— Dean Kyle Roberts
(St Paul, MN) — October 7, 2022 — “Catching God’s Breath in the Age of #BlackLivesMatter” is the title presentation of this year’s Gustafson Lectureship in New Testament Studies at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. The event, headlined by Dr. Angela Parker, is scheduled for October 24, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. on campus and via livestream.
Dr. Angela Parker is the assistant professor of New Testament and Greek at McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University. She holds a BA in religion and philosophy from Shaw University, an MTS from Duke Divinity School, and a PhD in Bible, culture, and hermeneutics (New Testament focus) from Chicago Theological Seminary.
As Dr. Parker’s bio explains:
In her research, Dr. Parker “merges Womanist thought and postcolonial theory while reading biblical texts.” In her recent book, If God Still Breathes, Why Can’t I: Black Lives Matter and Biblical Authority, Dr. Parker “draws from her experience as a Womanist New Testament scholar to deconstruct one of white Christianity’s most pernicious lies: the conflation of biblical authority with the doctrines of inerrancy and infallibility.”
Dr. Parker offers us a way to “read the Bible as authoritative, but not authoritarian.”
For Parker, “We must become conscious of the particularity of our identities, as we also become conscious of the particular identities of the biblical authors from whom we draw inspiration. And we must trust and believe that as long as God still breathes, Black lives indeed matter.”
In addition to her teaching and research, Dr. Parker serves as co-chair for the Paul and Politics Seminar of the Society of Biblical Literature and is a committee member of American Academy of Religion’s Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities Committee.
“We are fortunate to have Dr. Angela Parker delivering our Gustafson Lectureship this year” asserts Dean Kyle Roberts. “Dr. Parker’s work at the intersection of Womanist thought, postcolonial theory, and biblical studies is so important in today’s world. Her work also connects seamlessly with United’s commitment to intersectional justice.”
Please join us for Rev. Dr. Parker’s timely presentation. Register for the free event at https://bit.ly/gustafsonlecture.
About United
Founded as a welcoming, ecumenical school that embraces all denominations and faith traditions, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities has been on the cutting edge of progressive theological thought leadership since it was established in 1962. Today, United continues to train leaders who dismantle systems of oppression, explore multi-faith spirituality, and push the boundaries of knowledge.
About the Gustafson Lectureship
The Gustafson Lectureship in New Testament Studies was established in 1989 to honor Henry A. Gustafson, Emeritus Professor of New Testament Theology at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.
