also discusses Mexico’s response to the escalating conflicts between the U.S. and Latin American countries. As a seasoned theologian and activist, he shares his hope in the solidarity of the global people’s movements and the importance of learning from the wisdom of survivors in our critical time.

Dr. Carlos Mendoza-Álvarez’s book: Resurrection as a Messianic Anticipation

Listen wherever you get your podcasts

Watch full episodes on YouTube

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X

Website www.kwokpuilan.com

 

Deliberative Democracy against Authoritarianism

Dr. Sharon D. Welch is a scholar and activist and a former Provost of the Unitarian Universalist’s Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago. A seasoned activist, she was involved in the women’s movement, peace movement, and direct activism for decades. She has worked with the Chicago League of Women Voters, the Social Enterprise Alliance, and the Community-Based Learning Collaborative, among other organizations. In this episode, she discusses what she has learned from Indigenous leaders such as Carol Lee Sanchez and Robin Wall Kimmerer, Hong Kong lawyer and democracy fighter Benny Y. T. Tai, social scientist Stanley Deetz, and Unitarian Universalist pastor Joseph Santos Lyons about social transformation, deliberative or generative democracy, and quiet generators of liberation. She offers advice to activists and scholars of the upcoming generation as they prepare to lead us into the future.

Dr. Sharon Welch’s book: After the Protests Are Heard

Listen wherever you get your podcasts

Watch full episodes on YouTube

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X

Website www.kwokpuilan.com

 

What Is the Future of Political Theology?

Dr. Vincent Lloyd is a professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University. He researches and teaches about the philosophy of religion, religion and politics, and race. In this episode, he discusses his two forthcoming books: Political Theology Reimagined and What Is Political Theology? While political theology in the past has engaged with the works of Carl Schmitt, Giorgio Agamben, and Jacques Derrida, cutting-edge scholarship in the field employs queer theory, critical race theory, and decolonial theory, etc. Lloyd explores the intersection between political theology and Black theology and discusses the book on race that he is co-authoring with Jonathan Tran. Pope Leo is a famous alum of Villanova University. Lloyd shares his hopes for the new Pope and how political theology can deepen our understanding of the relationship between religion and politics, contributing to the pursuit of justice.

Dr. Vincent Lloyd’s books: Political Theology Reimagined and What Is Political Theology?

Listen wherever you get your podcasts

Watch full episodes on YouTube

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X

Website www.kwokpuilan.com