Jim Wallis is a New York Times bestselling author, public theologian, speaker, and international commentator on ethics and public life. He recently served on the White House Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and was former vice chair of and currently serves on the Global Agenda Council on Values of the World Economic Forum. [More]
Diana Butler Bass is an author, speaker, and independent scholar specializing in American religion and culture. She holds a Ph.D. in religious studies from Duke University and is the author of nine books, including Grounded: Finding God in the World—A Spiritual Revolution (HarperOne, 2015) and the widely influential Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening (HarperOne, 2012). [More]
Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III is the Senior Pastor of the 8,000-member Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, “preaching a Black theology that unapologetically calls attention to the problems of mass incarceration, environmental justice, and economic inequality.” [More]
William Paul Young is the New York Times bestselling author of The Shack, which has recently been adapted for film, Crossroads, and Eve. Though The Shack was a story originally written for his six children with no intentions for publication, Paul’s creative re-imagining of the Trinity in the midst of tragedy resonated with millions across the world. [More]
Joy Carroll Wallis|Board Chair Joy Wallis was one of the first women ordained to the priesthood in the Church of England in 1994. She was the real-life Vicar of Dibley and the inspiration for the 1994 BBC comedy series of the same name. She’s the author of Beneath the Cassock: The Real Life Vicar of Dibley, and The Woman Behind the Collar. Joy and her husband, Jim Wallis (Soujourners), live in Washington, D.C. with their two children, Luke and Jack. https://sojo.net/biography/joy-wallis https://www.joycarrollwallis.com/
The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber is Pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, NC and architect of the Forward Together Moral Movement that gained national acclaim with its Moral Monday protests at the North Carolina General Assembly in 2013. He has keynoted hundreds of national and state conferences, including the 2016 Democratic National Convention, and has spoken to a wide variety of audiences across the country Dr. Barber has served as president of the NC NAACP, since 2006 and sits on its National Board of Directors. He is currently Visiting Professor of Public Theology and Activism at Union Theological Seminary New York and is a Senior Fellow at Auburn Seminary. Dr. Barber is regularly featured in major national media outlets and is the 2015 recipient of the Puffin Award and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Award. His two most recent books include Forward Together (Chalice Press) and The Third Reconstruction (Beacon Press). http://www.breachrepairers.org/
Nadia Bolz-Weber is the founding pastor of House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, Colorado. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People(Convergent, 2015), available in bookstores now. She’s also the author of Salvation on the Small Screen, 24 Hours of Christian Television (Seabury 2008) and the New York Times bestselling theological memoir, Pastrix: the Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint(Jericho, 2013). Nadia has been featured in BBC World Service, The Washington Post, Bitch Magazine, NPR’s Morning Edition, Fresh Air, More Magazine, The Daily Beast and on CNN. http://www.nadiabolzweber.com/
Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good. Notable among the many books he has authored are: “A New Kind of Christian”, which won Christianity Today’s “Award of Merit” in 2002; “Everything Must Change” tracing critical ways in which Jesus’ message confronts contemporary global crises; and We Make the Road by Walking, marking a turn toward constructive and practical theology. His 2016 release, The Great Spiritual Migration, has been hailed as his most important work to date. Brian is married to Grace, and they have four adult children and five grandchildren. His personal interests include wildlife and ecology, fly fishing and kayaking, music and songwriting, art, history, and literature. https://brianmclaren.net/
