Technology, Ethics, and the Future of Religious Education

REA Annual Meeting 2025

7-11 July, Online

REA2025 Schedule

This meeting is over, this schedule remains for the record.

Monday, July 7

9:30 AM CDT

Welcome and Opening Plenary: Navigating through our Navigation of Humanity

Plenary
Eileen M Daily, Annie A Lockhart-Gilroy, Karen-Marie Yust, Jennifer Moe
Y
Monday, July 7 at 9:30 AM - 11:15 AM CDT

After a brief welcome, our program co-chairs will frame our upcoming week together. Using their article published in the conference edition of our Religious Education journal, Eileen Daily and Annie Lockhart-Gilroy will dialogue about what brought them to this theme and explore the major questions they hope to navigate through this week.

Presented by Eileen M Daily (Boston University), Annie A Lockhart-Gilroy (Phillips Theological Seminary), and Karen-Marie Yust (Union Presbyterian Seminary).

Moderated by Jennifer Moe (Religious Education Association).

12:00 PM CDT

AI Use in Theological Education

Breakout Session
Miseon Choi, E. Paulette Isaac-Savage, Michael Porterfield, Heesung Hwang, Dean Blevins
Y
Monday, July 7 at 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM CDT

Paper

FNavigating Digital Colonialism: A Postcolonial Approach to AI and Global Justice

Miseon Choi (Claremont School of Theology)

The rapid advancement of digital technology and AI has created new inequalities, particularly for resource-limited nations and marginalized groups, a phenomenon known as Digital Colonialism. The military misuse of AI and the perpetuation of colonial ideologies threaten humanity. A postcolonial approach analyzes the colonial ideologies behind AI’s growth, promoting respect for life, dignity, and creation. This paper explores how a postcolonial approach can foster ethical discernment to address digital colonialism’s challenges and confront the harmful consequences of technological advancement.

Paper

FDigital Discipleship: Understanding AI Adoption Among Clergy and Community

E. Paulette Isaac-Savage (University of Missouri-St. Louis)Michael Porterfield

In this paper, we examine how Christian ministers and laity use AI tools, including ChatGPT, to enrich spiritual growth, deepen biblical knowledge, and support pastoral care. Drawing on qualitative research, this study explores ethical considerations, best practices, and the communal impact of AI usage. Findings provide guidance for religious educators seeking to integrate technological innovation with faith-based discernment. By highlighting human dignity and the importance of genuine connection, the research underscores AI’s potential to transform—and challenge—contemporary ministry.

Paper

FGrace and Community in the Age of AI: A Wesleyan-Theological Dialogue on Digital Technology and Religious Education

Heesung Hwang (Pacific School of Religion)

In the age of AI and automation, religious education must balance human-centered learning with digital advancements. This study explores how Wesleyan theological concepts—prevenient grace, social holiness, and connectionalism—offer a framework for engaging AI in faith formation. It examines whether AI-driven education enhances learner-centered pedagogy or diminishes human agency and community, while also redefining religious intelligence (RQ) in a digital context. By integrating theology, education, and technology, this study reimagines religious education to sustain both human formation and s

Moderated by Dean Blevins.

2:00 PM CDT

Chatbot Religion and Theopoetics

Breakout Session
William Tay Moss, Felipe Ribeiro
Y
Monday, July 7 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CDT

Paper

FSacred in Silicon: An Empirical Study of Human-Chatbot Interactions in the Religious Domain

William Tay Moss (CHURCHx, TUCC)

As educators and faith leaders integrate generative AI into teaching, understanding human-to-AI conversations is crucial. Religious discussions, rich with existential and factual inquiries, offer a unique lens to study AI dialogue. This paper examines conversation logs from “Ask Cathy,” a chatbot answering questions about the Episcopal Church. With over 10,000 conversations and 85,000 messages, this study used multiple established and novel empirical methods to examine conversational AI’s role in pedagogy, analyzing its impact on teaching strategies, chatbot design, and faith-based education.

