Are Bridges Still Worth Building? A Conversation with Bishop Karen Oliveto

Princeton Theological Seminary’s Office of PhD Studies was recently awarded a grant from the Wabash Foundation. As a result of the grant, Dr. Heath Carter, Associate Professor of American Christianity and Director of PhD Studies, along with the support of Rev. Denise Carrell, PhD Program Coordinator, are leading a momentous project that seeks to promote communal care and connection.

As part of Princeton Seminary’s Wabash grant, this event will feature an interview with leading Bishop Karen Oliveto, a leading Christian voice, about the opportunities and challenges of building bridges in a polarized world, followed by a Q&A. Dr. Carter will facilitate the interview and Q&A.

Bishop Oliveto was elected after serving as the first woman pastor of the 12,000 member Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco, the fifth largest United Methodist church in the US. Oliveto, who was consecrated in 2016, has the distinction of being the first openly lesbian bishop in the United Methodist Church.

Bishop Oliveto earned her Master’s in Divinity from the Pacific School of Religion, Berkley, CA, a Master’s in Philosophy from Drew University, and a PhD in the Sociology of Religion from Drew University. She has served as the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Pacific School of Religion. She was an adjunct professor of United Methodist Studies at Pacific School of Religion, an adjunct professor in Prophetic Leadership for the Doctor of Ministry program at Drew University, and an adjunct professor in Evangelism and Mission at Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX. Most recently, she taught a course on Prophetic Leadership Through Pastoral Engagement at Illif School of Theology in Denver CO.

Bishop Oliveto is the co-author of Talking About Homosexuality: A Congregational Resource (Pilgrim Press: 2004), and the author of Our Strangely Warmed Hearts: Coming Out into God’s Call (Abingdon, 2018) and Stay at the Table: Embracing Diversity without Division (Westminster John Knox, 2018).

Bishop Oliveto was named by NBC as one of 30 contemporary LGBTQ change-makers as part of their #Pride50 series. She was also named one of the Faith Leaders to Watch in 2021 by the Center for American Progress. She offers a unique perspective on working within polarized communities without losing the ability to “lead with love.”