With the inauguration of Donald Trump as the President, the U.S. has entered a new political landscape with drastic consequences for the US and the world. During his campaign, President Trump has said that he would initiate mass deportation, trim the government bureaucracy, and weaponize the Department of Justice. He also vowed to make Canada the 51st state of America and did not rule out the use of military actions to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal. This webinar explores how churches and Christian organizations can resist Empire, witness to the power of the Gospel, and respond to challenges of our time.
During this conversation, we:
- Considered the ways that we can bear Christian witness at a time of growing Christian nationalism
- Explored how EDS’ values of anti-racism, justice, compassion, and reconciliation can address our present moment
- Learned from EDS alums who have been involved in the transformation of church and society
- Supported one another in our continuing work for social change
Moderator: Dr. Kwok Pui Lan, Distinguished Scholar, Episcopal Divinity School
Panelists:
- Rev. Stephen Benitz ‘18, Regional Missioner at the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa
- Rev. Delle McCormick ‘97, former Executive Director of Borderlinks
- Rev. Charles Wynder, Jr. ‘12, Dean of Chapel and Spiritual Life at St. Paul’s School and former Staff Officer for Social Justice and Engagement at The Episcopal Church
- Rev. Dr. Nancy Wilson ‘11, former Moderator of the Metropolitan Community Church
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Dr. Kwok Pui Lan is an internationally recognized theologian in postcolonial theology and Asian and Asian American feminist theology and an EDS Distinguished Scholar. In this role, Dr. Kwok leads a variety of initiatives that support further scholarship, education, and collaborative partnerships around postcolonial theology in the Anglican Communion and beyond. Dr. Kwok has shaped a generation of theological scholarship and formed countless students. Most recently, she served as Dean’s Professor of Systematic Theology at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Prior to that, Dr. Kwok was William F. Cole Professor of Christian Theology and Spirituality at EDS, where she taught for twenty-five years.
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The Rev. Dr. Delle McCormick is a retired minister of the United Church of Christ. Delle completed her Doctor of Ministry degree at Drew Theological School in Madison, NJ on Being Church in the Borderlands: An Exploration of Ministry and Mission a Between a Local Church and Latin American Migrants and Asylum-seekers. Delle has ministered extensively between the US and Mexico since 1989, speaking and writing about iterations of “being church” and “border. Most recently, Delle serves as a spiritual director, local church affiliate pastor, teacher, and immigration activist on the southern border of the and Mexico. She brings together experience and calling to a public ministry to witness and provide context to what being church in the borderlands means in today’s new “not-normal”.
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The Rev. Stephen Benitz serves as the Regional Missioner for the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa. After serving as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Mason City, Iowa, Stephen was called as Regional Missioner for the Diocese of Iowa, where in addition to numerous other appointments, he currently serves as Standing Committee President. Stephen is engaged in coaching parishes throughout the diocese as they learn to listen and respond to God’s call in rural communities, and is known for brainstorming “Cassocks at the Capitol”, a diocesan led Iowa Statehouse lobbying effort. Stephen received his Mdiv. From EDS/Bexley Seabury in 2018.
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The Rev. Dr. Nancy Wilson is the former Global Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC), becoming only the second person to hold this role since MCC’s founding in 1968. A global activist for LGBTQ rights and faith inclusion, she has fought for Marriage Equality, climate change action, and reforms in the criminal justice system, alongside her work as an AIDS activist. Appointed by President Obama to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships in 2011, her efforts contributed to combating modern-day slavery. A graduate of Allegheny College, SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary, and Episcopal Divinity School (EDS), she holds a D.Min. and honorary doctorates from EDS and Allegheny. An accomplished author, her works include Our Tribe (1995), Outing the Bible (2013), and I Love to Tell the Story (2016). Rev. Wilson currently serves as Senior Pastor of SunCoast MCC in Venice, Florida, where she lives with her wife of 47 years, Dr. Paula Schoenwether, and enjoys bird-watching.
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The Reverend Charles A. Wynder, Jr. is a bi-vocational Episcopal priest and former member of the Presiding Bishop’s Staff of The Episcopal Church, where he worked to advance social and racial justice through advocacy and engagement. He also served as Priest-in-Charge of Holy Comforter Episcopal Church St. Andrew’s Parish in Washington, D.C. A Truman Scholar, Rev. Wynder earned a B.A. in political science from Syracuse University, a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, and an M.Div. from the Episcopal Divinity School. He previously served as an attorney in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, a Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney, and vice president of programs for the National Legal Aid & Defender Association. He also taught Constitutional Law: Civil Rights & Civil Liberties as an adjunct professor at Hampton University. Rev. Wynder lives on campus with his wife, Bethany Dickerson Wynder, and their son.