Immigrant Communities Meet at the Crossroads of Theology

podcastOPTalks
Written By Open Plaza

Rev. Dr. Joanne Rodríguez talks with PhD candidate Daniel Montañez about his role as founder and director of the Mygration Christian Conference

Henry Ossawa Tanner, Flight into Egypt, ca. 1916-1922, oil on wood, 16 7/8 x 16 7/8 in. (43.0 x 43.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Robbins, 1983.95.202

 
 

In this episode of OP Talks, Rev. Dr. Joanne Rodríguez, HTI Executive Director, talks with Boston University doctoral candidate Daniel Montañez about directing the national Mygration Christian Conference that he founded in 2019. Montañez credits his mentorship and relationship with Dr. M. Daniel Carroll Rodas as integral to this work. 

Regarding migration, Montañez relates that “...as people who are along the way, and as we find ourselves from the moment that we're born to the moment that we die, we experience this type of temporal movement, movement through time. What does it mean to treat those who we come into contact with who may actually be going through some type of refugee experience or asylum-seeking experience or just in a new country? What does it mean for us to care for them, and to love them as sojourners along the way?”

The Mygration Christian Conference is a space where pastors, scholars, practitioners, and community leaders who serve their communities can gather to have conversations about their experiences, their beliefs, and how their faith can serve all immigrant communities better.

The conference takes place October 4-5, 2024, at the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA. This year’s keynote speakers will be historian and theologian Dr. Justo L. González and Daniel Yang, National Director of Churches of Welcome at World Relief.

 
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Daniel Montañez

Daniel Montañez is a PhD student at Boston University in the area of theology, ethics, and philosophy, and an adjunct instructor for the Latino and Global Ministries Program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Montañez’ research focuses on centering the voices of immigrants as an authoritative locus for theological reflection. He seeks to construct a social ethic of migration that can respond to the humanitarian crisis facing migrants in our modern world. He is the founder and director of Mygration Christian Conference, an organization that seeks to explore God’s heart through the stories of migration in the Bible. He also serves as Director for the Church of God Migration Crisis Initiative, a ministry that seeks to provide church leaders with the biblical, pastoral, and ministerial preparation to positively and proactively respond to the crisis facing our immigrant communities in the United States. Montañez holds an STM from Boston University, an MDiv from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a BBA in Management from St. Mary’s University. Born in Visalia, CA to a Mexican mother and a Puerto Rican father, he is dedicated to serving his Latine community at the intersection of the Church, the academy, and the public square.

Featured
Joanne Rodríguez

Rev. Dr. Joanne Rodríguez is Executive Director of the Hispanic Theological Initiative (HTI) and an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church USA. Since 1999, Rev. Dr. Rodríguez has collaborated with students, faculty, deans, presidents, and directors of non-profit educational programs to ensure that HTI doctoral students graduate as influential leaders in theological and religious education and the broader educational landscape. She holds an honorary doctorate from the Iliff School of Theology, where she served as the Commencement Speaker for the class of 2024. She also earned ThM and MDiv degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and a BA from Pace University. The Association of Theological Schools (ATS) recognized her contributions with a 2024 Women in Leadership Trailblazer Award. Additionally, Rev. Dr. Rodríguez is a teaching elder at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Trenton, New Jersey.

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