Politics in the Pulpit with Timothy Adkins-Jones
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. Timothy Levi Adkins-Jones is the Pastor of the historic Bethany Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. A son of the church, Rev. Adkins-Jones was led to faith in Christ at an early age by his grandfather, the Rev. Leroy Jones, at Pilgrim Journey Baptist Church in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia. Before being called to Bethany, Rev. Adkins-Jones faithfully led congregations in Massachusetts and Connecticut, building a young legacy of community activism and Christian service. He gladly serves as part of the leadership team for the New Jersey Together and as a trustee for both the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and Salvation and Social Justice.
Embodying the best of the Black preacher-scholar tradition, Rev. Adkins-Jones has a PhD in Practical Theology with a Homiletics concentration from Boston University School of Theology. He also holds a BA in Psychology from Amherst College, and an MDiv from the BUSTH. A sought-out lecturer and speaker across the nation, Rev. Dr. Adkins-Jones is an Assistant Professor of Homiletics at Union Theological Seminary after previously teaching courses in homiletics and polity at Yale Divinity School. Rev. Dr. Adkins-Jones is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He is also the proud husband of Rev. Dr. Amey Victoria Adkins-Jones and the father of four loving and amusing souls, Sofia, Ezekiel, Isabella, and Judah Nwà who keep him young and busy.
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.
