Austin Seminary

Last night we had the privilege of having an insightful conversation with Austin Seminary’s own Rev. Dr. Gregory L. Cuéllar about his latest book, “Migration and Western Biblical Interpretation: Empire, Method, and the Politics of Displacement,” as part of our Latinx Heritage Month programming!

We’re grateful to all who joined us in-person and online, and are delighted to share that the recording from this event is now available on Austin Seminary’s YouTube page, so be sure to check it out!

“Migration and Western Biblical Interpretation: Empire, Method, and the Politics of Displacement” (Brill, 2026) is now available to purchase in E-Book and print formats, learn more by visiting De Gruyter Brill or visit www.brill.com and get your copy today!

Latinx Heritage Month programming at Austin Seminary continues next Tuesday at noon (CST) as we welcome Alma Ruth, founder and director of Practice Mercy Foundation, for a lunch and learn on “Borders from a Lens of Faith.” This event will take place in-person in McMillan 210 and will also be livestreamed online. Refreshments will be provided.

Register today and learn more about this month’s programs at www.austinseminary.edu/lhm or see the link in our bio!

Alma Ruth PRACTICE MERCY FOUNDATION

Seminary Spotlight: Student Activities & Groups on Campus!

A shared highlight across generations of Austin Seminary students past and present during their time here has been the many unique student-led initiatives and activities outside of the classroom!

These activities are an integral part of the formational and broader seminary experience for students, providing them opportunities to deepen their connections and collaborations with fellow seminarians, guiding them to explore their faith more deeply while engaging in issues that matter, and ultimately helping them lead their communities with compassion and understanding into the future.
 
We’re grateful to the outstanding leaders of our Student Senate and support staff in the Enrollment Management & Student Success team, as well as our amazing student group leaders, for putting on a wonderful Student Activities Fair this week and giving the community a glimpse into some of the many, many ways our students have gotten involved on campus!

Did you have a favorite student group or initiative or student activity memory when you were a student? Let us know in the comments!

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Austin Seminary welcomes all who are called to serve with purpose and meaning, and is devoted to developing adaptive, imaginative Christian leaders who bridge divides, inspire faith, and make an impact where God calls them.

See yourself among this community of bridge builders, and embrace your calling today at www.austinseminary.edu!

It’s always a pleasure having alumni from the Austin Seminary Association (ASA) Leadership Team back on campus!

These past few days we were blessed by the company of Austin Seminary alumni leaders who gathered for the ASA’s Leadership Team meeting, providing opportunities to worship and fellowship with current students, staff, and faculty!

Learn more about the great work of the ASA and of Austin Seminary Alumni by visiting www.austinseminary.edu/alumni today!

Most churches will not immediately change the culture around Children's Church time overnight. So what does best practice look like within the framework you already have?

This workshop hosted by the Sharing Faith Initiative explores practical ways to strengthen your current approach, offers insights into how other churches structure their programs, and provides guidance for those looking to shift direction and need the right information to start that conversation.

Join us for a virtual panel discussion and small group brainstorms on the current research for Children’s Church models from active ministry leaders!

Date: Thursday, September 24, 2026
Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Format: Virtually through Zoom
Cost: Free

Speakers:
Rev. Amy Sutherlun, San Marcos First Presbyterian (PCUSA)
Amanda Herridge, Austin Seminary (Covenant Lutheran, ELCA)
Jodi Gutierrez, Schertz First United Methodist (UMC)
Rev. Dr. Sarah Allen, Austin Seminary
Rev. Dr. Andrew Zirschky, Austin Seminary

Register today at www.sharingfaithinitiative.com/events/no-perfect-model or see the link in our bio!

How can the church share Christ’s hope with the next generation?

It’s not too late to register and join us for this fall’s South Central Region of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (SCRAPCE) conference and explore this question more deeply! Educators, pastors, and church leaders are invited to this year’s SCRAPCE Fall Event on September 29–30 at Austin Seminary (in-person or online)!

This year’s theme is “Justice, Joy, and Gen Z: A Different Kind of Christian Witness,” featuring guest speaker Rev. Dr. Virginia “Gini” Norris-Lane, and exploring how young adults are challenging the church to rediscover joy, live out justice, and create communities where everyone can belong, serve, and flourish. Rev. Dr. Norris-Lane will lead both large-group gatherings and small-group breakout sessions throughout the event.

Learn more and register today at bit.ly/scrapce2026 !

Latinx Heritage Month programming continues this week with Austin Seminary's own Rev. Dr. Gregory L. Cuéllar!

Join us for an evening with Rev. Dr. Cuéllar, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ruth A. Campbell Professor of Biblical Studies at Austin Seminary, on Thursday, September 24th at 6PM in McMillan Memorial Building 210 to learn more about his latest book, "Migration and Western Biblical Interpretation: Empire, Method, and the Politics of Displacement," as well as a necessary conversation on a more ethically accountable and post-imperial biblical scholarship in our time.

