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Presented here are audio recordings of the NCC’s pre-conference workshop at Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington, DC, April 15, 2016.  Recordings can be accessed by either clicking on the links below, or by accessing the NCC’s weekly podcast at iTunes and Stitcher Radio.

Christians gathering at the 2016 Ecumenical Advocacy Days will be lifting their voices in support of those who are oppressed and marginalized because of racism and class. We only have to be familiar with the headlines of the past two years to know that these two ills are realities in our society on the hearts and minds of candidates and voters alike as we head toward the November elections. But what is the theological basis for our message when it comes to fairness and justice? This pre-conference workshop will analyze the Christian foundations of faith when it comes to affirming the political and economic rights of all, so that when we speak truth to power, we can know why our voice can be more than a whisper in the cacophony of voices seeking to influence policy.

Speakers

2F3A8557 Dr. Douglas Foster is Professor of Church History in the Graduate School of Theology and Director of the Center for Restoration Studies at Abilene Christian University in Abi-lene, Texas. He is a member of the Stone-Campbell Dialogue and serves on the Boards of Stone-Campbell International (publisher of the Stone-Campbell Journal) and the World Convention of Churches of Christ. He also serves as part of the Racial Unity Leadership Summit.

2F3A8571Rev. Joyce Shin is Pastor at Swarthmore Presbyterian Church in Swarthmore, PA. Joyce has represented the PC (USA) at the National Council of Churches and is a Trustee of the Parliament of the World’s Religions and Covenant Network. She majored in religious studies and classical languages at Rhodes College. Joyce received her M. Div. and Ph. D. from the University of Chicago Divinity School in theological ethics. Joyce has taught courses at McCormick Theological Seminary and The University of Chicago Divinity School in the areas of worship and ethics and the practice of ministry.

2F3A8598Rev. Dr. Felicia Y. Thomas is Visiting Assistant Professor of History at Morgan State University. An ordained minister in the American Baptist Churches, USA, Rev. Dr. Thomas is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York and holds the Doctor of Philosophy degree in History from Rutgers University. She also previously served on the Ministry Team at Union Baptist Church in Montclair, NJ and as Pastor at First Baptist Church in Princeton, NJ.

2F3A8589Rev. Dr. Kenneth Q. James is Pastor at Memorial AME Zion Church in Rochester, NY. Dr. James also serves as Director of Evangelism for the Western NY Annual Conference, Secretary of the Western NY Annual Conference, Board of Trustee member of Clinton College in Rock Hill, SC, member of the Faith and Order Commission of the AME Zion Church, and a representative to the NCC for the AME Zion Church. Dr. James is a graduate of Clinton Junior College in Rock Hill, SC, Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC (BA,1980, honors), and Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury, NC (M. Div., 1984, D. Min., 2006).

2F3A8625Dr. Agnes Abuom, from the Anglican Church of Kenya, serves as moderator of the World Council of Churches Central Committee. She is the first woman and the first Afri-can in the position in the history of the WCC. Abuom has served on the WCC Executive Committee, representing the Anglican Church of Kenya. She is also a development consultant serving both Kenyan and international organizations coordinating social action programs across Africa. Abuom was the Africa president for the WCC from 1999 to 2006. She is a co-president of the Religions for Peace and the National Council of Churches of Kenya.

Event Moderator:

2F3A8563Dr. Greg Carey is Professor of New Testament and has taught at Lancaster Seminary since 1999, having previously taught at Rhodes College and Winthrop University. Greg is a graduate of Rhodes College and Vanderbilt University (PhD, 1996). Greg blogs regularly for the Huffington Post religion section and is a contributing editor to the Odyssey Networks’ new lectionary resource, ON Scripture. Greg serves as co-chair of the Rhetoric and the New Testament Section of the Society of Biblical Literature.