Moderated by Felipe Ribeiro (UNEP Faith for Earth, Interfaith America).

5:00 PM CDT

Humanity and Personhood in the Digital Age

Breakout Session
Barbara Joan Javore, Mary Hess, Tamice Spencer-Helms, Boyung Lee
Y
Monday, July 7 at 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM CDT

Paper

FNurturing the Sacred Imagiion: Neuroaesthetics and Creativity in the Practice of Religious Education

Barbara Joan Javore (North Shore United Methodist Church)

The act of creating is the human response to the creative force of God. Experiences of awe, wonder and beauty offer an expanded sense of awareness that lies beyond the self. Inspiration and sacred imagining illustrate the presence of God in human existence. Incorporating the aesthetic experience into religious education nurtures engagement with the divine cognitively, emotionally, and spiritually. Neuroaesthetics offers the religious educator a pathway to explore the transformative effects of the artistic encounter through comprehension of the brain’s response to the aesthetic experience.

Paper

FTransforming faith stories in a time of economic contestation

Mary Hess (Luther Seminary)

Biblical notions of personhood require community. Practices of “oikonomia” refer to households rather than individuals. Yet in the US explicitly oppressive economic formulations of identity linked to individual achievement are nearly universal, widely distributed and amplified through digital technologies. What does it mean to be human in a world whose imagination has been so severely narrowed? Religious communities offer alternatives to these distorting and destructive stories when we foreground narratives of religious identity and resistance rooted in economies of solidarity.

Paper

FReimagining Humanity in the Age of AI: Epistemology, Meaning-Making, and the Recovery of Self-Trust

Tamice Spencer-Helms (United Theological Seminary)

As AI and automation displace human labor, a deeper crisis emerges—not just economic, but existential. What does it mean to be human when machines do the work that once defined us? Beyond productivity, humanity’s defining trait is meaning-making—our unique ability to perceive, interpret, and construct reality. Yet, dominant epistemologies erode self-trust, conditioning people to seek validation outside themselves. This paper explores the recovery of intuitive knowledge and spiritual imagination through hush harbor wisdom, digital epistemology, and the radical notion that God, like the internet

Moderated by Boyung Lee.

7:00 PM CDT

Student Gathering

REA
Eunjin Jeon
Monday, July 7 at 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM CDT

All Student members of REA are invited to attend! This meeting will include:

Check-In : JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) announcement; Brief round-table check-in.

Reflection & Looking Ahead: What worked well for students this academic year; Celebrations (milestones, publications, graduations, etc.); “Students’ concerns” — space to surface ongoing challenges; Suggestions and priorities for next year’s student meetings.

Transition: Hand over discussion with the incoming student representative to clarify expectations for REA student meetings and share lessons learned in preparation for the next cohort.

Presented by Eunjin Jeon (University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology).

Moderated by Eunjin Jeon (University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology).

Tuesday, July 8

6:00 AM CDT

Innovative Pedagogy

Breakout Session
Vahdeddin Şimsek, Lokman Yıldırım, Mariska Lauterboom, Mary Hess
Y
Tuesday, July 8 at 6:00 AM - 7:30 AM CDT

Paper

FNew Generation Media and Religious Education: The Case of Ministry of National Education General Directorate of Religious Education

Vahdeddin Şimsek (Faculty of Islamic Sciences)Lokman Yıldırım

New generation media is fundamentally transforming the ways in which individuals access information and is fostering innovative pedagogical approaches, particularly within the realm of religious education. In this context, the practices implemented by the Media and Digital Content Unit (DOGM) of the General Directorate of Religious Education exemplify the potential of integrating digital tools into traditional religious

Paper

FGotong Royong Pedagogy: Cultivating Moral Agency and a Caring Person in Cyber Society through Cultural-Based Religious Education

Mariska Lauterboom (Satya Wacana Christian University)

Facing the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, religious pedagogy needs to help students make ethical decisions and take responsibility for their actions by spiritual principles. Using a literature-based review and qualitative research, this paper analyses the importance of cultivating moral agency and a caring person in a cyber society through cultural-based religious education. Through the Indonesian Indigenous culture of Gotong Royong, religious education will promote collaborative learning, active participation, and social responsibility. Gotong Royong pedagogy is a holistic educational approach that nurtures not just academic knowledge but also social, emotional, spiritual, and ethical growth. Employing this pedagogy in religious education helps us to reimagine the human person, ethical agency, and community in the digital era.

