In April of 2024, the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School convened biblical scholars, theologians, policy experts, and social justice movement leaders to discuss the moral and spiritual issues of this year’s Presidential election.
As communities across the nation consider the issues ahead of November, the Center is glad to offer the ten videos below as an online course for study and group conversation in classrooms, congregations, and community centers.
A downloadable resource guide to accompany these sessions is available here.
Groups or individuals who use these videos for a weekly study in the Fall of 2024 can register here to receive an invitation to join a Zoom discussion with Dr. Barber and Center staff.
The Call for Prophetic Public Theology
Bishop William J. Barber, II, Founder of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School, opens this consideration of the role of theology in public life with a sermon on the “weightier matters of the law” from Matthew 23.
The Role of Public Theology: What It Should Be, What's Happened, and What's At Stake in 2024
Joining Bishop Barber: Gregory E. Sterling, Dean of Yale Divinity School; Rodney Sadler, Director of the Center for Reconciliation and Social Justice at Union Presbyterian Seminary; Anthea Butler, Geraldine R. Segal Professor in American Social Thought at the University of Pennsylvania; and Philip Gorski, Chair of the Department of Sociology at Yale University.
The Critical Role of State Houses in 2024
Joining Bishop Barber for this panel: Dan Blue, Minority Leader of the North Carolina Senate; Milton "Toby" Fitch, retried judge of former member of the North Carolina General Assembly.
Healthcare and Ecological Justice Are Moral Issues in 2024
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Assistant Director for Partnerships at Yale Divinity School, hosts the fifth plenary. Joining Wilson-Hartgrove for this panel: Wendsler Nosie, Founder of the Apache Stronghold; Sharelle Barber, Director of the Ubuntu Center on Racism, Global Movements, and Population Health Equity at Drexel University; Callie Greer, Alabama Poor People's Campaign.
Voting Rights & Equal Protection Are Moral Issues in 2024
Joining Bishop Barber for this panel: Richard H. Lowery, Hebrew Bible scholar and President Emeritus, Disciples of Christ Historical Society; Marc Elias, Founder, Democracy Docket; Caitlin Swain, Co-Director and Co-Founder, Forward Justice; LaTosha Brown, Co-Founder, Black Voters Matter Fund and the BVM Capacity Building Institute.
Preaching and Teaching Moral Issues in 2024
Joining Bishop Barber for this panel: Rodney Williams, Pastor, Swope Park UCC; Teri Hord Owens, General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); Yvette Flunder, Presiding Bishop, The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries.
What's At Stake in 2024? Our Political Context and the Potential Power of Our Communities
Joining Bishop Barber for this panel: Nancy MacLean, William H. Chafe Distinguished Professor of History and Public Policy, Duke University; Anne Nelson, investigative journalist and lecturer, Columbia University; A. Kazimir Brown, Executive Director and Vice President, Repairers of the Breach; Rob Hartley, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Columbia University; Daniel Gotoff, Partner, Lake Research Partners.
Low Wages and Union Rights Are Moral Issues in 2024
Roz Pelles, Assistant Director for Student Engagement at the Center hosts the fourth plenary. Joining Attorney Pelles for this panel: Laurel Ashton, Senior Lead Organizer, Union of Southern Service Workers; Pam Garrison, West Virginia Poor People's Campaign; Willie James Jennings, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies, Yale Divinity School; Heidi Shierholz, President, Economic Policy Institute.
Criminal Justice Is A Moral Issue in 2024
Roz Pelles, Assistant Director for Student Engagement at the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School hosts the sixth session. Joining Attorney Pelles for this panel: Kelly Brown Douglas, Interim President, Episcopal Divinity School; Daryl V. Atkinson, Co-Director and Co-Founder, Forward Justice; Dontae Sharpe, Forward Justice; Harry M. Daniels, National Civil Rights Attorney, Harry M Daniels Law Firm.
How To Break Through The Media Narrative
Joining Wilson-Hartgrove for this panel: Sarah McCammon, Journalist and Co-Host, NPR; Joy-Ann Reid, Political Analyst and Host, The ReidOut; John Nichols, National Affairs Correspondent, The Nation; Roland Martin, Journalist, Host, and Managing Editor, Roland Martin Unfiltered.