Rev. Dr. Tony Tian-Ren Lin to Speak at Men’s Retreat

Westminster is excited to welcome the Rev. Dr. Tony Tian-Ren Lin for the Spring Men’s Retreat this month. Tian-Ren Lin is the Program Director for the Leadership Development Initiative at Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City and also a Research Professor at New York Theological Seminary. He is a cultural sociologist whose scholarship focuses on the intersection of religion, immigration, race, and ethnicity.

During the Men’s Retreat, Tian-Ren Lin will share about the role of Mainline Churches in modern America. Together, the group of Westminster members will explore with Tian-Ren Lin the modern culture and how people at the margins experience change the first and worst while people in the center usually experience change last. They will also examine how the people in the center are also often the ones in power, so how can the church help move people to action? Finally, the group will discuss “meritocratic Christianity,” or the idea that our faith should “pay off” in some way. This thinking can lead to a graceless Christianity.

Tian-Ren Lin will challenge attendees to examine in what ways they have been graceless. The Men’s Retreat will be held on Zoom, Saturday, April 17, from 8:45 am-noon. Contact Deb Wagner by Friday, April 16, to register.