Youth Theological Initiative

Youth Theological Initiative We are an ecumenical, justice-seeking program in Christian theological education.

Day 12 was the second to last full day at the Summer Academy! People were starting to feel tender at the thought of the ...
08/13/2026

Day 12 was the second to last full day at the Summer Academy! People were starting to feel tender at the thought of the Academy ending!

Our morning session was led by Dr. Craig Ford who spoke about LGBTQ+ people, inclusion, and the future of the church. In the afternoon, Margaret returned to offer the second half of a session on ethics. That evening, we celebrated in worship together.

On Day 11 of the Summer Academy, we had the privilege to hear from Dr. Beth Corrie, professor of youth education and pea...
08/13/2026

On Day 11 of the Summer Academy, we had the privilege to hear from Dr. Beth Corrie, professor of youth education and peacebuilding AND former director of YTI. She led a workshop on finding ways to be engaged and active in the pursuit of justice. That afternoon, Dr. Sarah Bogue led the scholars in a conversation about the attention economy and how social media platforms benefit from maintaining our focus. That evening, Dr. Corrie hosted a dinner and listening session for the scholars to talk about their experience with technology.

Overall, it was a thought-provoking day!

On Day 10, YTI scholars met with Pastor Brian Tillman (Brian A. Tillman) of Central UMC (Central UMC Atlanta). We did a ...
08/12/2026

On Day 10, YTI scholars met with Pastor Brian Tillman (Brian A. Tillman) of Central UMC (Central UMC Atlanta). We did a tour around downtown Atlanta of significant places in Black history.

We had a delicious lunch at Mary Mac's Tea Room!

Then we met with YTI friend and former staff member, Senator Kim Jackson (Kim Jackson) who welcomed us at the Georgia State House! She was a fountain of wisdom for our scholars and encouraged them to be active in political sphere.

That evening, we have worship led by more YTI scholars and staff.

(Your social media friend would like to apologize for the big delay in posting! The end of the Academy was very busy for all of us! And then I went on vacation 💓)

As the Spanish saying goes, "Tarde pero seguro," meaning"late but safe" or "late but sure." On Day 9 of the Summer Acade...
08/12/2026

As the Spanish saying goes, "Tarde pero seguro," meaning"late but safe" or "late but sure."

On Day 9 of the Summer Academy, scholars were able to learn from New Testament scholar Susan Hylen. She had an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session, and scholars asked highly thoughtful questions about Scripture.

That afternoon, Ella Grace and Annie, two of our Senior Scholars presented their final projects from their Public Theology Internship. It was a joy to watch these young ladies present the work they have dedicated the past year to researching and preparing to communicate to wider audiences. Not pictured are the guests and ✨Friends of YTI✨ that came to get to know the scholars.

That evening, scholars were invited to do a video interview on their experience at the Summer Academy. We are looking forward to that particular video coming out!

Scholars had a beautiful Sunday! We worshipped with Mercy Church ATL, and we thank Pastor Chad for the welcome. We also ...
07/23/2026

Scholars had a beautiful Sunday! We worshipped with Mercy Church ATL, and we thank Pastor Chad for the welcome. We also joined back in to our global community to watch the World Cup finals. Some scholars also went to STM Catholic Church, Decatur to celebrate mass together.

Day 7 of the Summer Academy was fantastic! Scholars put into practice what they learned from Dr. Norman Wirzba and worke...
07/23/2026

Day 7 of the Summer Academy was fantastic! Scholars put into practice what they learned from Dr. Norman Wirzba and worked with and learned alongside the earth 🌎 Then they had a pool day to celebrate thir labor and the week as a whole.

(They had a coffee house that evening which your humble photographer and social media person was not able to attend 😔)

From a Jewish temple to a Sikh gurdwara: YTI scholars had an eventful day meeting with people from different faith tradi...
07/22/2026

From a Jewish temple to a Sikh gurdwara: YTI scholars had an eventful day meeting with people from different faith traditions. Thank you to The Temple and SEWA GURDWARA for hosting us! And a special thank you to Interfaith Children's Movement for being our friends for this beautiful joint trip.

Day 5 was beautiful as we learned about the Gospels, expressed gratitude, and worshipped together. ✨️
07/22/2026

Day 5 was beautiful as we learned about the Gospels, expressed gratitude, and worshipped together. ✨️

Day 4 of the Summer Academy was both intellectually enriching and absolutely fun. ☀️
07/16/2026

Day 4 of the Summer Academy was both intellectually enriching and absolutely fun. ☀️

Day 3 of YTI! We learned some note-taking strategies from YTI staff, we learned about Christian Nationalism from Dr. Nic...
07/16/2026

Day 3 of YTI! We learned some note-taking strategies from YTI staff, we learned about Christian Nationalism from Dr. Nichole Phillips, and we got to ask about anything and everything from biblical scholar Dr. Joel Kemp. We also had worship led by the scholars in the evening.

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1531 Dickey Drive, Candler School Of Theology
Atlanta, GA
30307

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(404) 727-4239

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