Discovery Archive

Spirituality, Christian Identity and Leadership: The Worldview of Desmond Tutu

The Very Rev. Dr. Michael Battle, Professor of Church and Society and Director of the Desmond Tutu Center at The General Theological Seminary, recently joined the Trinity community for a three-week series based on his new book, Desmond Tutu: A Spiritual Autobiography of South Africa’s Confessor.

Watch the recording of session one.

Watch the recording of session two.

Watch the recording of session three.

The Very Rev. Dr. Michael Battle

Currently appointed as Herbert Thompson Professor of Church and Society and Director of the Desmond Tutu Center at General Theological Seminary in New York, the Very Rev. Michael Battle, Ph.D. has an undergraduate degree from Duke University, a master’s of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, a master’s of Sacred Theology from Yale University, and a PhD in theology and ethics, also from Duke University. He was ordained a priest by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 1993.

Battle has published eleven books, including his latest, Desmond Tutu: A Spiritual Biography of South Africa’s Confessor. You can learn more about his academic, parish, and peace work at his website, michaelbattle.com.

Prayer, Liturgy, & Contemplative Practice: Finding Our Footing in a Changed World

Watch recordings of Trinity clergy and special guest Lindsay Boyer as they discuss forms of contemplation and how contemplative practice can benefit all aspects of our lives.

September 26 Join Trinity’s Vicar, the Rev. Michael Bird, as he considers what it means to worship in this time and the place of contemplation within the Eucharistic liturgy. Watch the recording.

October 3 The Rev. Beth Blunt, Trinity’s Priest and Director for Congregational Life & Liturgy, discusses the Daily Office and its relationship to the rhythms of prayer in our lives. Watch the recording.

October 10 An introduction to lectio divina with Dr. Kathy Bozzuti-Jones, Trinity’s Associate Director, Spiritual Practices, Retreats, and Pilgrimage. Watch the recording.

October 17 The Rev. Phil Jackson, Trinity’s Priest-in-charge, discusses the life of Howard Thurman, Thomas Merton, and the Spiritual Path. Watch the recording.

October 24 Contemplative teacher Lindsay Boyer, the author of Centering Prayer for Everyone, talks about prayer practices to deepen our daily spiritual life. Watch the recording.

The Ministry of Hospitality at Trinity and in our Neighborhood

What does it mean to welcome friends and visitors, to provide hospitality? In these three sessions, hear perspectives rooted in scripture and expressed in Trinity’s current practice of hospitality in our hybrid world.

November 7 Summerlee Staten, Executive Director of Faith Formation and Education, shares what the Hebrew Scriptures teach us about the importance of hospitality in our own lives.

November 14 New Testament scholar, Dr. Deirdre Good, discusses the “hospitality of the table” in the New Testament. Watch the recording.

November 21 Congregational Council member Regina Jacobs leads us in a discussion about practices of hospitality at Trinity, in our neighborhood, and in a hybrid world.