Symposium 2024: “Bravely Facing this Moment”
Symposium 2024
This Symposium, instead of having a singular “Honored Teacher” to headline the event, the program will feature a variety of contributing presenters and workshop leaders.
The Symposium schedule will begin with program sessions on the evening of Monday, August 26, and continue through the morning of Wednesday, August 28. Program elements will include shared worship, critical analysis of recent political developments, community conversations, and ideas for practical action. The program is still in development and details will be added to this page as they are confirmed.
Bravely Facing this Moment: Defending and Renewing Democracy
2024 is a crucial year for American democracy. Intertwined forces of authoritarianism and Christian nationalism seek to reverse progress toward a more inclusive and pluralistic society. But if we commit ourselves to collaborative efforts of imagination and reconstruction, we can both protect democracy and expand its practice beyond the constricted norms and habits that define the present. This year’s Starr King Symposium will unite diagnosis and prescription, featuring both a timely, up-to-the-minute analysis of the political dangers confronting us, as well as tangible proposals for how we can embody a richer, multi-religious democratic culture in the service of beloved community.
Two Attendance Options
Symposium participants have two options for program attendance:
Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists
TRANSIT
The main public transit system for this region is Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). The network of BART trains provides direct transportation from the San Francisco and Oakland airports to destinations throughout the area. You can also create a Clipper account and, with a smart card or your phone, access other regional public transit services.
The Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists is located just 0.8 miles from the Downtown Berkeley BART station. The route is walkable but can also be partly traversed by AC Transit bus lines 7, 18, or 79.
PARKING
There is no private parking lot at BFUU. Please note that street or garage parking in Berkeley is subject to various stipulations or conditions. The residential neighborhood where BFUU is located has free parking limited to 2-hour intervals.
ACCOMMODATIONS
The following are some hotels located near BFUU. Please consult map/transit services for bus options. You may also wish to explore homestay rentals available on AirBnB or VRBO.
SenS Hotel
1538 Shattuck Ave. (0.3 mi)
No onsite parking.
Nash Hotel
2045 University Ave. (0.5 mi)
No onsite parking.
Sather Hotel
1820 University Ave. (0.6 mi)
Onsite parking.
Quality Inn University
1781 University Ave. (0.6 mi)
Onsite parking.
This will include online-specific community sessions as well as hybrid engagement with cross-modality sessions. We are planning for some elements of the program to be asynchronous to help accommodate working schedules.
Registration
Registration is now open on Eventbrite! Click here to register now. The deadline to register to attend in-person is July 26.
If you are a Current Student planning to attend Symposium for course credit, please make sure to enroll in the Symposium course on Populi. General Registration for summer courses remains open until June 17, but if you wish to enroll in Symposium after that date, please contact Chris Schelin for admission into the course. The in-person enrollment deadline for students has passed.
Accommodation Subsidy for Students
Starr King students registered for credit for Symposium are eligible to apply for a subsidy reimbursement in support of accommodation expenses. Each student may receive up to $125/night or $250 total. Information on applying for the subsidy will be provided at a later date.
Draft Schedule
Please Note: This is a draft schedule and is subject to change.
MONDAY, AUGUST 26
- 3:30 pm PT/6:30 pm ET – In-Gathering Worship: Beloved Community Boosts Immunity with Pastor Jacqueline Duhart
- 4:30 pm PT/7:30 pm ET – The Christian Nationalist Threat to Democracy and the Church with Dr. Bradley Onishi
TUESDAY, AUGUST 27
- Morning Community Gathering (TBD)
- 10:30 am PT/1:30 pm ET – The Psychology of Christian Nationalism and How to Talk Across the Divide with Rev. Pamela Cooper-White, Ph.D.
- 1:30 pm PT/4:30 pm ET – Protecting Multi-Religious Democracy with Amanda Tyler
- 4:00 pm PT/7:00 pm ET – Mundane and Magnificent: Practices for Everyday Democracy with J. Tyson Casey
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28
- 9:00 am ET – Integrative Reflection and Closing Worship
- 9:00 am PT – Integrative Reflection and Closing Worship
Program Sessions
In-Gathering Worship: Beloved Community Boosts Immunity
In a season that heightens our anxiety, worshiping together in celebration of shared values builds our immunity to fear and despair. Together, we honor the sacred power among us and strengthen one another in the work of resilience and transformation. We begin our Symposium in song and prayer led by Pastor Jacqueline Duhart, trusting that spirit will lead us forward in hope.
The Christian Nationalist Threat to Democracy and the Church: A Theology of Supremacy
Where did Christian nationalism originate? How has it taken an authoritarian turn in the last decade? What can we expect in the months leading to the 2024 elections? In this presentation, Dr. Bradley Onishi answers these questions by tracing the ascendance of contemporary Christian nationalism from the 1960s to the present, with a focus on race, xenophobia, and national image. Drawing on his work as a historian and his training as a theologian, Onishi will demonstrate how Christian nationalism threatens both democracy and the Christian church.