Micky ScottBey Jones is a perpetual learner, “justice doula”, consultant, facilitator, mama/sister/friend, nonviolence practitioner and contemplative activist living just south of Nashville, TN. Micky facilitates conferences, trainings and online conversations while exploring a variety of topics including self-care in community, healing justice, intersectionality, faith-rooted activism, revolutionary friendship, race & justice, and theology from the margins. She loves to curate contemplative and dialogic spaces and activities. Named one of the Black Christian leaders changing the world in Huffington Post, Micky is the Director of Healing Justice at Faith Matters Network. She is currently serving as an Associate Fellow for Racial Justice with Evangelicals for Social Action an activist-in-residence at Scarritt Bennett Center in Nashville, TN. She consults with a variety of people, projects and organizations as opportunities arise. Micky believes in traveling the world while spreading revolutionary love, engaging in authentic conversations, and participating in transformative experiences – and most importantly – she never passes up a dance floor. http://www.mickyscottbeyjones.com/
Doug Pagitt is a pastor (Solomon’s Porch – Minneapolis), author, speaker, Ultra-Marathoner, goodness conspirator (The OpenNetworkUs.org) & possibility evangelist. He has a BA in Anthropology and a Masters of Theology from Bethel Seminary and is a speaker and consultant for churches, denominations, and businesses throughout the United States and around the world on issues of Inventive Age culture, social systems Christianity, and Leadership. Pagitt is the author of books on spirituality, Christianity, and leadership including: Flipped (Random House 2015), Evangelism in the Inventive Ag (SparkHouse 2012), and Preaching in the Inventive Age (SparkHouse 2011). Doug is a possibility enthusiast who seeks to find creative, entrepreneurial and generative ways to enlist people to join in the hopes, dreams, and desires God has for the world. http://www.dougpagitt.com/
Dr. Claudio Carvalhaes is originally from São Paulo, Brazil and a former shoe shining boy. He’s now an activist, liturgist, theologian and artist. He has preached and performed in Brazil; Mozambique and El Salvador. He has taught at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia and is currently at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. In the fall of 2016, he will be the Associate Professor of Worship at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Carvalhaes has served with the Presbyterian Church (USA) in its peacemaking and immigrant groups ministries and continues to work with immigrant groups in US and Brazil. He has been on the cutting edge of cross-cultural worship, a voice of liberation among communities of color, an advocate for young adults, and a prophetic presence among those who are pushing the church into the 21st century. Living around the borders of several cultures he speaks badly three languages: Portuguese, English and Spanish. http://www.claudiocarvalhaes.com/about-me/
Chris S. Davies is the curator of Queer Clergy Trading Cards. She currently works for the United Church of Christ and is the point person for Congregational Assessment, Support, and Advancement at the National offices. Chris is a local beer enthusiast, creative queer liturgist, and dreamer beyond the normative church. She is a Connecticut native, a Cleveland transplant, and a wandering Irish Rover at heart. This project is a project of revolutionary love, bringing visibility to queer clergy, using humor and irreverence to help change the conversation to highlight common awe (and absurdities) in faith work. The project tells the stories of what oft is an isolating experience, and invites community beyond denomination. Chris loves Jesus and church deeply, and wants to help vision how we can transform the world, for the sake of the Gospel.
Frank Schaeffer is an artist and a New York Times bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction. Frank is a much sought after speaker and has lectured at a wide range of venues from Harvard’s Kennedy School to the Hammer Museum/UCLA, Princeton University, Riverside Church Cathedral, DePaul University and the Kansas City Public Library. Frank has been a frequent guest on the Rachel Maddow Show on NBC, has appeared on Oprah, been interviewed by Terri Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air and appeared on the Today Show, BBC News and many other media outlets. Frank is also a blogger on Huffington Post, Alternet and Patheos. http://www.frankschaeffer.com/index.html
Jim Burklo is the Associate Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California. He is a co-founder of Mindful.USC.edu, a campus-wide initiative for learning, practice, and research; he has been practicing and teaching mindfulness meditation for nearly 40 years. He is an ordained UCC pastor and the author of six books: Open Christianity; Birdlike and Barnless: Meditations, Prayers, and Songs for Progressive Christians; Hitch-Hiking to Alaska: The Way of Soulful Service; a novel, Souljourn; Deeper Love: Faithful Rhetoric for Progressive Social Change; and MINDFUL CHRISTIANITY. He writes a weekly blog, MUSINGS, on progressive Christian spirituality and social activism. Many of his liturgical elements and meditations appear at ProgressiveChristianity.org, and he is an activist, writer, and board member with Progressive Christians Uniting. An avid hiker and lover of the desert, he dabbles in artistic tinwork. He and his wife, Roberta Maran, live in Hollywood; they are blessed with three children and two grandchildren. http://mindfulchristianity.org
