The speaker for Claremont School of Theology’s 2016 Commencement will be Jim Winkler, General Secretary and President of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. A lifelong social justice advocate, Winkler has a deep passion for ecumenical and interreligious work.
Growing up as a Methodist “preacher’s kid” in the Midwest, Winkler was part of a family deeply invested in the church, with a father, brother, and uncles who were pastors. Winkler himself was always active in the faith, participating in youth groups and mission trips. He found himself shaped by the social gospel style of church he grew up in, with his father’s activism against the Vietnam War and for the Civil Rights movement forming Winkler’s own idea of a Christianity founded in, as he puts it, “grace, mercy, God’s love, and a commitment to peace and justice.”
Winkler carried this social justice commitment with him to college, where he was interested in African American history and was a member of the Coalition Against Apartheid, advocating for his school to divest from South Africa’s apartheid regime. That activism, he remembers, “revealed to me the importance of active political engagement in the struggle for justice and peace.” After college, he became a United Methodist Church (UMC) Mission Intern, called by the social justice orientation of the program. Assigned to the South Pacific, Winkler worked on many justice issues there, from nuclear testing and nuclear waste dumping to increased militarization on the islands of the South Pacific. When he finished the Mission Intern program, Winkler returned to the United States and became involved in the anti-nuclear movement.
Continuing his service to the UMC, Winkler helped organize the United Methodist Seminar Program on National and International Affairs in Washington, DC. Designing seminars for United Methodist youth and women on topics including hunger, poverty, nuclear issues, racism, and apartheid, Winkler aimed to build community and inspire activism among these United Methodists.
In 2000, Winkler became the general secretary of the General Board of Church and Society(GBCS), the international public policy and social justice agency of the UMC. In this position, he led efforts to protest the Iraq War, act against climate change, and advocate for the Affordable Care Act. He also headed delegations to the Middle East, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, and Germany seeking peaceful solutions to global conflict. It was through his work with GBCS that Winkler first became involved with Claremont School of Theology, serving as a Trustee on the Board of Trustees from 2011-2014.
Now, Winkler serves as the President of the National Council of Churches (NCC), a position he was elected to in 2013. The NCC, which was founded in 1950, is comprised of 37 member communions–including Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches. The work of the NCC is promoting Christian unity, as well as cooperating in many joint programs of education, advocacy, and service.
“It has been an incredible experience,” Winkler says of serving as the NCC’s President, citing the organization’s long, rich history of social justice struggles and their important work with Bible publishing and Christian curriculum (the NCC owns the copyright for the Revised Standard Version and the New Revised Standard Version translations of the Bible). When interviewed for this article, Winkler had recently finished touring representatives from the World Council of Churches around the United States for a racial justice pilgrimage; he had also just returned from a summit in Atlanta on peace in Israel and Palestine, which included United States and Palestinian church leaders. This sort of work is incredibly fulfilling for Winkler; he says, “It is a way for me to serve Christ and spread the good news.”
Winkler is also looking forward to delivering the 2016 Commencement Address at Claremont School of Theology (CST). He sees CST’s interreligious commitment as crucial to the future, naming the increased diversity and dramatic changes the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 has brought to US society. He says:
I’ve worked on Capitol Hill for thirty years. It used to be just Jews, Catholics, and Protestants. Now there are people of many different faiths, and we are enriched by working together for a common effort.
Especially in this tense political climate, where he sees Republican presidential candidates like Donald Trump “trying to stem the tide of change,” Winkler believes that “faith leaders must know and understand one another–and understand each other’s faith–to bridge divides.” He sees CST a place where this kind of work is happening, saying, “CST is on the cutting edge of seminary life and education, and I hope other seminaries will catch up.”
In his Commencement Address, Winkler will continue these themes; he is planning to speak about the need for unity and the importance of mercy, grace, love, and forgiveness.
Commencement will be held on the morning of Tuesday, May 24th, at Claremont School of Theology.