Moderated by Mary Hess (Luther Seminary).

8:00 AM CDT

The Art of Black Possibility in Techno-Spirituality

Plenary
Erika Gault, Annie A Lockhart-Gilroy
Y
Tuesday, July 8 at 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM CDT

The slides are not in the video of this session, but you can download the slides and follow along.

In the aftermath of the 2024 election the immediate response from many Black women, observed across social media ranged from “we tired” to “we did our part.“ This seemed “online disengagement” must be understood as an act of technological resistance and merits an examination of Black womanist epistemologies.

Since the pandemic, a techno-spirituality among Black women derived from new sacred texts has emerged, these include such text as Cole Arthur Riley’s This Here Flesh (Riley 2022) and Tricia Hersey’s Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto (Hersey 2022). Such texts speak to Phillip Butler’s assertion regarding how Black people were figured as non-human and that through technological resistance, were able to reinscribe their flesh with humanity even and especially in the digital. Three historical and popular sites of engagement are used to demonstrate the network in which Black women read and respond to their present moment. These examples include a historical look at the development of salons, a content analysis of both Black women’s writings and readings coded as rest, reset, or reimagination, and the resurgence of the work of Octavia Butler (1993) as prophetic.

Through a Digital Black Religion approach to the artistic works, book reviews, movie reviews, and comments to video platform sites, this talk focuses on the relationships that are forming and shifting Black intellectual production and activism. Through serious play or asking “what if” questions, Black women gather technologies of resistance. In so doing, they enact vital sites of possibility for Black survival and flourishing.

Presented by Erika Gault.

Moderated by Annie A Lockhart-Gilroy (Phillips Theological Seminary).

10:00 AM CDT

The Wisdom of Andragogy in an AI World

ALLLM
William Tay Moss, Helen Blier, Darryl W. Stephens, Lindsay Andreolli-Comstock
Y
Tuesday, July 8 at 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM CDT

The challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI) force a reexamination of the fundamentals of human education. What distinguishes human adult learning in a world increasingly shaped by AI, and how can adult learning models clarify the task and activity of education? Drawing on the wisdom of andragogy, panelists engage in a collaborative academic inquiry to explore three aspects of human education: motivation and intention; assessment and evaluation; and vocation and ethics. The shared hypothesis is that the root issues raised by AI are not technological challenges but rather the human struggle to be a self-motivated adult learner who is discerning and living into a vocation in this world.

Presented by William Tay Moss (CHURCHx, TUCC), Helen Blier (Center for Lifelong Learning), Darryl W. Stephens, and Lindsay Andreolli-Comstock.

Moderated by Helen Blier (Center for Lifelong Learning).

12:00 PM CDT

From Group to Book: A Journey of Writing in Community

REA
Lakisha Lockhart, Cynthia Cameron, Emily Peck, Jennifer Moe
Y
Tuesday, July 8 at 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM CDT

A session discussing the journey of going from an REA group to writing and publishing a book. We will also discuss the contents of the book Nobody’s Perfect: Redefining Sin and Mistakes in Adolescent Christian Education.

Presented by Lakisha Lockhart (Union Presbyterian Seminary), Cynthia Cameron, and Emily Peck.

Moderated by Jennifer Moe (Religious Education Association).

