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...
Irwin Leopando, St. Bart’s parishioner and Chair of the English Department at LaGuardia Community College, explores the work of educational philosopher Paulo Freire, paying particular attention to its theological implications. His book on...
Brooks Ishler, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Touro University, examines the immense religious diversity of colonial America.
Attorney and St. Bart's parishioner Elizabeth Kelley reflects on years of experience helping people with mental disabilities navigate the criminal justice system.
As both the Episcopal Church and the Church of England mark important anniversaries related to the ordination of women, the Reverend Lucy Winkett, Rector of St. James's Piccadilly in London and one of the first women ordained in The Church of...
Dr. Elizabeth Schrader Polczer discusses her groundbreaking research on Martha of Bethany in the Gospel of John and intriguing new insight on the identity of Mary Magdalene.
The Right Reverend Dean Wolfe and The Reverend Meredith Ward discuss the Surgeon General’s report on the epidemic of loneliness in our nation and what steps we can take to build more connection.
The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe and St. Bart’s staff members Bailey Regan and Teagan Sage reflect on their time at the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church.
Jesuit priest Father James Martin, SJ offers powerful insights from the story of the raising of Lazarus. His book Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus' Greatest Miracle was released in fall 2023.
Writer Jonathan Merritt, who often reflects on topics at the intersection of sexuality and religion, discusses the relationship between his Christian faith and his identity as an openly gay man. Merritt is the author, most recently, of the...
The Atlantic Senior Editor Vann R. Newkirk II discusses the importance of Black History today, why memory is one of the most important parts of imagining the future, and the role of the journalist when media is in crisis.
