Disability in the Body of Christ
07.24.22 | Articles | The Forum
St. Bart’s parishioner and accessibility consultant Janina Sajka reflects on how the Church can become a more welcoming place for people with disabilities.
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.
St. Bart’s parishioner and accessibility consultant Janina Sajka reflects on how the Church can become a more welcoming place for people with disabilities.
Hospital chaplain Zachary Fletcher shares new and liberative ways of understanding autism and neurodiversity, including through the lens of Christian spirituality. Please post your questions for our speaker in the comments section...
New York magazine senior writer Sarah Jones chronicles the transition some conservative Christians make from pro-life to pro-choice. Jones has recently authored several relevant articles about moral approaches to abortion: Anti-Abortion...
As we celebrate our country on this Independence Day weekend, Stephen Lean, Director of The American Family Immigration History Center on Ellis Island, discusses the ways in which immigration has enhanced the nation’s life. Join us in...
Beloved actress Jane Lynch, currently starring in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl, visits St. Bart’s to reflect on her life as an openly lesbian public figure and share stories from her long and acclaimed career.
In 2021, Juneteenth became America’s 11th national holiday, a day to commemorate slavery and emancipation. Emily Blanck, Associate Professor of History at Rowan University, an overview of the process through which Juneteenth...
Tuesday, June 14 | 7:30 p.m. on the Website, Youtube, and Facebook Live Dr. Catherine Meeks, Executive Director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing and the Reverend Canon Stephanie Spellers discuss the meaning of Juneteenth...
Kathryn O'Neal-Dunham, CEO of Philanthropy New York, speaks about how philanthropic organizations and individuals enact love through the skillful exercise of their power.
As we celebrate the Church’s birthday, our Rector, the Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe, reflects on the current state of St. Bart’s and progress that has already been made on our strategic plan.
Frank Collerius and Crystal Chen, co-hosts of New York Public Library’s podcast The Librarian Is In, return to St. Bart’s to offer suggestions for summer reading. Please post your questions for our speaker in...