Each week, guest speakers from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines join the Reverend Peter Thompson and other St. Bart's clergy for deep and insightful conversations about topics that matter to our lives as responsible citizens and people of faith. Speakers in recent years have included winners of the Tony Award, the Emmy Award, the MacArthur Fellowship, and the Pulitzer Prize, professors from prominent universities like Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia, and journalists from New York, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic.
Computer scientist and St. Bart’s parishioner Clay Williams offers insights into how Artificial Intelligence (AI) works and the challenges it presents around consciousness, morality, and spirituality. Please post your questions in the comments section on Facebook or YouTube, or email the Reverend Peter Thompson at
February 2
Yale Divinity School and Institute of Sacred Music Professor Melanie Ross on the connection between liturgy and everyday life
February 9
Author and academic Isaac Sharp on the changing landscape of American evangelicalism
Watch or listen to The Forum from previous weeks below.
Karuna Mantena, Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, discusses Mahatma Gandhi's influence on the thinking of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the connection they both perceived between social change and...
A panel of medical experts discusses the current vaccine rollout and the ethical issues it raises. We are delighted to welcome Dr. Catherine Belford Budd (https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine...) as moderator and to welcome back Dr. Jamie...
Dan Pinello, Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, explores the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause since World War II, and how constitutional history and language have impeded the full realization of...
BIshop Dean Wolfe introduces Jesse Ramos, the new Interim Executive Director of Crossroads Community Services, and together they discuss the important work Crossroads does to combat hunger and homelessness in New York City.
As we look back on an eventful year for The Forum at St. Bart's and for the larger world, we replay our most viewed conversation of 2020: "The Assumptions of Whiteness and the Challenge of Discipleship" with Fordham professor The Reverend Dr...
Episcopal Church musicians Janet Yieh and Carolyn Craig discuss their platform Amplify Female Composers, its Advent Calendar Project, and the importance of expanding the representation of women in the musical life of the Church. St. Bart's...
Healing and Hope: Technology and the Future of Healthcare : Clay Williams, St. Bart’s parishioner and founder of healthtech startup Medaptive Health, reflects on how technology can positively impact the healthcare system.
Psychologist Peter Coleman, a professor at Columbia, discusses the deep divides in our national life--and how we can transcend them. Read more about Professor Coleman and his research at https://www.thewayoutofpolarization.com/.
The Right Reverend Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 2006 to 2015, ponders the future of our planet and the role we can play in taking better care of it. Bishop Jefferts Schori is the author of several...
Elaine Pagels, a leading scholar of early Christianity and the Harrington Spear Paine Foundation Professor of Religion at Princeton University, outlines the most enigmatic book in the New Testament and the lasting impact it made on politics and...
Heidi Allen, Associate Professor at Columbia School of Social Work, offers insight on how future healthcare policy could better protect the most vulnerable.
