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.
Aaron Scott, the Episcopal Church’s Staff Officer for Gender Justice, draws connections between escalating social and policy violence toward transgender and non-binary people and the ascendancy of White Christian Nationalism and discusses the critical role trans-affirming churches can play in the months and years to come.
Matthew LaBanca discusses his autobiographical play Communion about a Roman Catholic school teacher who is fired for marrying someone of the same gender. Communion is currently playing Off-Broadway at the cell theatre (338 W 23rd Street).
Watch or listen to The Forum from previous weeks below.
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.
Four members of the St. Bart's community exploring a possible call to ordained ministry (Kate DiTullio, Nathan Peace, Bailey Regan, and Teagan Sage) reflect on how they hear the Spirit's call.
Monique Rainford, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine and author of Pregnant While Black, commemorates Mother’s Day by reflecting on how we as a society can better protect...
Christopher Evans, Professor of History of Christianity and Methodist Studies at Boston University, discusses the late 19th and early 20th century movement of American Christianity commonly called the Social Gospel and how it continues to animate...
