About Pacific School of Religion
Founded in 1866, Pacific School of Religion (PSR) is a progressive Christian seminary, graduate school, and center for leadership development and social impact. PSR transforms individuals and communities through a flexible, stackable curriculum and a collaborative, lifelong learning ecosystem powered by diversity.
PSR offers multiple, flexible options for anyone looking to build spiritually grounded leadership skills; or learn from wisdom-based traditions. In addition to PSR’s Master of Divinity (MDiv), Master of Theological Studies (MTS), Master of Social Transformation (MAST), and Doctor of Ministry (DMin) programs we also offer Graduate Certificates including Sexuality and Religion and Spirituality and Social Change. Courses can also be completed through the Ignite Institute and our Theological Education for Leadership (TEL) programs. PSR is also home to the Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion (CLGS), the first seminary-based LGBTQ+ Center.
PSR is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).
PSR: Unafraid Since 1866
News Releases
Religion News Service | 9/22/23
In search of a decolonized Jesus
Current DMin student Leeann Younger (MTS ’23) shares a reflection on her search for a decolonized Jesus through her studies at PSR.
Associated Press | 9/14/23
PSR Welcomes Most Diverse Class in its 157-Year History
Pacific School of Religion celebrates historic growth and inclusivity with an incoming class that’s 68% students of color and almost 50% LGBTQ+-identifying.
Associated Press | 7/5/23
A faith-based argument for affirmative action from Pacific School of Religion
A statement from PSR about the unjust dismantling of affirmative action by the Supreme Court. We mourn the implications of this decision and its devastating impact on our efforts to address the savage inequalities that plague our educational system.
PSR Newsroom | 6/12/23
The Danger of J.K. Rowling and TERFs to the Transgender Community: a Reflection by Ryan Cassata
Musician, LGBTQ+ activist and PSR alumnx Ryan Cassata (MAST ’23) shares a reflection on the very real dangers of the transphobic rhetoric from J.K. Rowling and other TERFs.
Religion News Service | 6/7/23
Transition as an Act of Co-Creation in Partnership with the Divine
Master of Divinity student Micah Melody Taberner shares how a Transgender Christian Ethic of Liberation can give all individuals the agency to co-create their bodies, and the world, toward greater flourishing and abundant life.
Religion News Service | 5/4/23
Climate change is causing ‘trouble in paradise’ for the Pacific Island Nations
Master of Divinity student Najon Saina Tuiolemotu reflects on the ways climate change is threatening the existence of her Pacific Island Nation home.
Religion News Service | 3/16/23
Pacific School of Religion is leading the conversation around Black queer theology
PSR’s CLGS will host two marquee events exploring Black queer theology in April — the Souls A’Fire 8 Conference and the 16th John E. Boswell Lecture.
Religion News Service | 2/21/23
PSR Continues Rising Enrollment Trend While Maintaining Diversity
Bucking the national trend for seminaries, PSR has grown steadily over the past five years with Spring 2023 representing the largest enrollment in recent history — up 44% since 2018.
PR Newswire | 1/26/23
Pacific School of Religion announces $3.5M Gift for Ethics Chair
The Stanley Watson Endowed Chair in Ethics is funded by alumnx and former board member Stan Watson who came to PSR to study ethics and health care in the wake of the AIDS crisis.
PR Newswire | 9/27/22
PSR Receives $5M Grant From Lilly Endowment Inc. To Build Innovative Educational Ecosystem
Delivered through an online platform currently in pilot under the brand name The Ignite Collective, PSR’s educational ecosystem will be funded through the Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative.
Selected News Coverage
PSR Newsroom | 9/11/23
Alumnx Rev. Adriene Thorne to be Installed as Senior Minister at The Riverside Church!
Alumnx Rev. Adriene Thorne (MDiv ’08) will be installed as Senior Minister at The Riverside Church in New York City on Sunday, September 17th. Rev. Thorne will be the eighth senior minister at the historic church, and the first Black woman to hold the position.
CBS News | 9/9/23
Why thousands of U.S. congregations are leaving the United Methodist Church
Alumnx Karen Oliveto (MDiv ’83), the UMC’s first openly gay bishop, discusses the schism in the church over LGBTQ+ inclusion and the role she’s played in it.
