N.A.D. Fellow ('00)
Associate Professor of Doctrinal Theology and Dir. of the MATS Program at Moravian Theological Seminary
May 02, 2012
Sexism is present in our churches as well as in our society. However,
it may be even more prominent in our Korean American churches due to
Korea’s cultural history, religious background and societal values. As a
result, churches will give every excuse not to call a woman as their
pastor. Rev. Unzu Lee states that “churches have to stop blaming
culture” for how the Korean American Churches treat their women.
Churches continue to blame Korean cultural, historical and religious
heritages as excuses and reasons for how women are treated in the
church. However, Korean American churches need to stop blaming culture
and more correctly name this systematic subordination and subjugation of
women as sexism.
Korean American churches cannot continue to blame their history,
their Confucian roots and their cultural practices for the way they
perceive and treat women. Korean American churches need to reimagine the
way we speak, preach and teach about who God is.
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FTE Ministry Fellow ('01)
Executive Director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches
April 16, 2012
Sometimes, the front pew is the hardest place to figure out what is going on at church. At 10:30pm on Saturday night, the Parish Council President greeted me at the front door of Taxiarchae/Archangels Greek Orthodox Church in Watertown. She saved me a seat of honor in the front pew. The only other people I know in the entire church of 300 people are the Priest and his wife, the Presbytera. A Protestant clergywoman at the holiest of Orthodox Christian feasts, I already feel a bit out of sorts. Quickly, I discover the problem with the first pew: you can’t follow the cues of the people ahead of you. By the tenth time we sang the Resurrection Hymn “Christos Anesti,” I think I had figured out both the tune and the proper movements of the lit Paschal candle. But there was a lot of page turning and fumbling in-between. This is the spiritual discipline of Ecumenical Awkwardness.
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Ministry Fellow ('02)
Senior Pastor, Joy Tabernacle African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church
Dallas, TX
March 27, 2012
Symbols have long been important for religious and spiritual reflection. These symbols have been employed to provide greater understanding to transcendent truths, to provide comfort amid chaos, and to inspire the faithful to put their faith to action towards the common good. Many times, these symbols have emerged from rather mundane objects closely associated with a historical event.
Prior to the beginning of his passion, Christ blessed and broke bread as a symbol of his soon to be battered and bruised body. He blessed and poured wine as a symbol of his blood which was soon to pour from open wounds. These rather ordinary...
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February 28, 2012
Lent has begun, the penitential season of the Christian church
calendar. With the imposition of ashes we begin the forty days
of fasting for deeper reflection, confessing one’s transgressions –
that which causes us to move backwards instead of towards God, and for
seeking God’s ongoing forgiveness and pardon. In the past whenever I
have heard some variation of the word “penitent” I immediately related
it to divinely ordered punishment, meting out justice, and necessary
guilt. I can’t blame that on my Catholic upbringing. I think in large
part such associations with the word penitent comes from a wider
cultural and religious imagination. The same imagination that associates
Confession with the “big sins” like adultery, stealing, etc.…despite
the fact that sin, regardless of its details, has one weight on the
scale of growing in neighborly and holy love and affection. The weight
of sin always tips the scales down. But lately, as I have started
practicing the sacrament of Confession my thoughts on penitent and
penance are shifting.
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FTE Director of Alumni Relations and Development
February 20, 2012
Earlier this month, Frank Yamada was inaugurated as tenth president of McCormick Theological Seminary,
and the first Asian American president of a Presbyterian Church (USA)
seminary. I was able to attend, along with other FTE staff, at the tail
end of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference.
First, a moment of full disclosure: I am an alumna of McCormick. I
was part of Frank’s ordination commission. We have worked together when I
was in Chicago. Now I know Dr. Yamada as one of many important partners
in the work FTE does with leaders in theological education.
This inauguration? It was cool..
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January 30, 2012
Wanna learn how to start a fire in religious circles? Pay attention: Jefferson Bethke is an Eagle Scout.
His most recent video, “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus”, opines
over the lack of authenticity in religious leadership, calls into
account the
dangerous compound of faith and politics, and berates the self-righteous
(Amen!). But in making a few good points, Bethke may have thrown the
baby out with the bath water.
If you’ve ever played the “Blame Game” before (who hasn’t?), then you
know how this works. Something goes wrong Someone gets blamed. This literally
takes on “biblical” proportions when you...
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FTE Congregational Fellow ('11)
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
January 13, 2012
A few hours ago I made the long drive back to Cleveland from Louisville where I had attended and preached at the 2012 Festival of Young Preachers hosted by the Academy of Preachers. I would have thought that after three days of hearing God’s word through 30 different denominations, flowing from the mouths of over 120 preachers that my heart would be quiet and my mind still. Instead my mind is racing in a post-celebratory buzz. It seems that although my suitcase that carried my clothes is unpacked, the suitcase of my mind is just starting to reveal the extent the Festival touched my soul...
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