Kenji Kuramitsu is a social worker and Anglican seminarian at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL. He is a noted educator on issues of racism, doing theology online, and LGBTQ families. His writing has appeared in the Pacific Citizen, Inheritance Magazine, and Smile Politely Magazine. Kenji currently serves on the National Board of the Japanese American Citizens League, the oldest and largest Asian American civil rights group in the United States, and the Reformation Project, a Christian direct action organization engaging the Church on LGBTQ advocacy. Connect with him on Twitter @afreshmind
John Pavlovitz is a writer and pastor from Wake Forest, North Carolina. In the past three years his blog Stuff That Needs To Be Said has reached a diverse audience of millions. A 20-year veteran in the trenches of local church ministry, John’s mission is to help the Church become a more compassionate, loving environment for all people. He serves on staff at North Raleigh Community Church and his first book A Bigger Table, will be released in October. http://johnpavlovitz.com/
Darren Calhoun is an advocate, worship leader, and photographer based out of Chicago. He works to bridge relationships between people of differing perspectives through story and relationship. Intersectionality is his primary lens when facilitating dialogue and education about justice and inclusion for people marginalized based on race, gender, and/or sexuality. Currently, Darren is Worship Leader at Urban Village Church – South Loop, Associate Fellow for Racial Justice at Evangelicals for Scoial Action, in addition to owning Darren Calhoun Photography. He’s also an extrovert who loves hugs. Follow him on social media at @HeyDarren
Bart Campolo is a secular minister, speaker, and writer who currently volunteers as the Humanist Chaplain at the University of Southern California. Born and raised in suburban Philadelphia, Bart became an evangelical Christian as a teenager and was immediately attracted to urban ministry. After graduating from Brown University and serving as an urban youth pastor in Minneapolis, he returned to Philadelphia to found Mission Year, a national service organization which recruits young adults to live and work among the poor in inner-city neighborhoods. Since moving to Los Angeles in 2014, Bart’s work has been focused on inspiring and equipping all kinds of people to make the most of their lives by actively pursuing loving relationships, social justice and a genuine sense of wonder. bartcampolo.org
Gareth Higgins is a writer from Belfast, Northern Ireland now living in Asheville, North Carolina. He was the founding director of the Wild Goose Festival, as well as the zero28 Project, a faith-based peace and justice initiative in Northern Ireland, and Movies & Meaning, a community making peace through story and image. He has written and spoken widely on religion and conflict, art & spirituality and cinema and reducing violence. He leads retreats every year in Ireland, and is happy to be a work in progress. http://www.garethhiggins.net/
Stan Mitchell serves as the Founding Pastor of GRACEPOINTE in Nashville, TN, a progressive Christian community.
Peggy Flanagan, a citizen of the White Earth Nation of Ojibwe, is a longtime advocate for Minnesota’s children and families. A noted community and political organizer, she was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in November of 2015. Prior to joining the legislature, she served as the executive director of Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota, an organization dedicated to leveling the playing field for all children in the region. She also worked for eight years at Wellstone Action, first as director and founder of the Native American Leadership Program, then as director of external affairs. As one of the original trainers of Wellstone Action’s signature program Camp Wellstone, she has trained tens of thousands of progressive activists, community and campaign organizers, future candidates, and progressive officeholders to make effective, sustainable, progressive change around the country.
Joerg 
Rieger is Distinguished Professor of Theology and holds the Cal Turner Chancellor’s Chair in Wesleyan Studies at Vanderbilt University. Author and editor of more than 20 books, his most recent books include Unified We Are a Force: How Faith and Labor Can Overcome America’s Inequalities (with Rosemarie Henkel-Rieger, 2016) and Faith on the Road: A Short Theology of Travel and Justice (2015). This session will further develop the argument of his book Christ and Empire: From Paul to Postcolonial Times (2007). His books have been translated into various languages and lectures around the globe.