The Psychology of Christian Nationalism and How to Talk Across the Divide
Based on her most recent book The Psychology of Christian Nationalism, Dr. Cooper-White will address these questions, which are of pressing importance to the future of American democracy and the evolving character of American Christianity. Who are Christian nationalists and what do they believe? Why is this movement so dangerous? How do people we think of as “good people” get drawn in to the irrational beliefs held by this movement, including outright lies and conspiracy theories? What are the conscious and unconscious motivations that draw people into this movement? And are there strategies to help us to talk across a widening political and religious divide?
Protecting Multi-Religious Democracy
Full title and description coming soon!
Mundane and Magnificent: Practices for Everyday democracy
Insights into the everyday constraints and openings for experiencing democracy cultivates space to engage each other through shared governance practices—from the mundane to the magnificent. Conditions of collapse and authoritarianism are accelerating, yet within this reality are opportunities to experiment living in a more just, regenerative, and democratic culture. Under the leadership of Prof. Tyson Casey, come explore the current circumstances and conditions we face—political, social, ecological, habitual, and institutional—so that you can better practice and change our culture day by day, moment by moment.
Featured Speakers
Pastor Jacqueline Duhart
Starr King School for the Ministry
Pastor Jacqueline Duhart is currently the Director of Spiritual Care at Starr King School for the Ministry. A graduate of Starr King, Pastor Jacqueline served in the United States Air Force for 21 years as a clinical social worker. Before returning to Starr King to provide spiritual care to students, she served the First Unitarian Church of Oakland for ten years in various ministry positions. Other career highlights include eight years of chaplaincy at the Federal Corrections Institute, Dublin CA, five years at the American Friends Service Committee advocating to end the death penalty, and a private practice in Anchorage, AK. These experiences honed her capacity to be with the sorrows, joys, and mysteries of life while living with bright hope. Learn more about Pastor Jacqueline here.
Dr. Bradley Onishi
University of San Francisco
Brad Onishi is a social commentator, scholar, and co-host of the Straight White American Jesus (SWAJ) podcast. He founded Axis Mundi Media in 2023 in order to provide a platform for research-based podcasts focused on safeguarding democracy from the threats of extremism and authoritarianism. His writing has appeared at the New York Times, Politico, Rolling Stone, NBC News, HuffPost, and many other outlets. Onishi is a frequent guest on national radio, podcast, and television outlets, including “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross and MSNBC. His podcast, SWAJ, ranks in the top 50 of Politics shows on Apple’s podcast charts – ahead of programs from NPR, the NYT, and other national outlets. He is the author of Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism – And What Comes Next.
The Rev. Pamela Cooper-White, Ph.D.
Union Theological Seminary, New York
The Rev. Pamela Cooper-White, Ph.D., is the Christiane Brooks Johnson Professor of Psychology and Religion, Emerita, and Dean and Vice President Emerita for Academic Affairs, at Union Theological Seminary, New York. She recently completed 8 years as Assisting Priest at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York. An award-winning author, she has published 10 books, including most recently The Psychology of Christian Nationalism, which was awarded the INDIE independent publishers’ 2022 gold award for social and political science. She was the 2013-14 Fulbright-Freud Scholar of Psychoanalysis at the Freud Museum in Vienna; is an Academic Member of the American Psychoanalytic Association and honorary Member of the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis (NPAP New York). She is Past-President of the International Association for Spiritual Care in Bern, Switzerland; on the Board of the Freud Foundation U.S. (Freud Museum Vienna); the editorial Board of the Journal of Pastoral Theology; and former Co-Chair and currently on the Steering Committee of the Psychology, Culture & Religion program unit of the American Academy of Religion.
Amanda Tyler
Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
Amanda Tyler is executive director of BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty), leading the organization as it upholds the historic Baptist principle of religious liberty: defending the free exercise of religion and protecting against its establishment by government. She is the lead organizer of BJC’s Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign and co-host of BJC’s Respecting Religion podcast. Tyler is the author of How to End Christian Nationalism, which will be published by Broadleaf Books on October 22, 2024. Tyler’s constitutional law analysis and advocacy for faith freedom for all have been featured by major news outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CBS News, ABC News, CNN, and MSNBC. A member of the Texas and U.S. Supreme Court Bar, Tyler has experience working in Congress, in a private legal practice, and serving as a law clerk for a federal judge. She testified before Congress in 2023 on the threats of Christian nationalism to religious liberty, and her 2022 testimony before Congress discussed the ways Christian nationalism proves cover for white supremacy.
J. Tyson Casey
Starr King School for the Ministry
J. Tyson Casey is a professional coach, facilitator, and educator whose work centers on a simple truth: leadership is an action anyone can practice. Before graduating in 2010 from Starr King School for the Ministry’s Master of Arts in Social Change (MASC) program, Tyson solidified his vision to cultivate just, equitable, accessible, and regenerative communities – where power is dispersed, where agency is exercised, where informed consent is the status quo. Through staff, board, contractor, and advisory positions with organizations from the local to international scale, Tyson refined his vision and methods in a wide variety of settings, from corporate and nonprofit organizations to small group and one-on-one coaching. Learn more about Tyson here.
