As part of its new initiative in public theological education, Emory’s Candler School of Theology is partnering for a second time with First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta to sponsor TheoEd Talks on Sunday, Feb. 9, featuring Wil Gafney, Jeff and André Shinabarger, Bryan Massingale and Hillary L. McBride. The event will take place at 4 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church. Tickets are $15 general admission and free for students, but advance registration is required. Free childcare is available.
TheoEd Talks is an ecumenical speaker series where leaders in the church and the academy share “the talk of their lives” in 20 minutes or less, aimed at sparking conversations that change the way people think about God, religion and the power of faith to change lives.
Wil Gafney is an Episcopal priest, professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School and a leading scholar in womanist biblical interpretation. Her interests center on the Bible, race and women’s lives. Gafney is known for her popular book “Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and of the Thrones,” in which she interprets the stories of several Old Testament women through womanist and feminist lenses.
Jeff Shinabarger is the founder and executive director of Plywood People, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that helps launch and sustain start-ups. He is the author of “More or Less: Choosing a Lifestyle of Excessive Generosity.”
André Shinabarger is a physician assistant at Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital, an adjunct professor at Emory and an adviser to Plywood People. Together, Jeff and André host the podcast “Love or Work,” where they ask, “Is it possible to change the world, stay in love and have a healthy family?”
Bryan Massingale is a Catholic priest and James and Nancy Buckman Chair in Applied Christian Ethics at Fordham University. A leading Catholic theologian and scholar-activist, he has spent his career fighting for racial justice and LGBTQIA inclusion in the Catholic church and society at large. Massingale’s research interests include Catholic social thought, African American religious ethics and race and sexuality.
Hillary L. McBride is a therapist, author, speaker and co-host of the podcast “The Liturgists.” She specializes in trauma, eating disorders and body image. In her book “Mothers, Daughters and Body Image: Learning to Love Ourselves as We Are,” McBride challenges the notion that it is normal and expected for women to hate their bodies.
Past TheoEd Talks are available to view online for free, including presentations from Austin Channing Brown, Shane Claiborne, Mike McHargue, Lauren Winner, Pete Enns and Diana Butler Bass.