On July 1, 2019, Rev.Gary F. Green II joined United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities as assistant professor of pastoral theology and social transformation.
Rooted in the United Church of Christ,United Theological Seminaryis dedicated to justice and societal transformation. Its faculty, staff, students, and alumni have been engaged in groundbreaking work for decades in areas that have included feminist theology and LGBT rights. Green's views on the natural linkage between the work of social transformation and pastoral care spell out explicitly the kind of theology that has been a part of United's makeup since its founding in 1962.
Traditionally pastoral theology includes leadership, preaching and pastoral care - practical skills that ministers need to lead congregations. But Green also links social action with pastoral theology, noting that when the Rev. Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.engaged in social justice work, he was performing pastoral care. He noted, "Pastoral care is fundamentally concerned about justice." When pastors simply try to help parishioners and others in their community to adjust to injustices rather than fight for justice, they are failing to exercise pastoral care. Good pastoral theology calls for ministers to work on behalf of congregants who suffer from unjust systems.
Green is a Ph.D. candidate in pastoral theology atBrite Divinity School. He received his Master of Divinity in homiletics and social ethics from Central Baptist Theological Seminary inShawnee, Kansas, and his Bachelor of General Studies in applied behavior science from theUniversity of Kansas. His experience and areas of interest have helped shape his perspective on pastoral theology. His work experience includes work as an associate pastor and as a resident theologian and director of Christian education. He has expertise in the pastoral care of young African American men, racial and gender politics in competitive sport, Black church studies and other topics related to race, gender and pastoral theology.
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