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.
Sunday, August 24, 2025 Gendered Islamophobia: Deconstructing 30 Rights of Muslim Women
Dr. Daisy Khan, Founder and Executive Director of Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality & Equality (WISE), discusses how Muslim women’s lives can be improved by connecting them to beliefs that affirm human dignity and gender equality at the core of the Islamic faith.Please post your questions in the comments section on Facebook or YouTube, or email the Reverend Meredith Ward at
Upcoming Speakers at The Forum
August 31 Conversation with Clergy: What Did You Do This Summer?
The Forum is on hiatus for Labor Day weekend. In its place, join the clergy for an in person conversation about summer vacations and the fall season ahead.
September 7 Forum with Former Rector Buddy Stallings
The Reverend Buddy Stallings reflects on the decade since he retired as Rector of St. Bart’s and the state of the world today.
Watch or listen to The Forum from previous weeks below.
In an age of information overload and political polarization, how do we discern what truly serves the common good? CUNY Law professor and St. Bart’s parishioner Ally Coll explores the promises and pitfalls of both evidence-based and...
Catherine Hoke, Founder of Defy Ventures, will be Buddy’s guest. Through her Entrepreneurs in-Training program she has provided executive mentoring, financial investment and startup incubation for people with criminal pasts. Catherine was...
The one and only Bruce Forbes will be Buddy’s guest. Bruce reflects on his 50+ years at St. Bart’s and may be coaxed to tell a few tales.Click the round “Play” button to listen to an online recording of the Forum. Or click...
Matthew Moretz finishes his visual presentation on the great (yet hidden) bronze doors of the Vanderbilt portal. Listen in to explore the beauty and meaning of these more than a century-old masterpiecesClick the round “Play” button to...
Buddy and Matthew hosted a lively discussion about nominees for Best Picture: “Birdman” (set in our neighborhood!) and “American Sniper.” Click the round “Play” button to listen to an online recording of the...
The Vanderbilt Doors: Matthew Moretz gives a visual presentation on the great (yet hidden) bronze doors of the Vanderbilt portal. Explore the beauty and meaning of these more than a century-old masterpieces.
Buddy’s guest was Stephanie Odegard, St. Bart’s parishioner and international leader in contemporary design, who has dedicated her career to assisting artisans in developing countries promote and preserve their traditional crafts...
Buddy’s guest was Todd Bouldin, active St. Bart’s parishioner, corporate trainer and organizational development consultant, who received his M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary. Todd has a special passion for the Advent texts...
How do people of faith engage the difficult questions of wealth and income inequality? What are the roles of charity, and policies regarding labor, welfare, and taxes? Building on a previous forum on inequality Economists Teresa Ghilarducci...