Palmer Lecture 2023

Palmer Lecture 2023

We look forward to several events planned around this Annual Lecture.

STUDENT & ALUMNI DINNER - Feb. 9 - 5:00-6:30 pm. - Upper Gwinn (Cascade Room)
SPU and Seminary students and alumni are invited to join us for a dinner with the Palmer Lecturer before the lecture. We'll enjoy a free meal and will have a chance to ask him questions. Seating is limited, and RSVPs are required before Feb. 2.


PALMER LECTURE - Feb. 9  - 7:00-9:00 p.m. - Upper Gwinn (Third Floor - Queen Anne Room)
Jonathan Tran, PhD--Baylor University's Associate Professor of Philosophical Theology and George W. Baines Chair of Religion--will be our guest lecturer at the annual Palmer Lecture 2023. His lecture is entitled, "The Divine Economy vs Racial Capitalism: Identity Politics, Antiracism and the Redemption of All Things."

With antiracism lost in a fog of identity politics, it has surrendered the work of liberation to debasing forms of class warfare. But antiracism as a mode of liberation theology narrates justice and mercy as natural to the world insofar as they are natural to God. By considering the work of local forms of Christian life invested in God’s deep economy, we see God’s redemption of the world.

For more information, you can obtain Dr. Tran's latest book, Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism

  • Presents a novel way of thinking about and approaching American racism and antiracism
  • Situates Asian Americans at the center of its analysis
  • Utilizes two extended cases (nineteenth-century Chinese Americans in the American South and a religious based community in present-day San Francisco)

No RSVPs are necessary for this event. 


FACULTY LUNCH - Feb. 10 - 12:00-2:00 p.m. - Fine Center (First Free Methodist Church)
Current Faculty and Emeriti from Seattle Pacific University are invited to a complimentary Faculty Luncheon with the Palmer Lecturer. We will gather to continue discussions on the lecture topic. Seating is limited, and RSVPs are required to reserve your spot(s). 

DOCUMENTARY FILM SCREENING & DISCUSSION of "Far East, Deep South" - Feb. 10 - 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Majestic Bay Theatre, 2044 NW Market St, Seattle, WA 98107
FAR EAST DEEP SOUTH follows Charles Chiu and his family’s search for their roots that take them on an eye-opening journey through the Mississippi Delta, uncovering their lost family history and the racially complex experience of Chinese immigrants in the segregated South. With the help of local residents and historians, this Chinese American family learns about the impact of race-based immigration policies on their family and the symbiotic relationship between Black and Chinese communities during the Jim Crow era. This deeply moving and unforgettable story offers a poignant and important perspective on race relations, immigration and American identity.

All are welcome to attend the screening of this award winning documentary followed by a discussion with its director, Larissa Lam and Jonathan Tran.  The event is free to the public but RSVPs are required.  

Posted: Tuesday, November 1, 2022