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.
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 nonviolence. Please post your questions in the comments section on Facebook or YouTube, or email the Reverend Zack Nyein at
January 26
Parishioner Clay Williams on the emerging challenges posed by artificial intelligence
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.
The Reverend Zack Nyein offers an overview of the often overlooked Season After the Epiphany, including scriptural and liturgical themes and special feasts in the period of time between Christmastide and Lent.
Rob Radtke, The Reverend Peter Thompson, and other members of the St. Bart’s Camino de Santiago pilgrimage group reflect on their experiences in Spain.
Heather Christian, whose production “Terce: A Practical Breviary” won widespread acclaim earlier this year, speaks about the divine feminine and its influence on her work.
The Reverend Dr. Serene Jones, President of Union Theological Seminary, speaks to the challenge of living in times of social uncertainty and points to the Christian tradition as a source of hope and strength.
The Reverend Margaret Rose, The Episcopal Church’s Deputy for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations, discusses our denomination’s commitment to relationships with other faith traditions and reflects on how such engagement may both...
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...
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 clergy of St. Bart's reflect on the recent presidential election.
The makers of the new documentary Defining Moments: The Life and Leadership of Quiet Revolutionary Frances Hesselbein pay tribute to the long-time friend of St. Bart’s who counseled military and business leaders and served as the CEO of the...
The Right Reverend Mark D. W. Edington, Bishop-in-Charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, speaks about the presence of the Episcopal Church outside of the United States.
