Kwok ’n’ Roll

Is peace a feminist issue? In the first episode of Faithful Provocations, theologians Kwok Pui Lan and Mary E. Hunt challenge the assumption that men — popes or presidents — speak for all of us on war and peace. As Pope Leo XIV and Donald Trump clash over the Iran war, and the first female Archbishop of Canterbury prepares to visit the Vatican, two feminist theologians ask the questions the headlines aren't asking: What does women's leadership mean for a theology of nonviolence? Should women be drafted? And can the church credibly champion peace when it can't agree on gender equality inside its own walls? In this episode:

• Why feminist theology reframes war as a question of faith — not just politics

• Women-led Catholic peace movements: Sisters of Mercy, Pax Christi, and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious

• The automatic draft registration coming in December — and whether women will be included

• Women in the military vs. women's ordination: two kinds of equality, two very different outcomes

• Can Roman Catholic and Anglican leaders agree on peace when they disagree on gender?

Faithful Provocations is a weekly Friday series hosted by Kwok Pui Lan (Episcopal postcolonial theologian) and Mary E. Hunt (Catholic feminist theologian), exploring urgent questions at the intersection of faith, gender, and justice.

🔔 New episodes every Friday. Subscribe so you don't miss the next provocation.

Is peace a feminist issue? In the first episode of Faithful Provocations, theologians Kwok Pui Lan and Mary Hunt challenge the assumption that men — popes or presidents — speak for all of us on war and peace.

As Pope Leo XIV and Donald Trump clash over the Iran war, and the first female Archbishop of Canterbury prepares to visit the Vatican, two feminist theologians ask the questions the headlines aren't asking: What does women's leadership mean for a theology of nonviolence? Should women be drafted? And can the church credibly champion peace when it can't agree on gender equality inside its own walls?

In this episode:

Why feminist theology reframes war as a question of faith — not just politics

Women-led Catholic peace movements: Sisters of Mercy, Pax Christi, and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious

The automatic draft registration coming in December — and whether women will be included

Women in the military vs. women's ordination: two kinds of equality, two very different outcomes

Can Roman Catholic and Anglican leaders agree on peace when they disagree on gender?

Faithful Provocations is a weekly Friday series hosted by Kwok Pui Lan (Episcopal postcolonial theologian) and Mary Hunt (Catholic feminist theologian), exploring urgent questions at the intersection of faith, gender, and justice.

🔔 New episodes every Friday. Subscribe so you don't miss the next provocation.

Is there such a thing as a "just war"? For centuries, Christian theology said yes. Today, the Church isn't so sure.

In this conversation, Dr. Kwok Pui Lan discusses with Dr. Kyle Lambelet one of the most urgent questions in Christian ethics: has Just War Theory run its course? Drawing on Catholic teaching from Augustine to Pope Leo XIV, and the growing movement toward nonviolence within the Church, this video unpacks why the framework that once justified military force is now being challenged from within Christianity itself — and what pacifism offers as an alternative.

With political leaders invoking Just War Theory to justify military action in 2025-2026, this debate has never been more urgent. What does Christian faith actually say about war? What does it demand?

Dr. Kyle Lambelet is a professor of ethics and Director of the St. Nicholas Center for Faith and Justice at Virginia Theological Seminary and the author of ¡Presente!: Nonviolent Politics and the Resurrection of the Dead

The debate between Pope Leo XIV and Trump over the Iran conflict has put American Catholics in a difficult position. Many back the Pope's call for peace — but does that mean we should defer to him on all moral issues?

Is Pope Leo XIV progressive on war and peace, yet conservative on gender? And what do we make of JD Vance warning the Pope to "be careful" when speaking on morality?

Dr. Kwok Pui Lan speaks with Dr. Mary Hunt — co-director of the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Rituals and a longtime Catholic feminist activist — to explore the reactions of American Catholics that aren't making it into the mainstream media. Mary articulates feminist concerns about the Pope's positions rarely heard in public discourse.

They also discuss Mary's reaction to Archbishop Sarah Mullally's installation as the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion — and her upcoming meeting with the Pope to pray for peace.

President Trump's criticism of Pope Leo XIV as  “weak on crime" and too liberal has ignited a firestorm — and Catholics are fighting back.

Trump's Truth Social post drew sharp rebukes from Catholic leaders across the country, including three American Cardinals, who called his remarks deeply disrespectful of the Pope — the spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. Meanwhile, Catholic members of Trump's own cabinet — Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — were pressed to respond to the clash between the President and the pontiff.

Adding fuel to the fire: Trump posted an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ, drawing even wider condemnation.

To make sense of this moment, Dr. Kwok Pui Lan sits down with Dr. Peter C. Phan, Professor of Catholic Social Teaching at Georgetown University. Together they explore:

Why Pope Leo XIV — an Augustinian — spoke out against war

Augustine's just war theory and its relevance today

Why conservative evangelicals see Trump as a messianic figure

How some believe the war in Iran is hastening the Second Coming of Jesus