Kwok ’n’ Roll

Dr. Anthony Reddie became the first professor of Black Theology at Oxford University in its nearly 900-year history. Born in the U.K. to immigrant parents from Jamaica, Reddie describes racism in the British church and society and how black theology developed in Britain since the 1990s. He argues that Black theology in the U.K. is inseparable from British colonial history and must adopt a postcolo...

Dr. Loida I. Martell is Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky. She was trained in veterinary medicine before pursuing a career in theology. In this episode, she discusses the development of Latina theology and the challenges to theological education. As one of a handful Latina in leadership positions in theological education, she looks back at he...

Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim is a writer, theologian, and professor at Earlham School of Religion. This episode discusses her forthcoming book Earthbound: God at the Intersection of Climate and Justice. She shares her experience of participating in the World Council of Churches and ecumenical conversations on the environment and climate justice for many years. She was in Assisi, Italy when Pope Leo XIV wa...

Dr. Mona West, a leading queer biblical scholar and Metropolitan Community Church pastor, discusses how the Trump administration policies seek to drive a wedge in the LGBTQI+ community. Citing from the work of Judith Butler, she cautions that the LGBTQI+ community must learn to listen to and stand in solidarity with one another. She recalls the beginnings of queer biblical scholarship and her coed...

Dr. Russell Jeung, a professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University, was a co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, which documents anti-Asian racist incidences during COVID-19 and beyond. In this episode, he discusses what prompted him to start Stop AAPI Hate. He combines his scholarship on Asian American studies with his long-time activism on behalf of the Asian American community. H...

Dr. Teresa L. Smallwood is a public theologian and Academic Dean at United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia. She discusses her book Public Theology and Violent Rhetoric Examined in a Queer Womanist Critical Ethnography. Before studying theology, Dr. Smallwood was a criminal defense lawyer for over two decades. She shares her reflections on the pushback against affirmative action and DEI programs,...

Dr. Kwok Pui Lan started her podcast Kwok ‘n’ Roll in February 2025 and produced 20 episodes. She teams up with SueAnn Shiah, a Taiwanese American songwriter, podcast producer, and filmmaker, to discuss what to consider if you want to start a podcast. They discuss the content and structure of the podcast, the editing and technical aspects, and distribution and promotion. No, you don’t need fancy e...

Dr. Joerg Rieger is a distinguished professor of theology and directs the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. He revisited the book Christ and Empire, which he published 18 years ago, and discussed the concept of Capitalocene. He emphasized how capitalism has created not only economic inequity but also caused disastrous impacts on the climate and...

SueAnn Shiah, a Taiwanese American podcast producer and filmmaker, discusses the challenges of growing up as a queer person searching for a spiritual home. She is a seminarian preparing for ordination in the Presbyterian Church USA. She shares her vision of combining her career in music and ministry. She has produced the album “A Liturgy for the Perseverance of the Saints” to help people who strug...

Dr. Gina A. Zurlo teaches at Harvard Divinity School and has published the pioneering book Women in World Christianity using interdisciplinary, sociological, and historical approaches. She is also the author of Global Christianity and coauthor of World Christian Encyclopedia. In this episode, she talks about how she started doing quantitative analyses of world Christianity, a male-dominated field....

Dr. Roger Nam teaches the Hebrew Bible at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. He teaches a course on The Bible and Asia America for college and master students. He points out that biblical figures such as Adam and Eve, Abraham, Issac, Joseph, Esther, and Ruth have to migrate to foreign lands. The Bible addresses issues such as identity, community, trauma, and justice, issues that Asian A...

Jiwan Dhaliwal graduated with an MDiv degree and is a global business and career coach. As a child of immigrants to Canada, she shares how she uses what she learned at a divinity school to create her own business. Jiwan coaches immigrants from racial minority communities to use their skills and talents to help others and change the world. She reveals tips for becoming an entrepreneur, managing soc...

