
Intersections at The Seattle School
Intersections features essays, dialogues, critical engagement, and art from faculty, staff, alumni, students, and other thought leaders. Grounded in the hope of fostering faithful dialogue, we are guided by a commitment to understanding narrative, wrestling with intersections, resisting reactivity, and fostering radical hospitality. With that in mind, we seek to feature work from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. Therefore the opinions expressed on the Intersections blog are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect an official statement regarding the views or opinions of The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. If you would like to offer feedback, respond to a piece published here, or offer your own submission, you can email us at submissions@theseattleschool.edu.

Dear Clergy, Take Care Of Yourselves
We are early in the new year, both in the calendar and liturgically. With Epiphany, we conclude the Christmas season in which we celebrated the birth of Jesus, the arrival of Emmanuel, the Incarnation of God. The divine force that creates, includes, and transcends all of creation, all of the universe, became human, with all […]
What is the Difference Between Empathy and Compassion?
Desire. This may seem like a strange place to start a blog post designed to address the categories of compassion and empathy, but in order to join this conversation in a meaningful way, I believe desire is where the conversation must begin and end. In my recent post on self-care, I referenced the purpose of […]
Always Winter, Never Christmas: An Advent Reflection
Brody Hed is a first-year MACP student from Minnesota whose passion for literature and story evolved into a love of helping others see the beauty of their own journey. This passion led him to pursue camp ministry, writing, student development, to now studying counseling psychology at The Seattle School. Advent. A season of looking forward […]
The Betwixt and Between: Finding Resilience in Liminality
My all-time favorite movie line comes from the Western Five Card Stud. Dean Martin is out demonstrating his six-gun prowess to Inga Stevens, shooting bottles off the corral rails, when up rides Bob Mitchum as “The Preacher.” Mitchum asks to give it a try, so Dean hands him the pistol and Big Bob proceeds to […]
Commencement Keynote Address 2020: Howard Stevenson, PhD
On September 27, 2020, we gathered online to celebrate The Seattle School’s 22nd commencement ceremony. Though later than anticipated due to the global pandemic and unlike any ceremony we’ve hosted in previous years, it was nonetheless a joy-filled occasion as we commemorated the graduating students in our Master of Divinity, MA in Theology & Culture, […]
Commencement 2020: Mercedes Robinson, Master of Theology & Culture
Each year at commencement, the graduating class and faculty choose three students—one from each degree program—to offer words of blessing, calling, and conviction. Here, we’re sharing the full video and transcript of the speech given by Mercedes Robinson, Master of Theology and Culture, about what this graduating class has witnessed and survived, and the particular […]
Commencement 2020: Danielle Castillejo, Master of Counseling Psychology
Each year at commencement, the graduating class and faculty choose three students—one from each degree program—to offer words of blessing, calling, and conviction. Here, we’re sharing the full video and transcript of the exhortation given by Danielle Castillejo, Master of Counseling Psychology to her fellow graduates. You can also watch the speeches from Mercedes Robinson, […]
Commencement 2020: Megan Doner, Master of Divinity
Each year at commencement, the graduating class and faculty choose three students—one from each degree program—to offer words of blessing, calling, and conviction. Here, we’re sharing the full video and transcript of the speech given by Megan Doner, Master of Divinity about the journey that led each graduate to the school, and the journey yet […]
Tending Wounds Gently – A Reflection from Resilient Leaders Project
I burned my hand while cooking. It was a stupid, split-second mistake with painful consequences. I needed to move a pan that was sitting on the stove – a pan I cook with regularly. However, in my rush, I forgot that tonight, I had put that whole pan into the oven to finish cooking and, […]
Competitive Grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Awarded to The Seattle School
The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology has been awarded a competitive grant of $400,000 from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust over a three-year period. Not only is the financial benefit of this grant profound but the grantor being Murdock Trust is significant for The Seattle School. Our new VP of Advancement, Jim Ehrman commented, […]
Self-Care Is Dead
When the pandemic reached our shores in early 2020, promises of time spent at home and opportunities for self-betterment were prevalent. Diets, home workouts, meditation protocols, and Bible verses were forwarded and then forwarded again. Fast forward 6+ months and the tenor of conversations have shifted. Disaster models now predict high levels of anxiety, depression, […]
The Seattle School Receives a $1 Million Grant for Thriving Congregations Initiative
The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology has received a grant of $1 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to expand the work of Resilient Leaders Project. The program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative. The aim of the national initiative is to strengthen Christian congregations so they can help people deepen their relationships […]