2:00 PM CDT

Harper Award Presentation

REA
Montague Williams, Emilie Townes, Jennifer Moe
Y
Tuesday, July 8 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CDT

Montague Williams, chair of the Harper/Wornom Committee will present the Harper Award to Dr. Emilie Townes

Presented by Montague Williams (Point Loma Nazarene University), and Emilie Townes (Boston University School of Theology).

Moderated by Jennifer Moe (Religious Education Association).

5:00 PM CDT

Board Meeting

Board
Jennifer Moe
Tuesday, July 8 at 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM CDT

A meeting of the REA Board. This meeting is only for REA Board Members.

Moderated by Jennifer Moe (Religious Education Association).

7:00 PM CDT

The Hope is in the Gathering: A Sharing by the LGBTQ-Allies Working Group

REA
Alfred Pang, Robin Ferguson, John Falcone, Mary Hess
Y
Tuesday, July 8 at 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM CDT

The LGBTQ-Allies Working Group (WG) will share about its efforts to build a learning community online since its inception in 2021. The sharing will involve an online ritual experience, followed by a conversation that reflects on how we can leverage on technology to intentionally gather as learning communities of hope during this time of upheaval. This session is open to all members in the REA.

(Note: The Zoom room will be closed around 15 minutes after the start time so as to minimize any interruption during the online ritual.)

Presented by Alfred Pang, Robin Ferguson, and John Falcone.

Moderated by Mary Hess (Luther Seminary).

Wednesday, July 9

6:00 AM CDT

Digitality and Young People

Breakout Session
Moon Son, Annie A Lockhart-Gilroy
Y
Wednesday, July 9 at 6:00 AM - 7:30 AM CDT

Paper

FReligious Education for the Younger Generation in the Age of the Artificial Intelligence-Driven Digital Revolution

Moon Son (Yonsei University)

This research explores the transitional phase of innovative technology driven by artificial intelligence, analyzing its fundamental differences from human intelligence. While a social structure dominated by robotics and automation underscores the precarious vulnerability of human beings, this study proposes a new approach to religious education. From the perspective of the younger generation, it reinterprets human limitations not as weaknesses but as foundations for interrelatedness and mutual reliance, fostering deeper connections in an increasingly technological world.

Moderated by Annie A Lockhart-Gilroy (Phillips Theological Seminary).

8:00 AM CDT

teamLab’s Art and Solution

Plenary
Takeshi Yamada, Eileen M Daily
Y
Wednesday, July 9 at 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM CDT

A teamLab member will introduce teamLab’s projects and the concepts that drive their creation. The speaker will also delve into the teams behind the work and the technologies they utilize.

Presented by Takeshi Yamada (teamLab).

Moderated by Eileen M Daily (Boston University).

10:00 AM CDT

Digital Media and Faith Formation

Breakout Session
Joseph L. Tadie, Eileen M Daily, Natalie Louise Hill, Lynn A. Cooper, Lakisha Lockhart
Y
Wednesday, July 9 at 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM CDT

Paper

FThe Disorienting Dilemma of Religious Closures: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a Tool for Transformative Religious/Community Learning

Joseph L. Tadie (Saint Mary's University of Minnesota)Eileen M Daily (Boston University)

Thousands of “sacred spaces” will soon close in the United States. Religious community members face a disorienting dilemma between missional fidelity and practical reality. The paper describes a geospatially-informed learning process, whereby “sacred spaces” can be repurposed in ways that remain faithful to a community’s foundational mission. Companies employing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) offer religious leaders a decisive information management tool that will allow fidelity to the religious mission while helping the community navigate demographic, economic, and social realities.

Paper

FDigital Media in the Context of Faith Formation

Natalie Louise Hill (Boston College)

Religious communities’ use of digital media has increased exponentially in recent years. To address how religious educators can faithfully and effectively use digital media, this paper begins by examining the historical use of visual media for formation. It then discusses current possibilities in light of past praxis, leading to recommendations for the fruitful incorporation of digital media into contemporary faith formation. The results highlight the benefit of multisensory media, as well as the value of digital media in facilitating experiences of otherwise inaccessible places and times.

