Kwok ’n’ Roll

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 Second Term

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.

The Untold Story of Feminist Theology in Asia

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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Development of Native Spirituality and Theology in Abya Yala

Yenny Delgado is a Peruvian psychologist and theologian. She is of Native descent and founded Publica Theology, an online public square where faith, ancestral memory, womanism, and politics converge. She also promotes women doing theology in Abya Yala, facilitates dialogues that elevate women’s visions, and encourages theological reflection from womanist and feminist decolonial perspectives. “Abya Yala” in the Guna language means “land in full maturity and land of vital blood.” In the 1970s, activists and theologians with a strong sense of ancestral identity adopted the term Abya Yala as a unified name for the continent, instead of referring to it as Latin America. In November 2025, the first encounter of spiritualities and political theology from Abya Yala took place in Mazatenango, Guatemala. Delgado explains the significance of the development of Abya Yala theology and discusses her doctoral work, which combines research on psychology and theology to help Native peoples heal from trauma and embrace their identities.

Publica Theology’s website is https://publicatheology.org.

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What Do the Nones and Dones Say about the Church Tomorrow?

The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, an Episcopal priest, is Canon in Residence in St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York. At a time when church membership declines in America, Spellers points to the broader trends of disaffiliation from institutions. She interviewed dozens of the Nones, Dones, and Unchurched in San Francisco, Atlanta, the Twin Cities, and New York to find out why they are passing on church. How do they find and create community and a sense of belonging? Do the Dones still miss church? Why are the Millennial and Gen Z generations the loneliest generations? How could their insights help shape the future of the Christian community?

You can order the book, request the free study guide, and keep track of Canon Spellers' book tour stops at www.stephaniespellers.com/church-tomorrow.

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Is Theological Education Broken? What Comes Next

Dr. Frank M. Yamada is Executive Director of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS). There are about 270 schools in the ATS belonging to evangelical, mainline Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox church families. Over the past several decades, theological education in North America has undergone significant changes. In this episode, Dr. Yamada describes the challenges facing theological schools and the new opportunities supported by the Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative funded by the Lilly Endowment. As the Trump administration has issued executive orders and directives regarding higher education, theological schools need to adapt to these changes. The ATS has promoted global engagement for some time due to the shift in Christian demographics to the Global South. Theological education needs to respond to where God’s mission is and where the spirit is moving. ATS has offered spaces for theological educators and administrative staff to develop their leadership skills and capacity in responding to transitional changes.

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