Borders, Belonging, & the Body of Christ
OCTOBER 13, 2025
Join us for Episode 2 of Back Talk: Bold, prophetic conversations at the intersection of theology, justice, and culture.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR TO PARTICIPATE:
October 21, 2025 | 6 PM CST
Streaming on Facebook Live
Across the United States, the realities of forced migration, mass displacement, detention, and deportation continue to unfold—impacting millions of individuals and families with increasing urgency and devastating consequences.
What is the church called to do in the face of these realities?
That’s the urgent question we’ll be confronting in this month’s episode of Back Talk. McCormick President Dr. Maisha Handy will sit down with Dr. Reginaldo Paranhos Braga Jr. for a timely, urgent conversation exploring the church’s responsibility in this critical moment.
Borders, Belonging, and the Body of Christ isn't just a theological theme — it’s a moral reckoning.
THE CHURCH AT A CROSSROADS
As communities grapple with rising numbers of migrants, asylum-seekers, and deportations, the question isn’t only what’s happening, but how should people of faith respond? What does it mean to be a body of believers in a time of border walls, family separations, and ICE raids?
Together, Dr. Handy and Dr. Braga will explore:
How the church can respond faithfully to the realities of forced migration, asylum-seeking, and deportation
What true solidarity and sanctuary look like beyond political headlines and charity models
How theological education must evolve to prepare leaders for cross-cultural ministry in a world shaped by movement and disruption
What it means to belong — spiritually, socially, and ethically — in communities marked by exclusion and fear
Through personal story, pastoral wisdom, and prophetic imagination, this conversation will confront the human cost of migration policy and offer a vision for how the church can stand with those journeying in search of safety, dignity, and home.
A THEOLOGIAN FORMED BY BORDERS
MEET OUR GUEST: DR. REGINALDO BRAGA JR.
Born in Recife, Brazil, and now based in Atlanta, Dr. Reginaldo Paranhos Braga Jr. is a scholar, educator, and pastor whose ministry bridges continents and cultures. He serves as an Associate Professor of Religion and Education at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC), where his teaching focuses on liberation theology, critical pedagogy, intercultural mission, and the formation of socially engaged faith leaders.
Dr. Braga’s life and work center migrant communities—whether through his pastoral care in New York’s immigrant neighborhoods, his creation of immigration legal clinics and literacy programs, or his trauma-informed chaplaincy after 9/11. His global ministry and scholarship invite the church to move from gatekeeping to bridge-building.
He is also the founder of Point of Encounter, a nonprofit supporting vulnerable communities through education, arts, and health initiatives in both the U.S. and Brazil.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION LIVE
This is more than a livestream. It’s a call to reflect, to respond, and to reimagine what faith in action really looks like.
Tuesday, October 21
6 PM Central Time
Watch on Facebook Live → facebook.com/mccormickseminary
Share your voice: You are invited to join the conversation during the stream via our chat function. We’ll lift a few for live response from Dr. Handy and Dr. Braga.
This is Back Talk — where audacious faith meets bold voices.
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