Demonstration

Nurturing Spiritual Friendship

Lynn A. Cooper (Tufts University)

This demonstration will use common, accessible technology to support spiritual friendship. Participants will experiment with the shared spiritual practice model of Be-Friend, Tufts University’s interfaith friendship program for students, faculty, and staff. This program spans four campuses, bridging real geographic gaps and providing a container for folks to get beneath the surface and talk about the things that matter, like values, sense of purpose, and questions about life.

Moderated by Lakisha Lockhart (Union Presbyterian Seminary).

12:00 PM CDT

Technology and Religious Education in Children, Youth, and Young Adults

Plenary
Hanan Alexander, Ednan Aslan, Eileen M Daily
Y
Wednesday, July 9 at 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM CDT

Presented by Hanan Alexander, and Ednan Aslan.

Moderated by Eileen M Daily (Boston University).

2:00 PM CDT

Poster Presentations

Poster Session
Montague Williams, Jazmyn Collins, Zack Darker, Aliah Fabros, Elianny Soto, Israel Díaz-Freytes, Trevor Jacob Hodges, Daniella Zsupan-Jerome, Jennifer Moe
Wednesday, July 9 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CDT

Poster presenters will be available for discussion and questions about their posters. Please view the posters ahead of time!

Virtual Reality and the Practice of Pilgrimage

Montague Williams (Point Loma Nazarene University)Jazmyn CollinsZack DarkerAliah FabrosElianny Soto

How can a pilgrimage to a site of social significance impact meaning-making among Christian young people when virtual reality is the primary medium for travel and encounter? Our research is in progress and is part of a longer multi-year research endeavor. However, preliminary findings suggest important questions, possibilities, and limitations for employing virtual reality in pilgrimage endeavors.

The Contribution of P’s Theology of Creation in Genesis 1:1-4 to the Ethos of Christian Religious Education in a Missionary Key

Israel Díaz-Freytes (Emory University)

This research project aims to construe an ethos of Christian Religious Education that attends to the forming the People of God for missionary activity in a digital culture. To do so, this project will engage in a correlation between P’s theology of creation, the post Vatican II theology of evangelization, and digital culture, particularly AI and social media, to consider how conceiving Christian religious education in a missionary key can give insight to how religious education’s instructional activities and assessments to form the People of God for mission in a digital society.

“Wisdom From Above Contrasting Wisdom from an Algorithm: A Critical Discourse Analysis of AI's Data-Driven Intelligence and Religious Intelligence Gleaned from Wisdom Literature.”

Trevor Jacob Hodges (Regent University)

How does a technologically advanced society define intelligence and religious intelligence in the age of artificial intelligence? The research analyzes the algorithmic logic AI produces, contrasting wisdom and reason found in wisdom literature, which allows a contemporary audience to glean spiritual discernment as a fear of the Lord and humility. The research explores the theological implications of AI’s limitations for describing spiritual matters. This study will show how religious intelligence cannot be reduced to algorithmic or data definitions of intelligence that AI relies on.

Humanizing theological education with Slow Media: Literature in Ministerial Formation

Daniella Zsupan-Jerome (Saint John's University School of Theology and Seminary, Collegeville, MN)

The use of literature in ministerial formation has been promoted by Pope Francis in a 2024 Letter on the Role of Literature in Formation. This letter holds up literature as a medium that calls for substantial engagement, and one that is especially impactful toward personal maturity. In a digital age, we might qualify literature as slow media. This presentation explores how slow media engagement in with literature helps to foster attentiveness, listening and sensitivity to context, all essential dispositions for pastoral ministry in a digital age, where these are otherwise challenged.

Moderated by Jennifer Moe (Religious Education Association).

