WIT is very happy to announce that we have accepted four new regular contributors! We received many wonderful applications from women around the world doing theology, but unfortunately could not accept everyone. Those who were not accepted are always welcome to submit guest posts and we encourage everyone to follow the blog for notifications for future calls for regular contributors.
Starting in July, we are adding the following new regular contributors: Angellica Sweat, Kim Gunter, Kristyn Sessions, and Michelle Eastwood.
Please join us in welcoming our new WIT regular contributors!
Angellica S. Sweat holds a Master of Theology degree with a specialization in Homiletics from Duke University, as well as a Master of Divinity degree with concentrations in Worship and Preaching, and Biblical Studies from Hood Theological Seminary. With a unique combination of a career in Business Finance, an undergraduate degree in Psychology, and a graduate focus in Religion, Angellica’s research intersects with culture, ethics, and practical theology. Her current focus is on exploring womanist and liberation embodiment practices as transformative sources of healing. Specifically, she is engaged in the study of womanist preaching methods that promote postures of wellness by addressing trauma, fostering inclusivity, and nurturing communal wholeness. A native of North Carolina, Angellica has contributed to various leadership and community roles, including positions as a Director of Finance for a private college, Senior Administrator in corporate America, and most recently as a non-profit Program Coordinator. She is a devoted member of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and is licensed as a minister. For over a decade, Angellica has demonstrated a heartfelt commitment to sharing the Gospel with young adults, serving as a local youth director and a denominational youth advisor. She firmly believes that by integrating rigorous research with practical application, religious and academic institutions can cultivate an ethic of care and foster a culture of love. In her reflection time, Angellica nurtures diverse interests including digital art, photography, writing, and tending to her beloved collection of plants. Angellica is a lover of books, espresso, and luxury writing pens!
Kim Paris Gunter received her MDiv with a concentration in the Black Church from United Lutheran Seminary in 2021. Prior to that, she received her J.D. from Villanova Law School and her LL.M. in Health Law from Widener Delaware Law School. Having successfully completed the Womanist Leadership Institute Program of The Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership at Union Presbyterian Seminary, she has focused her preaching, teaching, and writing on womanist theology and ethics. Mystified by how Black women have and continue to endure in U.S. Christianity and Christian ethics, she plans to embark on PhD studies to explore methodologies for Black women’s spiritual survival in spite of biblical interpretation that is wholly exclusive of their race, gender, and class-based lived experience and perspective. As a woman who lost two children in pregnancy, Kim is author of the book, Sunshine and Daniel: Seeking Grace in Lost Motherhood (2018), that marries biblical and contemporary stories of loss to offer compassion and hope to women who have lost children by varied causes. With her intimate understanding of the challenges of faith that result from child loss, Kim seeks to couple her womanist theological interest with an exploration into how enslaved and oppressed women, especially women of color, remain faithful to a faith that relies on their steadfast devotion yet too often silences their voices. As a busy university administrator and Baptist minister, Kim enjoys her down time where she enjoys yoga, watching most sports, and spending time dreaming, journaling, and anything that embodies everyday wellness. Her cat, Mylo, brings her a bit of joy, on most days.
Kristyn Sessions is a Catherine of Siena Fellow in the Ethics Program at Villanova University. She earned a Ph.D. in Religion (in the Ethics and Society course of study) from Emory University, an M.T.S. from Candler School of Theology, and a B.A. in English and Philosophy from Calvin College. She previously taught at Agnes Scott College in the Religious Studies Department and has worked as a community organizer in Anchorage, Alaska and a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ghana, West Africa. Her research interests include Christian social ethics, political theology, ritual theory, and pedagogy. In her dissertation, “Small is Beautiful: Ritual, Congregation-Based Community Organizing, and Just Social Change,” she argues that discrete political acts ought to be understood as rituals to enable a thicker description of ordinary political life which might enable Christian theologians and ethicists to engage in more nuanced discussions about what constitutes faith-informed political participation. She has published articles in AAR’s Spotlight on Teaching, Journal of Peace & Justice Studies, and Teaching Ethics and is co-editor of upcoming special issue of Religion & Education, “Religion, Ethics, and Community-Based Learning.” A dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, Kristyn was born into a Christian Reformed family, has attended many Catholic Masses, and now worships at an Episcopal Church. She enjoys spending time with her family, walking around new places, and watching movies.
Michelle Eastwood is a Director of Research at Australian Lutheran College. Her PhD thesis is titled “The Shame of the Old Woman: A Feminist Reading of Psalm 71.” Michelle has degrees in Psychology, History, Education and Theology and enjoys bringing all these aspects into her theological thinking. As a feminist theologian and biblical scholar, Michelle enjoys thinking about how the biblical text has been used to justify and endorse a diverse range of political, social and cultural understandings, some of which stand in direct opposition with each other. Michelle was raised in the Lutheran Church of Australia, but has spent large portions of her adult life in Anglican and Uniting Church of Australia contexts. In these churches, Michelle developed a love of ritual and liturgical form. While considering ageing for her thesis, Michelle was alerted to the invisibility of older women and the negative connotations that ageing particularly has for women. This leads her to intentionally seek out the stories and wisdom of women she encounters, especially those who are in the latter parts of their lives. Michelle is always interested in discussions about gender and sexuality. She likes thinking about how the language we use both reveals and reinforces perspectives in these areas. Michelle also has a keen interest in race relations, particularly within the Australian context. She has recently enjoyed learning about Indigenous perspectives on theology, Christianity and the church, and Country. Michelle lives on the sovereign and unceded country of the Wadawurrung people of the Kulin Nations. In her spare time she enjoys music, dancing, reading, swimming, creating, and laughing with friends.
Leave a Reply