Politics in the Pulpit with Rev. Dr. Neddy Astudillo
Preaching Boldly Amidst an Unprecedented Election Year
Occurred on October 3, 2024
There is much about this election season in the United States that feels unprecedented and precarious, and many of us feel alternately bewildered, hopeful, terrified, and determined, among many other emotions.
For those of us who preach and offer spiritual leadership, finding the most resonant message and the words to convey in these days can feel particularly fraught.
With climate and so many other justice issues on the ballot, staying silent is not an option. Yet how can we preach from a place that is grounded, compassionate, and connected to our deepest values?
The BTS Center, Creation Justice Ministries, and Lexington Theological Seminary, in partnership, invited you to a special online preaching workshop oriented toward preaching in this election season. Our time together provided an opportunity for learning, companionship, and inspiration, while also offering ample space for preachers to both collectively and individually explore how to preach faithfully amidst an emotionally and politically charged atmosphere.
This three-hour gathering was structured as a “hands-on,” experiential, participatory workshop — not a webinar. The workshop included:
- A series of mini-presentations exploring the intersections of climate, politics, and preaching; reviewing legal “dos and don’ts”; and honoring of the legacy of faithful preachers who have offered spiritual wisdom in politically fraught times of the past
- Small group discussions in which you had the opportunity to process new framings, explore your hopes and concerns, and embolden one another
- Individual and collective exercises to begin envisioning what faithful preaching in an election season might look like
- Special guest preaching by a seasoned homiletics scholar
- Space for contemplation, creative expression, and courageous curiosity
Together, through a variety of modalities, we explored what our authentic preaching voices might offer leading up to this election and beyond.
Rev. Dr. Neddy Astudillo, a Venezuelan eco-theologian and Presbyterian pastor based in the US, is the coordinator of the Spanish Climate Justice & Faith online Certification program at the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Since 2018 and early 2023, Neddy also worked coordinating GreenFaith’s Latinx and Latin America Organizing and Training work. After earning her Master in Divinity at McCormick Theological Seminary in 1998, Neddy co-founded the Angelic Organics Learning Center, a farm-based organizing and educational nonprofit in Northern Illinois, where people connect with food, farming and caring for the Earth; and from 2005 to 2018 was the pastor of a Latino (ELCA-PCUSA) Latino ministry in Beloit, Wisconsin (USA). In 2013 Neddy earned her Doctor of Ministry in “Greening the Church” from Drew University. Since then, Neddy has taught Eco-Theology courses at seminaries in Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Bolivia, and the US; has been a spokesperson on environmental and climate justice in countless faith-based gatherings in the US and Latin America; and has been published in diverse media. In 2020, Neddy received the Presbyterians for Earth Care annual award for her commitment to Environmental Justice.
Meet Our Hosts
Avery Davis Lamb is Co-Executive Director of Creation Justice Ministries. Creation Justice Ministries’ mission is to educate, equip and mobilize communions and denominations, congregations, and individuals to protect, restore, and rightly share God’s creation.
Avery has a background in both ecological research and faith-based environmental organizing, studying ecology in various ecosystems and organizing faith communities across the country in support of action on environmental justice. Previously he has worked for Sojourners and Interfaith Power & Light. He serves on the board for The Center for Spirituality in Nature and is a Fellow with the Re:Generate Program at Wake Forest Divinity School and the Foundations of Christian Leadership Program at Duke Divinity School.
Avery has a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Sustainability from Pepperdine University, a Master of Environmental Management in Ecosystem Science & Conservation with a certificate in Community-Based Environmental Management from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, and a Master of Theological Studies, with a certificate in Faith, Food & Environmental Justice from Duke Divinity School. His research focuses on the role of religious communities in building climate resilience and adaptation, with emphasis on the virtue of “climate hospitality.”
Madeline Bugeau-Heartt serves at The BTS Center as a program associate. She is a graduate of the Harvard Divinity School and NYU Tisch School of the Arts. A longtime experimental theater and film-maker, Madeline is passionate about creating spaces for people to tap into their kindest, most imaginative selves, especially as we navigate this radical transition that our beloved, climate-changed world demands. She draws from this artistry, her “catholic-adjacent” mysticism, as well as her past-lives as farmer and caregiver to practice into better ways of being with others. When not working, Madeline can be found taking lengthy walks, spending time with her cherished family and friends, and lifting weights; she is forever cooking up new ways to build neighborhood in her home of York, Maine and beyond.