Dr. Yii-Jan Lin became the first person of Asian descent to receive tenure at Yale Divinity School in 2024. She discussed gender, race, and biblical studies in this episode. She has used innovative approaches to studying the Bible. Her first book, The Erotic Life of Manuscripts, discusses New Testament criticism and the biological sciences, while her second monograph, Immigration and Apocalypse, e...

Dr. Jonathan Tran, a Vietnamese American Christian ethicist at Baylor University, argues that race and racism must be understood in the larger political economy that gives rise to it. He draws on Augustine and Aquinas and contemporary scholars such as Michel Foucault, Stanley Hauerwas, Vincent Lloyd, and Kwok Pui Lan to develop his theological ethics. The changing U.S. political landscape requires...

Dr. Catherine Keller recently published No Matter What: Crisis and the Spirit of Planetary Possibility. She discusses her theological trajectory from focusing on gender to making the connections with race, class, species, and the whole planet. Influenced by John Cobb’s process theology, Keller has written groundbreaking theology on the apocalypse, creation, intercarnation, and our last chances to...

Since he started learning from the environment, Dr. Claudio Carvalhaes, professor of worship at Union Theological Seminary in New York, has changed his teaching, research, and preaching. In one class, he asked students to wait till they heard a bird sing before the class started. He wrote the play, When Wajcha Meets Pachamama, which won the most creative production award from the New York Theater...

Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, who teaches at the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union, asks us to wake up to the climate crisis on Earth Day 2025. She has worked at the intersection of climate justice, economy, and race and is a leader about the environment in ecumenical circles. She offers wisdom from the Bible about human beings’ relationships with the environment a...

Dr. Clifton Clarke, a Pentecostal church leader, theologian, and global empowerment strategist, discusses race, Black history, and the current suppression of Critical Race Theory. He explains why Pentecostalism appeals to people worldwide and the importance of developing Black Pentecostal theology. As a coach for global leadership, he argues that future leaders need to be globally competent, able...

Dr. Gabrielle Thomas, who teaches early Christianity and Anglican Studies at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, discusses what we can learn from early theologians, such as Gregory of Nazianzus, to face our tumultuous time. She talks about how she combines her role as an Anglican priest and a scholar. She has interviewed women serving in ministries from different denominations in Britain...

Dr. Atalia Omer, Professor of Religion, Conflict, and Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, discusses why the Esther Project appropriates the Jewish Story of Esther and weaponizes antisemitism. She discusses the roots of Jewish solidarity with Palestinians and her comparative study of religion and conflict in Palestine Israel, Kenya, and the...

Dr. Justin K. H. Tse's book captures the voices of Cantonese Protestant Christians from the San Francisco, Vancouver, and Hong Kong metropolitan areas as they reflect on their efforts to adapt to secular communities while retaining their identity and beliefs. It makes a critical contribution to the study of transpacific Christianity. Panelists included Dr. Melissa Borja, Dr. KC Choi, and ChanHee H...

Dr. Christopher D. Tirres of Santa Clara University discusses the relationship between spirituality and social change through the works of six visionary thinkers in the Americas, including Christian theologians and secular intellectuals. Their decolonial stance, spiritual activism, and praxis have particular relevance in today's United States and global context. Listen wherever you get your podcas...

Dr. Jenny Te Paa Daniel, former Te Ahorangi or Principal at St Johns Anglican Theological College in Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand, discusses the New Zealand Prayer Book and the contextualization of liturgy within the Anglican Communion. She argues that decolonizing theological education is critical for training the next generation of leaders. Listen wherever you get your podcasts Watch full epis...

As a public intellectual and experienced mediator, Dr. Najeeba Syeed has promoted peacebuilding in colleges and universities, religious organizations, community events, and conflictual situations. She emphasizes the cultivation of empathy in interfaith encounters and active listening and shares her challenges as a Muslim woman engaging in public scholarship, activism, and conflict resolution. Dr....

Episcopal priest and multimedia artist the Rev. Karen B. Montagno discusses art as an expression of the soul and the use of art in worship and liturgy. She also describes her involvement in the group Mom Demands Justice after a friend was shot by her husband. The group promotes awareness, provides education for communities, and lobbies the government to prevent gun violence. Listen wherever you ge...