Kwok ’n’ Roll

What happens to faith after a dictatorship threatens the church and society? Postcolonial theologian Kwok Pui Lan talks with Dr. Agnes M. Brazal — Filipina feminist theologian, activist under martial law, and author of A Theology of Southeast Asia: Liberation-Postcolonial Ethics in the Philippines — on how women reclaimed faith after the Marcos dictatorship and why Bai theology, rooted in the babaylan, is reshaping the church in the Philippines today. From handing out leaflets on the streets under Ferdinand Marcos to pioneering one of Asia's most influential feminist theologies, Brazal traces a journey many viewers will recognize: when power tries to use faith for control, does faith disappear — or become more honest?

In this episode, you will learn:

• What it was like to organize as an activist during martial law in the Philippines and why that experience led Brazal deeper into theology, not away from it

• Who the babaylans were — the women spiritual leaders erased by Spanish colonization — and why their memory matters for the church now

• What Bai theology is, where the name comes from, and how it reclaims indigenous Filipino spirituality for today

• How Filipina women theologians rebuilt faith after dictatorship — through people power, community, and postcolonial critique

Can artificial intelligence serve Black people — or is it building a future that leaves Black communities behind? Dr. Philip Butler breaks down black transhumanism, AI bias, and his vision for the Seekr Project: a distinctly Black conversational AI designed for mental health and critical Black consciousness.

📖 In this conversation:

• Why AI is not neutral — how bias gets built into the models

• Black Transhuman Liberation Theology, explained

• The Seekr Project: building AI that serves Black communities

• Transhumanism vs. posthumanism — and where faith fits

👤 ABOUT PHILIP BUTLER Dr. Philip Butler is Associate Professor of Theology and Black Post-human Artificial Intelligence Systems and Director of the AI Institute at the Iliff School of Theology. He is the founder of the Seekr Project and the author of Black Transhuman Liberation Theology: Technology and Spirituality (Bloomsbury Academic, 2021).

📖 Go deeper on Substack: [https://kwokpuilan.substack.com]

"You need to shake the status quo." Rev. Dr. Fadi Diab, Palestinian Anglican priest and co-author of Kairos Palestine II, speaks with postcolonial theologian Kwok Pui Lan about the seismic moment when the Church of England voted to hear Palestinian voices — and why "hearing" is only the beginning.

Six provocations:

•What it meant to sit in the gallery at York Minster as the synod voted.

•Why Kairos Palestine II uses the language of genocide and apartheid?

•How to stay in dialogue when the stakes are existential? •Palestinian liberation theology and reading scripture from the margins

•What ecclesial nakba reveals about the global church's complicity? •Hope as a spiritual practice in a time of loss.

Rev. Dr. Fadi Diab is rector of St. Andrew's Church in Ramallah, Palestine; co-author of Kairos Palestine II: A Word of Faith, Hope and Love from the Heart of Palestinian Suffering; and faculty member of the Palestine-Israeli Theologians Forum.

Deep dive on Substack: https://kwokpuilan.substack.com

Why does Korea embrace AI while the West sounds the alarm? Practical theologian Dr. Boyung Lee reveals how East Asia's communal worldview transforms AI from a threat into an extension of family — and what that means for the future of pastoral care.

In this episode:

▪️ Why Koreans say "our mother" and "our husband" — and why it matters for AI

▪️ How Korea's "I Met You" program reunited grieving parents with VR avatars of their children (40 million viewers watched)

▪️ Grief bots, shamanism, and AI as a medium between worlds

▪️ Pope Francis's AI warnings — and what Boyung wishes he'd done differently

▪️ Practical advice for pastors using AI in ministry

Dr. Boyung Lee teaches practical theology at the Iliff School of Theology. Her research sits at the intersection of AI, East Asian philosophy, and pastoral care.

In the span of two weeks, two major Christian denominations — the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Church of England — took historic stands on Palestine. One used the word "genocide." The other finally decided to listen to Palestinian Christian voices.

Postcolonial theologian Kwok Pui Lan unpacks both decisions, shares her personal experience crossing the border into Jerusalem, and explains why she's editing a new book, The Anglican Church and Palestine.

📖 Go deeper on Substack: https://kwokpuilan.substack.com/p/the-church-of-englands-resolution