87. Ruth Schmidt - Fired for Taking a Stand, and What Happens Next

Ruth Schmidt (she/her) is a pastor pursuing ordination with the United Church of Christ in the USA. She was also a senior director at Fuller Theological Seminary, California, until she was fired in January 2024 for refusing to sign Fuller's statement of beliefs. Just two weeks after she was fired for standing up for what she believed in, we recorded this conversation. In the weeks afterwards Ruth publicly shared, in what I thought was a respectful and hopeful way, looking to stand against the injustices she saw and invite decision makers into conversation. We talk about what happened and why. We talk about Ruth's feelings throughout this, her hopes for the situation, and the courage she has seen rise up in others. We also discuss the ripple effect this all had for students and staff at Fuller, and what happened as a result in those first two weeks. You may not know of Fuller, but this conversation goes to something much bigger than this one institution. It's about justice. It's about coercive power. It's about listening to those who are different from you. And ultimately, it's about love and how we show it to one another. ---- Links to find a Gaza Peace Pilgrimage near you: Worldwide - https://www.gazaceasefirepilgrimage.com/  Aotearoa New Zealand - https://www.commongrace.nz/ ___ Connect with me at downtoearthconversations.com or at Facebook: facebook.com/downtoearth.conversations  Instagram: @downtoearth.conversations Email: [email protected]