5:00 PM CDT

Modalities for Learning

Breakout Session
Adriana Rivera, Paul Hendrik Van Straten, Eileen M Daily
Y
Wednesday, July 9 at 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM CDT

Demonstration

Mediating Multiple Modalities with Mentimeter

Adriana Rivera (Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary)

Mentimeter is a user-friendly, free tool that presents information in ways that appeal to multiple intelligences. It has proven to be a useful tool in mediating the multiple modalities used in online theological education. This presentation highlights its use in synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences, addressing a wide range of topics from educating Christians for social change, the political implications of Eucharist, and trauma-informed community healing. In this demonstration, the audience will reflect on their experiences with online learning.

Demonstration

A Constructionist Introduction to Digital Game-Based Learning for Religious Educators

Paul Hendrik Van Straten (Memorial University of Newfoundland)

Structured on the philosophy of constructionism, this demonstration will provide a brief introduction to digital game-based learning by having participants construct a simple digital game design workflow using generative artificial intelligence (AI). Learning outcomes from this demonstration include: awareness of how digital games function as learning environments, awareness of how to use AI in building prototypes, and awareness of how to leverage digital game design as a learning exercise through constructionism.

Handout for Demonstration (Google Drive):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/153Vz-Fj0HFLyrbqhn_9r38fMd__ZDOz2oFPjHIGULaM/copy

Handout for Demonstration (Word - Direct Download):

https://docs.google.com/document/d/153Vz-Fj0HFLyrbqhn_9r38fMd__ZDOz2oFPjHIGULaM/export?format=docx

Participants will work with the following websites during this demonstration, and are encouraged to watch them prior to the demonstration:

Moderated by Eileen M Daily (Boston University).

7:00 PM CDT

Business Meeting

REA
Jennifer Moe, Karen-Marie Yust
Wednesday, July 9 at 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM CDT

All members of REA are invited to the annual Business Meeting of the association. The agenda can be found in Google Docs.

Presented by Jennifer Moe (Religious Education Association), and Karen-Marie Yust (Union Presbyterian Seminary).

Moderated by Jennifer Moe (Religious Education Association).

Thursday, July 10

6:00 AM CDT

Gadgets and Sanctuaries

Breakout Session
Eser Kim, Leonard Chrysostomos Epafras, Eileen M Daily
Y
Thursday, July 10 at 6:00 AM - 7:30 AM CDT

Paper

FDigital Sanctuaries: How Online Spaces Amplify Voices of Marginalized Emerging Adult in Faith Communities

Eser Kim (Independent Scholar)

The digitization of faith communities has opened new avenues for activism and marginalized individuals to engage in spirituality, build community, and experience belonging beyond the constraints of traditional religious institutions. Online platforms provide an alternative space for faith formation, amplifying unheard voices and fostering spiritual discourse and leadership. Drawing on recent research, this paper examines digital online faith engagement from an educational psychology perspective, highlighting its transformative potential in redefining the conceptual boundaries of church.

Paper

F"Gadgets Need Healing:" A Proposal for Digital Pedagogy

Leonard Chrysostomos Epafras (Universitas Gadjah Mada/Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies)

Since ancient Greece, logos and tekhne have been distinguished, leading to the instrumentalization of technology and its separation from human formation. In my paper, I argue that digital technology functions as an ecosystem rather than merely a tool for pedagogical discourse. This perspective enables us to transcend the dichotomy and foster a dynamic engagement with it. I endorse three concepts to establish a digital pedagogical environment: logomathia (the substance of a course), praxamathia (practical aspect), and pathamathia (affective dimension).

Moderated by Eileen M Daily (Boston University).

