Lenten Bible "Detox": Study of Jeremiah 1:4-19 led by Rebecca Todd Peters and Kenyetta Chinwe

March 29, 2022, 7:30 PM Eastern Time

Each Lent, CLBSJ focuses our attention on the misuse of the Bible to promote and justify violence and oppression. All are welcome on this journey of healing and reclaiming.

In this session, Dr. Rebecca Todd Peters and Rev. Kenyetta Chinwe analyze and challenge the Anti-Abortion Movement’s use of scripture, with a focus on Jeremiah 1:4-19. Peters and Chinwe examine and discuss how scripture has been used as the central tactic and support for shaming and judging women for their abortion decisions, and emphasize the transformative power of rereading scripture from the perspective of pregnant people.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Dr. Rebecca Todd Peters is Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Poverty and Social Justice Program at Elon University. Her most recent book is Trust Women: A Progressive Christian Argument for Reproductive Justice (Beacon Press, 2018). Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), she has been active denominationally and ecumenically for more than twenty-five years and currently represents the PC(USA) as a member of the Faith and Order Standing Commission of the World Council of Churches. She received the 2018 Walter Wink Scholar-Activist Award from Auburn Seminary in recognition of her work on reproductive justice and poverty and economic justice and is a member of Planned Parenthood’s Clergy Advocacy Board. You can find more about her work at rebeccatoddpeters.com.

Rev. Kenyetta Chinwe is a black queer woman of Caribbean heritage who serves as the Faith Advocacy Coordinator for Sister Song, in which she is working to build a base of people of faith to support the cause of Reproductive Health, Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Access. As the daughter, granddaughter, and niece of generations of Pentecostal Christian Ministers, she has been immersed in a faith community since birth. While a young artist singing and reciting in church, she was always interested in using her gifts to push the world in the direction of liberation, equity, equality, and harmony. Her desire to use both her art and faith as agents for change in the tradition of many African American artists before her, motivated her to attend Howard University, first as a classical voice major, then shifting majors to musical theater. She was herself ordained in the apostolic church in 1997 but has since separated from that denomination. Her quest to understand and fully embrace the spiritual aspects of life and service led her to explore the areas of faith-based leadership by engaging in two 9-month processes that conferred on her the titles of priestess and high priestess respectively. In the course of those processes she was also ordained as a minister in the Madonna Ministries under her Mentor and High Priestess Facilitator Lisa Michaels.