Archives: Speakers

The Reverend Robert Wright Lee, IV (Rob) is an author, activist, commentator, and preacher. His work has been covered by MTV, the View, The New Yorker, CNN, the New York Times, NPR, and countless others. That may sound like a mouthful, so Rob is often found just telling stories with friends in his hometown. Speaking of that, Lee is a native of Statesville, North Carolina and graduate of Duke University Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. He received his Master of Theological Studies in May of 2017 with a focus in practical theology and homiletics His thesis was on the corpus work of Bishop Will Willimon. He was an endowed scholar while at Duke University. Lee completed his undergraduate work in Religious Studies and Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University where he met his wife, Stephanie. Though he flies to New York, Boston, Chicago, and all kinds of other places—the red clay of the Piedmont of North Carolina is in his bones.

Rob believes preaching and writing are his native languages and expressions of the abundance of God. He has written extensively for both secular and religious news outlets. Rob’s work has appeared in outlets such as NPR’s Weekend Edition, All Things Considered, and multiple appearances on WUNC’s The State of Things. He has regularly appeared on CNN Tonight with Don Lemon and other national news outlets, and has a popular podcast, Beloved Journal. He has written for Ministry Matters, the Methodist Federation for Social Action, the Huffigton Post, the Common English Bible: Student Edition, and the Washington Post. He has preached from notable churches such as the Historic Ebenezer Church in Atlanta, the American Cathedral in Paris, Rockefeller Memorial Chapel in Chicago, First Presbyterian Church in Birmingham,

Rob is a collateral descendant of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and has been engaged as an activist in the field of racial reconciliation. He participated in the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards and was on ABC’s the View where he spoke about the need to confront white supremacy and white privilege in white churches. In July of 2020 he testified before the United States Congress on H.R. 970, a bill to remove a statue of his ancestor at the Antietam battlefield and on Capitol Hill. In January of 2021, Rev. Lee participated in the Inaugural Interfaith Prayer Service for President Joe Biden and has regularly written devotionals for Dr. Jill Biden. Rob has written one book titled “Stained-Glass Millennials” (Smyth and Helwys 2017) his second book “A Sin by Any Other Name” was released in April of 2019 by Penguin Random House. “The Pulpit and the Paper” is Lee’s third book and was released in November 2020 by Smyth and Helwys. In 2022 Lee edited a prayerbook for foster and adoptive families titled “Fostering Hope” published by Smyth and Helwys.

Rob was baptized and raised United Methodist, at Broad Street United Methodist Church in his hometown—but he cherishes the wealth of traditions he’s been afforded to journey with. Lee still lives in his hometown of Statesville, North Carolina with his wife Stephanie, his poodle Frank, and goldendoodle Maggie. His life has been forever enriched by his two adopted daughters, Athena and Phoenix. He’s an avid autograph collector too.

Cláudio Carvalhaes, theologian, liturgist and artist, a native Brazilian, completed his Ph.D. in Liturgy and Theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York City in 2007. He earned a Master of Philosophy in Theology, Philosophy, and History at the Methodist University of Sao Paulo in 1997 and a Master of Divinity from the Independent Presbyterian Theological Seminary (Sao Paulo, Brazil) in 1992.

Previously, Dr. Carvalhaes taught at McCormick Theological Seminary, Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Carvalhaes is an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

A much sought after speaker, writer, performer, and consultant, Dr. Carvalhaes has preached at Wild Goose Festival, Festival of Homiletics, Forum for Theological Education, Child Defense Fund – Proctor Institute for Child Advocacy Ministry, Academy of Homiletics and many other places. He has given lectures at the Liturgy Symposium Series at Yale Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, the Buddhist-Christian Conference at Denison University, the 7th Aasta Hansteen Lecture on Gender and Religion in Oslo, Norway, the Jubilee 800 Order of Preachers of the Dominican Order at the Vatican, Italy, Societas Liturgica in Belgium, Liturgical Conference in Germany, and the International Academy of Practical Theology in Brazil. He led worship for the All African Council of Churches in Mozambique, taught at the Global Institute of Theology of the World Communion of Reformed Churches and leads worship and teaches at the Hispanic Summer Program since 2013.

Recently he has been working on a global project called Re-Imagining Worship As Acts Of Defiance And Alternatives In The Context Of Empire. With a grant from the Council of World Mission, he is leading a workshop on liturgy amidst the poor with scholars, pastors and students in four continents: Asia, Africa, Americas and Europe.

Dr. Carvalhaes, the author of three books in Portuguese, has edited two books celebrating the work of Jaci C. Maraschin and Ivone Gebara. He has published a book in English, “Eucharist and Globalization: Redrawing the Borders of Eucharistic Hospitality” (Wipf&Stock, 2013) and is the editor of “Liturgy in Postcolonial Perspectives – Only One is Holy,” (New York: Palgrave Macmillan: Post Colonialism and Religions Series, 2015). His upcoming books are: “What Has Worship Got To Do With It? Interpreting Life, Church and the World Liturgically” (Cascade Books, 2018) and “Preaching and Liberation Theology: Metaphors for Our Time,” (Abingdon Press, 2019). He also recently edited Forms of Speech, Religion and Social Resistance, CrossCurrents, Vol. 66, No. 1 (Summer 2016), Black Religions in Brazil/Religiões Negras no Brasil. Editors: Cláudio Carvalhaes and Marcos Silva. CrossCurrents, Vol. 68, No. 1 (Winter 2017) and The Poetics of Religion in Rubem Alves. Editors: Claudio Carvalhaes and Paulo Augusto S. Nogueira, Estudos de Religião, Brasil V. 32, N. 2 (Summer 2017).

A member of the American Academy of Religion, Dr. Carvalhaes is a member of its Theological Education Committee. He was the co-chair of the Arts, Religion, and Literature Group, and serves now on the board of the Liberation Theology Group. He is also a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy, Academy of Homiletics and the International Academy of Practical Theology. Dr. Carvalhaes serves on the editorial/advisory board of academic journals and publishing houses including Currents of Encounter Series (Brill, Netherlands); Cross-Currents; Ecclesial Practices: Journal of Ecclesiology and Ethnography; Horizontes Decoloniales/Decolonial Horizons (Argentina) and TEAR: Journal of Liturgical Resources of CLAI, Conselho Latino Americano de Igrejas.

Dr. Carvalhaes says he is at home at Union, a school that formed him and changed his life. Union contributed immensely to turn a shoeshine boy into a scholar, he explains.