meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Homebrewed Christianity

Serene Jones & Adam Clark: Theology Matters and the Legacy of James Cone

Homebrewed Christianity

Dr. Tripp Fuller | Theologian, Philosopher, Minister

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.6 • 612 Ratings

🗓️ 12 January 2022

⏱️ 59 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode you get a preview of what is going on in the Upsetting the Powers reading group. Each week we will be featuring a live session where Adam Clark and I discuss the week's theme, reading, and class questions... but wait...there's more :) there will also be an interview in which Adam talks with a fellow scholar and friend of James Cone. After you hear this I hope you join the class. Remember all the content is available for the members to go at their own pace and it is donation based (including 0) so if you are interested come on in.   Previous Episodes w/ Adam: The Crisis of American Religion & Democracy: 1/6 a year later Christmas, BLM, Abortion, & the War on White Evangelicalism Jan 6th Theological Debrief: Adam Clark and Jeffrey Pugh Adam Clark: What is Black Theology? From Lebron James to the Black Panther: Black Theology QnA w/ Adam Clark Adam Clark: James Cone was right Dr. Adam Clark is Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University. He is committed to the idea that theological education in the twenty first century must function as a counter-story. One that equips us to read against the grain of the dominant culture and inspires one to live into the Ignatian dictum of going forth “to set the world on fire.” To this end, Dr. Clark is intentional about pedagogical practices that raise critical consciousness by going beneath surface meanings, unmasking conventional wisdoms and reimagining the good. He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. He earned his PhD at Union Theological Seminary in New York where he was mentored by James Cone. Dr. Serene Jones is a highly respected scholar and public intellectual and the 16th President of the historic Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. The first woman to head the 182-year-old institution, Jones occupies the Johnston Family Chair for Religion and Democracy. She is a Past President of the American Academy of Religion, which annually hosts the world’s largest gathering of scholars of religion. Jones came to Union after seventeen years at Yale University, where she was the Titus Street Professor of Theology at the Divinity School, and Chair of the University’s Program in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. She is the author of several books including Trauma and Grace and, most recently, her memoir Call It Grace: Finding Meaning in a Fractured World. Jones, a popular public speaker, is sought by media to comment on major issues impacting society because of her deep grounding in theology, politics, women’s studies, economics, race studies, history, and ethics.  Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

What is life-giving about being a religious scholar and being the president of Union Theological Seminary?

0:16.2

And what are some of the people and books that influence you to be who you are?

0:22.7

So that is such a great question.

0:24.6

I often say to people that being the president of Union, I have the absolute best job in the world.

0:33.9

Union is a unique one-of-a-kind place.

0:38.5

And as I was growing up in the household of a theologian and later went to seminary myself, from the time I began to read theology, I was reading theologians that have come out of Union's incredible history as a theological institution.

1:00.8

Coming to Union 14 years ago as president was, I should say, perhaps the biggest change of my life, going from being a religion scholar,

1:12.6

a theologian, which I absolutely loved. Studying and teaching theology really allows you

1:20.1

the big, grand sweep of history and life to engage it in all of its complexity and messiness and to form

1:33.2

students minds and hearts and open their being to ways of thinking about ultimate reality

1:40.9

that very few people have the privilege of doing and I loved the teaching of theology

1:48.4

and the only downside to being the president of union is that I had to dramatically cut back on my

1:55.2

teaching of theology which will always be my first love I live and breathe breathe it. It is beautiful and powerful and life-changing.

2:05.1

Well, Union is such a unique institution, and it's long been considered the home of liberation theology,

2:11.8

especially in North America. And you became president where there are so many dramatic shifts

2:16.9

that are changing in the religious

2:18.3

landscape, what attracted you to come to union and how would you describe the kind of

2:24.5

the new theological paradigm that union is setting forth? Union attracted me to coming to union.

2:33.3

I had no desire at that point or at any point in my life to become the president of a seminary.

2:39.4

Who could possibly aspire to something like that?

2:42.0

It's a very hard job.

2:45.5

But it was the possibility of being the president of union.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dr. Tripp Fuller | Theologian, Philosopher, Minister, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Dr. Tripp Fuller | Theologian, Philosopher, Minister and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.