Light refreshments will be provided. The event is open to the public and will also be livestreamed online at www.austinseminary.edu/livestream.

Register today at www.austinseminary.edu/lhm or visit the link in our bio!

About the Book
Before migration studies became a formal discipline, its core terminology was shaped within Western scientific and nationalist frameworks. In his latest book, Migration and Western Biblical Interpretation: Empire, Method, and the Politics of Displacement (Brill, 2026), Cuéllar interrogates how those frameworks continue to structure biblical interpretation. Challenging methodological nationalism and the “container model” of society, Cuéllar argues that empire―not the nation-state―provides the more adequate lens for understanding human mobility in the Hebrew Bible. Through sustained engagement with Ruth, prophetic literature, and the history of migration theory, the book reframes displacement as constitutive rather than anomalous. By exposing the political and epistemic assumptions embedded in migration discourse, this study calls for a more ethically accountable and post-imperial biblical scholarship.

We’re not just starting off the semester here at Austin Seminary; we’re making a SPLASH into it!

Shout-out to our Student Senate Leadership and Enrollment Management & Student Success team for bringing the community together to close out the week and officially jump into the fall semester with a splash!

From a delicious barbecue lunch to dunk tanks to inflatable obstacle courses, and most importantly a beloved community to take it all in, there certainly was no better way to splash into this semester!

Stay tuned for more great things to come from our student leadership and community this semester! Learn more at www.austinseminary.edu and see how you too can be a part of this beloved community!

Let’s hear it one more time for Dr. Daniel Montañez, who in addition to preaching at yesterday’s chapel service, also spoke on the timely subject of “Undocumented Pastoral Ethics: The Fugitive Spirit in Latino/a Pentecostal Immigrant Communities,” formally kicking off Latinx Heritage Month at Austin Seminary!

We’re grateful to all who joined us in-person and online, we’re excited to have the recording for Dr. Montañez’s talk uploaded to the Austin Seminary YouTube page! Learn more about Dr. Montañez and The Center for Public Theology and Migration at The Center for Public Theology and Migration!

We’re just getting started! Latinx Heritage Month programming continues next Thursday, September 24 at 6pm, featuring a conversation with Austin Seminary’s own Rev. Dr. Gregory L. Cuéllar about his latest book, “Migration and Western Biblical Interpretation: Empire, Method, and the Politics of Displacement.” The event will be held in McMillan 210 and be streamed online, and will also have light refreshments provided for attendees.

Register today and learn more about this month’s programs at www.austinseminary.edu/lhm, or see the link in our bio!

“…our moral responsibility as the Church of Jesus Christ can be found in the response of Jesus to the lawyer (in the parable of the Good Samaritan) that the true neighbor is the one who had mercy...The true neighbor is the one who responds to the call of Jesus to go and do likewise. The Samaritan did not know much about the man who was on the side of the road, did not know whether he was guilty, innocent, or deserving of his punishments…What was most important for Jesus was for the interpreter of the law to understand the heart of the law, for it is in the heart of the law that the heart of God is found…

“For the life of Jesus teaches us that the God of refuge not only provides refuge for the guilty, or for those perceived as criminals, but that the God of refuge also provides refuge for the innocent.”

We’re so grateful for the moving and prophetic words of Dr. Daniel Montañez in today’s chapel service, reflecting on the parable of the Good Samaritan and the church’s moral responsibility as sanctuary in times of crisis, and starting Latinx Heritage Month at Austin Seminary on such a powerful note.

In case you missed today’s chapel service, you still have a chance to hear from Dr. Montañez this evening, whether in-person or online, as he speaks on “Undocumented Pastoral Ethics” at 6pm in McMillan 210. This event is free, open to the public, and will include light refreshments for attendees.

To register and to learn more about Latinx Heritage Month programming at Austin Seminary, please visit www.austinseminary.edu/lhm, or see the link in bio!

Celebrate Latinx Heritage Month at Austin Seminary!

All are invited to join Austin Seminary as we celebrate Latinx Heritage Month with a variety of amazing events, starting tomorrow through October 13th!

To kick things off, tomorrow (9/17) we will have a worship service Dr. Daniel Montañez preaching in Shelton Chapel at 11:10am, and then at 6PM in McMillan 210 he will be speaking on “Undocumented Pastoral Ethics.” Both events will also be livestreamed, and the evening talk will also include light refreshments for attendees.

Following tomorrow’s events, be sure to join us for any or all of the events for the month, whether in-person or online:

- 9/24: Book Talk with Dr. Gregory L Cuéllar
- 9/29: Lunch & Learn with Alma Ruth (PRACTICE MERCY FOUNDATION)
- 10/5: Book Talk with Rev. Rhina Ramos
- 10/13: A Conversation with ire’ne lara silva

Register and learn more about the upcoming offerings for this month at www.austinseminary.edu/lhm or at the link in our bio!

Stay tuned for more information about our Latinx Heritage Month programming, hosted by Latinx Studies at Austin Seminary, in the coming days!