8:00 AM CDT

Communities of Practice

REA
Thursday, July 10 at 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM CDT

Communities of practice within the REA are invited to use this time to meet. Confirmed to be meeting:

  • Catholic Community of Practice
10:00 AM CDT

Including the Excluded: Embracing Life Online As Disability Justice

Plenary
Annie A Lockhart-Gilroy, Dennis Heaphy, Denise Janssen
Y
Thursday, July 10 at 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM CDT

With the rise of virtual gathering and a growth of work from home opportunities that came with the COVID pandemic in 2020, people with limited community were able to find new spaces for respite and employment. Since then, many of those spaces have gone away as many seek to be back in physical spaces together. Recognizing the benefits of physical space, this plenary asks, “what about the people on the margins of this physical space? Where does the call to return to the work place, classroom, and church house leave those for whom leaving their home increases pain and takes tremendous effort? Dennis Heaphy and Annie Lockhart-Gilroy will discuss the various ways virtual spaces and technology as a whole are vital for the many people who have limited mobility. Through dialogue, we will explore various topics of inclusion and community.

Presented by Annie A Lockhart-Gilroy (Phillips Theological Seminary), and Dennis Heaphy.

Moderated by Denise Janssen.

12:00 PM CDT

Empathic Communication

Breakout Session
Eliana Ah-Rum Ku, Michael William Droege, Yen Do, Paul Hendrik Van Straten
Y
Thursday, July 10 at 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM CDT

Paper

FEmpathetic Dialogue as Embodied Pedagogy in an Era of Digital Reckoning

Eliana Ah-Rum Ku (Graduate School of Practical Theology in South Korea)

The negative effects of cancel culture reflect social distress in the digital age, shaping how individuals and communities engage with suffering. This study argues that empathy is both a moral awareness and a behavioral response essential for ethically engaging with cancel culture. Specifically, it examines Jeong, a Korean concept of emotion, as a framework for cultivating empathy within a Christian and communal context. By integrating the relational and embodied dimensions of Jeong into empathetic dialogue through embodied pedagogy, Christian education can foster ethical empathy.

Paper

FThe Community of Truth in a Digital Age: Engaging Parker Palmer as a way forward for religious proclamation

Michael William Droege (Yale University)

In an era defined by rapid technological advancement, the landscape of education, including religious education, is undergoing profound transformation. This paper, titled “The Community of Truth in a Digital Age,” seeks to engage with these pressing issues by examining the impact of digital modalities on religious proclamation. It will explore how digital technologies have not only altered the reception of information but also transformed the epistemological foundations of truth. Drawing on Parker Palmer’s concept of the “Community of Truth,” this paper will argue that truth no longer resides

Paper

FSocial Media: Guiding Youth to Communicate with Love

Yen Do (Fordham University)

Research shows that young people are the most vulnerable age group engaging with social media. This article explores how Vietnamese youth interact with social media and analyzes the negative impacts of misusing these platforms. While social media can foster online relationships, it is important to use these tools appropriately. The key question is how religious educators can guide young Vietnamese in engaging with these platforms in a healthy manner that benefits both themselves and others. The article suggests that communication should be rooted in love and kindness towards online neighbors.

Moderated by Paul Hendrik Van Straten (Memorial University of Newfoundland).

2:00 PM CDT

Kayaking the Ecotone: Leading and Navigating Lifelong Learning in Theological Schools

ALLLM
Helen Blier
Y
Thursday, July 10 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CDT

Traditional theological education faces an uncertain future, but lifelong learning for ministry offers a vibrant, growing frontier. This presentation reveals findings from a 2025 ALLLM survey of lifelong learning programs in theological schools and explores lifelong learning as an “ecotone”—an innovative edge where growth thrives. Like ecological ecotones, these programs intersect faith, academia, and society, sustaining adult learners in ministry. We’ll explore insights from these efforts, their leaders, and what this means for theological education’s future. Our hypothesis: nimble, responsive, adult-learner-centric programs like the programs surveyed are key to the future of theological education.

Presented by Helen Blier (Center for Lifelong Learning).

Moderated by Helen Blier (Center for Lifelong Learning).

