Creating Cultures of Belonging

About the Session

Rev. Dr. Augustine’s Presentation, “The Work of Reconciliation: Creating Cultures of Belonging,” contextualizes the word reconciliation in three aspects: (1) salvific; (2) social; and (3) civil. To provide texture for developing cultures of belonging, he unpacks social and civil reconciliation, by looking at turbulent periods of American history, and holds up the church as an exemplar for celebrating both cognitive and identity diversity. With food-focused analogies and metaphors, he also contrasts the “melting pot” of yesteryear, with a gumbo recipe for today to advocate for diversity and inclusion to create spaces of belonging.

About the Presenter

Rev. Dr. Jay Augustine serves as senior pastor of St. Joseph AME Church (Durham, NC) and as a member of the consulting faculty at Duke Divinity School, where is also a member of the Board of Visitors and missional strategist with the Duke Center for Reconciliation. He is a national social justice leader and interdisciplinary scholar.

His most recent books are When Prophets Preach: Leadership and the Politics of the Pulpit (Fortress Press, 2023) and Called to Reconciliation: How the Church Can Model Justice, Diversity and Inclusion (Baker Academic, 2022).

His academic articles appear in the Howard Law Journal, Louisiana Law Review, Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal, and the Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal, among others. A decorated U.S. Army veteran, he previously taught at North Carolina Central University Law School and Southern University Law Center.

Augustine serves as general chaplain of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., is a silver life member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (“NAACP”) and is a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity (The Boulé). He is a graduate of Howard University, Tulane University Law School, United Theological Seminary, and he also earned his doctorate at Duke University. He is married to Michelle Burks Augustine, and they are the parents of two college students.

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this webinar series are those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Alluvial Collective. It is our goal to create spaces for a range of perspectives on the challenging issues facing our world today.