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.
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
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.
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...
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.
Carl Siciliano, founder of the Ali Forney Center, looks back at over thirty years of working to address the needs of LGBTQ teens and young adults.
The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe and the Reverend Canon Stephanie Spellers preview the Episcopal Church's upcoming General Convention in Louisville, Kentucky.
Lisa Miller, Professor of Psychology and Education at Teachers College and Founder of the Spirituality, Mind, Body Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University, shares insights on the spirituality of children and adolescents.
As wars rage on in Ukraine, in the Middle East, and throughout the world, Walter Dorn, Professor of Defence Studies at the Canadian Forces College and the Royal Military College in Toronto, offers some Memorial Day reflections on the ethics of war.
