Kwok ’n’ Roll

Dr. Carlos Mendoza-Álvarez, a street theologian in Mexico City, has taught theology in the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico. He discusses how his decolonial theology is informed by the marginalized and the survivors of violence and oppression. As a novice of the Dominican Order, he visited  Chiapas in southern Mexico and learned about the indigenous peoples’ struggles, wisdom, and hope. His decolonial theology brings theologians into dialo...

Dr. Sharon D. Welch is a scholar and activist and a former Provost of the Unitarian Universalist’s Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago. A seasoned activist, she was involved in the women’s movement, peace movement, and direct activism for decades. She has worked with the Chicago League of Women Voters, the Social Enterprise Alliance, and the Community-Based Learning Collaborative, among other organizations. In this epis...

Dr. Vincent Lloyd is a professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University. He researches and teaches about the philosophy of religion, religion and politics, and race. In this episode, he discusses his two forthcoming books: Political Theology Reimagined and What Is Political Theology? While political theology in the past has engaged with the works of Carl Schmitt, Giorgio Agamben, and Jacques Derrida, cutting-edge...

Dr. Tina Pippin teaches the Bible and Religion at Agnes Scott College, a women’s college in Decatur, Georgia, USA, and she will be the president of the Society of Biblical Literature in 2026. In this episode, she discusses her new book The Actual Jesus, which investigates the portrayals of Jesus in films, novels, popular media, and AI. She recalls her training in biblical studies as a graduate student in the Southern Baptist Theolo...

Dr. Antonio Alonso is the Director of Catholic Studies at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. He composed the responsorial psalm for the first Mass Pope Francis celebrated in the U.S. in 2015. A Latin Grammy-nominated composer, he discusses the difference between composing liturgical music versus secular music. He began writing music as a teenager and is the author of over 200 published compositions and arrangements. He r...

Dr. Keun-joo Christine Pae teaches religion and ethics, and women and gender studies at Denison University in Ohio. In this episode, she discusses transpacific imagination in theology and ethics, and her field research on spiritual activism in Korea. As a coeditor of Searching for the Future in the Past: Reclaiming Feminist Theological Visions, she explains why feminist theology continues to be a critical tool for women-identified ...

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 postcolonial stance. He offered the first c...

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 her career and encourages churches an...

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 was elected. Her group went to Rome a...

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 coedited volumes, Take Back the Word an...

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. He shares his experience studying As...

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, as well as the "No Kings" protest....

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 equipment to start. You can begin wi...

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 environment. He explained why we n...

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 struggle with the church to find new mea...

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. She explains how AI can enable us ...

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 Americans care about. He highlights ...

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 social media platforms, improving publ...

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, explores how the image of the new Je...