5:00 PM CDT

Christian Formation

Breakout Session
Eunjin Jeon, Paulinus Emeka Nweke, Elizabeth Nolan
Y
Thursday, July 10 at 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM CDT

Paper

FBeyond Borders: Cultivating Digital Citizenship, Becoming a Just Christian

Eunjin Jeon (University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology)

This article proposes a theological and pedagogical framework for digital citizenship grounded in decolonial praxis. In response to the persistent legacies of coloniality embedded in digital infrastructures—such as algorithmic bias, platform imperialism, and epistemic erasure — the study calls for a reimagining of digital citizenship as a Christian vocation that addresses the ethical, cultural, and theological challenges of digital life. In this context, the article proposes three interrelated pillars of digital citizenship to become a just Christian in digital society: authentic inclusivity, transformative creativity, and critical accountability.

Paper

F“Until Christ is Formed in You” (Gal 4:19): Preserving the Alter Christus Formation Goal Amid a Shift from Imago Dei to Imago Hominis.

Paulinus Emeka Nweke (Boston College)

In the context of advancing technology, particularly AI, this paper investigates the redefinition of humanity suggested by this development and its implications for formative theological education. Focusing on the formation of Catholic priests in Nigeria, the paper questions how the goal of becoming an alter Christus, rooted in imago Dei anthropology, can be maintained amid an AI-influenced imago hominis. The paper argues for a balanced pedagogical approach that integrates AI perspectives with theological principles, essential for upholding the ‘alter Christus’ goal.

Moderated by Elizabeth Nolan.

7:00 PM CDT

Presidential Reflections: Musings on the Effects of Digital Culture and AI on Children’s Spirituality

Plenary
Karen-Marie Yust, Eileen M Daily
Y
Thursday, July 10 at 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM CDT

Join Karen-Marie in reflecting on the many ways that digital cultural and artificial intelligence influence children’s spiritual well-being. Explore how digital experiences provide opportunities for kids to expand their horizons, make connections with diverse others, experiment with authentic identity formation, and engage in creative activities, as well as how uncritical exposure to AI, excessive engagement with social media, and other problematic elements of digital culture pose threats to spiritual health, especially for children already at risk because of cultural marginalization and discrimination.

Presented by Karen-Marie Yust (Union Presbyterian Seminary).

Moderated by Eileen M Daily (Boston University).

8:00 PM CDT

Closing Ritual

REA
Eileen M Daily, Annie A Lockhart-Gilroy
Thursday, July 10 at 8:00 PM - 8:30 PM CDT

Program co-chairs Annie Lockhart-Gilroy and Eileen Daily will provide a ritual to close out the annual meeting. All members are invited.

Presented by Eileen M Daily (Boston University), and Annie A Lockhart-Gilroy (Phillips Theological Seminary).

Moderated by Eileen M Daily (Boston University).

Friday, July 11

8:00 AM CDT

Committee Meetings

REA
Friday, July 11 at 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM CDT

Standing Committees of REA are invited to use this time to meet online. Confirmed committee meetings:

  • Religious Education in Public Life and the Global Community
  • Religious Education in Faith Communities
  • Religious Education in Academic Institutions and Disciplines
10:00 AM CDT

Advisory Council

REA
Mary Hess, Kimbol Soques
Friday, July 11 at 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM CDT

A space for members to become acquainted with one another’s stories, and to share some about the personal, national, and professional work contexts that have formed them as religious educators where they live and work. Members will be asked to express something that they are desiring from REA as a guild in their lives in these present days. Open to all members.

Presented by Mary Hess (Luther Seminary), and Kimbol Soques.

Moderated by Mary Hess (Luther Seminary).

12:00 PM CDT

Working Groups

REA
Mary Hess, Heesung Hwang, John Falcone, Barbara Fears
Friday, July 11 at 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM CDT

REA working groups are invited to use this time to meet. Confirmed groups meeting:

  • AANARE members will meet at this time.
  • The Black Experience Working Group will meet at this time.
  • REA2027 proposal group and any who want to join them will meet at this time.

Presented by Mary Hess (Luther Seminary), Heesung Hwang (Pacific School of Religion), John Falcone, and Barbara Fears (Howard University).

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