Watch Associate Professor of New Testament Yii-Jan Lin deliver her sermon, "A People of God during an Apocalypse" at The Riverside Church https://www.youtube.com/live/y6YDYRle3w4?si=t83LMsECHZ4BSBoy&t=4070

Congratulations to Professor Braxton Shelley of YDS and the ISM! He has been appointed to the newly endowed George Washington Williams Chair, named for the first African American to graduate from Newton Theological Institution (which continues today as part of Andover Newton Seminary at YDS).
Read about Prof. Shelley's appointment and other YDS faculty accomplishments here. https://divinity.yale.edu/news/faculty-appointments-promotions-and-honors

"This so-called big, beautiful bill pushes 16 million people off of health care and literally takes food from the mouths of hungry children. An enormous tax cut for the very wealthiest is the definition of an immoral bill," said Sen. Coons, a Presbyterian and graduate of Yale Divinity School.

https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2025/06/11/episcopalians-join-other-faith-leaders-lawmakers-in-dc-rally-against-budget-bill/

Mark your calendars for our upcoming events this Fall from the Love of Children program. You can read and register for these events at https://yaleyouthministryinstitute.org/upcoming-events/

"Many Christians can’t identify with the word Christian anymore. No wonder the New Testament mentions 'Christian' just three times, as if reluctant to endorse a term that would become so easily exploited or distorted."
—Reflections editor Ray Waddle on the question "Is Christianity Losing its Religion?" https://reflections.yale.edu/article/christianity-losing-its-religion/editor-altar-call

"So often in the study of religion, we rely on published literary materials. This class is really intended to help students—and to help myself—think about the full social, economic, and political life into which what we call religion emerges. Religion is never absent from those very concrete connections.”
—YDS Prof Nasrallah on the travel seminar to Greece and Türkiye for her course https://divinity.yale.edu/news/trip-ancient-sites-offers-students-ethical-and-intimate-encounter-past

"We reach out, arms in exasperation, in tired anxiety, in worry, in unknowing—and God hands us back a feast. God plants flowers in our open palms."
—Caroline Blosser ’24 M.Div. writing in the new issue of Reflections, focused on "Is Christianity Losing its Religion?" https://reflections.yale.edu/article/christianity-losing-its-religion/shrugging-uncertainties-ready-next-sacred-moment

Are you looking for the tools to help your #church youth leaders to accompany, work with, and support #LGBTQ+ young people? We have put together a curriculum that will allow you to do this at https://yaleyouthministryinstitute.org/training-modules/accompanying-lgbtq-youth/

"I am an embodiment journeying towards belief. Faith seeking greater confidence. That is what being a Christian means to me. It may well be the work of a lifetime."
—Ian Barclay ’24 M.A.R. writing in the new issue of our journal, Reflections https://reflections.yale.edu/article/christianity-losing-its-religion/world-stubbornly-grip-goodness

"Let’s extend to ourselves and to others the invitation of a Christianity that seeks light, rests in darkness, remains deeply rooted in justice, and flourishes in our own individual ways of nurturing it." —Karis Slattery '20 M.Div. in her new Reflections piece, "Don’t Water Fake Plants" https://reflections.yale.edu/article/christianity-losing-its-religion/don-t-water-fake-plants

Listen to Dr. Laurie Santos as she explains how to help youth incorporate #wellness activities into their own lives, which is especially important to those who are #depressed at https://yaleyouthministryinstitute.org/playlist/the-science-of-well-being/

Congratulations to the Rev. Emily Hartner '07 M.Div. She is the newly elected Bishop of the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)! https://www.salisburypost.com/2025/06/03/nc-lutherans-choose-first-female-bishop/

From AP religion news:
Southern Baptists target porn, sports betting, same-sex marriage and ‘willful childlessness’
https://apnews.com/article/southern-baptists-pornography-sports-betting-gay-marriage-aac48e558ea4b7f1c3b869b917e6eea2

“Humans generally want to feel chosen and special, and some individuals will believe they are to an extraordinary degree.” —YDS Prof Yii-Jan Lin as quoted in Rolling Stone on A.I. and religious fervor. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ai-chatbot-god-religion-answers-1235347023/

“I know faithful people, including faithful preachers, who persist in hope for the future, against all odds, grounded in their hope in God’s steadfastness. That hope emboldens them both to hear and preach the truth of God’s compassion and of God’s justice, and to act accordingly. Their hope emboldens me.”
—Roger Ferlo ’79 Ph.D. writing in the latest issue of our journal, Reflections https://reflections.yale.edu/article/christianity-losing-its-religion/courage-preach-christianity-101

Congratulations to YDS alum Toni Alimi '15 M.A.R. He has been appointed Assistant Professor in Religion at Princeton University! https://www.princeton.edu/news/2025/05/29/board-approves-14-new-faculty-appointments

"In churches we pray for revival, but we need to understand what that really means. It is not just about personal change, but about change in the whole society. That requires that we lay down our arms, care for the poor, and treat creation well."
—YDS Professor Willie James Jennings in this interview with the Dutch Daily Newspaper. Prof. (To access the article, you'll need to do a free registration. Google translation should help you turn the Dutch into English.) https://www.nd.nl/geloof/geloof/1270719/willie-jennings-geeft-lezing-over-hoop-en-martin-luther-king-

"My experiences of connection with God and others in the church have kept me coming back. I am hoping against hope that the 21st century church can be an experiential community for the future, a place that more and more people can turn to for a mysterious experience of eternal resonance."
—S. Slade Hogan ’22 S.T.M. writing in the new issue of Reflections, which asks whether Christianity is losing its religion. https://reflections.yale.edu/article/christianity-losing-its-religion/inexplicable-grace-why-i-m-still-part-church

Well-deserved recognition for YDS alum and Dean's Advisory Council member Jerry W Henry '80 M.Div. in this recent article. Grateful for his leadership and service! #WeAreCalled https://forhumanity.yale.edu/news/mission-driven-life-jerry-henry-80-mdiv

How are you *being*? New interview at YaleNews with YDS professor and former Yale chaplain Frederick "Jerry" Streets about his work attending to clergy well-being.
https://news.yale.edu/2025/05/30/being-well-amid-uncertainty