The Times of Israel | 8/8/23
Exhibit uncovers forgotten laborers behind British Mandate’s archaeological exploits
Badè Museum curator Melissa Cradic talks with The Times of Israel about the museum’s award-winning, open-access web exhibition, “Unsilencing the Archives: The Laborers of the Tell en-Naṣbeh Excavations (1926-1935)”
The Washington Post | 8/4/23
Photos of New York’s female pastors
PSR alumnx Rev. Adriene Thorne (MDiv ‘08), senior minister of the historic Riverside Church, is included in the photo essay of influential female pastors.
Newsweek | 6/26/23
Catholic Bishop, Sister Spar Over Guidelines for Transgender People
PSR’s CLGS’s Bernie Schlager says the Bishops’ revision “gives no voice whatsoever to transgender people of faith who, in embracing their authentic identities, embraced the person that the divine intended them to be and become.”
PSR Newsroom | 6/16/23
PSR Year in Review: Celebrating an Extraordinary Year of Growth, Innovation and Academic Excellence
A look back at the successes and milestones of Pacific School of Religion’s 2022-23 academic year.
PSR Newsroom | 6/16/23
Juneteenth and the Meaning of Freedom: A Reflection by Leonard McMahon
A reflection on Juneteenth and the freedom to be fully human from PSR faculty Leonard McMahon
The Ancient Near East Today | June 2023
Archaeological Laborers of 20th-Century Palestine
Badè Museum curator Melissa Cradic writes about “Unsilencing the Archives: The Laborers of the Tell en-Naṣbeh Excavations (1926-1935)” in ASOR’s The Ancient Near East Today.
Daily Montanan | 5/13/23
White Christian Nationalism and the 2023 Montana Legislature
PSR alumnx Robyn Morrison (MDiv ’08) offers an inclusive, biblical counterpoint to the Christian nationalist views behind #SB99, which would ban gender-affirming care for trans youth.
Monkey Mind | 4/23/23
THE MOTHER OF MY HEART: Reflections on the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California
Rev. James Ishmael Ford (MDiv ‘91, MA ‘92), shares his reflections on the PSR’s Alumnx Gathering where he was recognized as a 2023 Distinguished Alumnx.
Graduate Theological Union Newsroom | 4/20/23
The Rev. Dr. Dorsey Odell Blake Named 2023 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer
PSR professor and Presiding Minister of The Church for The Fellowship of All Peoples Rev. Dr. Dorsey Blake honored by GTU faculty and Council of Deans.
Bear World Magazine | 4/20/23
Overcoming Spiritual Violence and Embracing Peace with Rev. Dr. Roland Stringfellow
Stringfellow, the managing director of PSR’s Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion, gives advice to queer adults looking to re-examine their relationship with Christianity.
Bay Area Reporter | 4/5/23
Berkeley Seminary to hold ‘Souls A’Fire’ conference
Coverage of CLGS’s African American Roundtable’s ‘Souls A’Fire 8 Conference: A Gathering for Black Queer Theology.
The Past | 2/13/23
A profile of PSR’s Bade Museum’s exhibit, Unsilencing the Archives: the laborers of the Tell en-Nasbeh excavations (1926-1935).
Bay Area Reporter | 1/31/23
LGBTQ Agenda: MCC minister takes helm of LGBTQ religious studies center this year
PSR alumnx Roland Stringfellow becomes managing director at PSR’s Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion.
Outreach | 12/9/22
The Need to Chronicle and Preserve Queer Catholic History
Profile of ‘Queer and Catholic: An Oral History,’ a project of #CLGS‘s Catholic Roundtable & one of the first centralized oral history repositories dedicated solely to the queer Catholic experience.
PSR Newsroom | 11/30/22
Badè Museum Curators Win ASOR Community Engagement and Public Outreach Award
Current Bade Museum curator Melissa Cradic and former Bade curator Sam Pfister recognized for their work on the multi-platform project and web exhibition, Unsilencing the Archives: The Laborers of the Tell en-Masbeh Excavations (1926-35).
The Heights | 11/13/22
A Queer Pastor Fights To Prove That Christianity Can Be Inclusive
A profile of the work PSR alumnx Rev. Nikira Hernandez (MDiv ’16) is doing at their UCC church to heal some of the negative experiences her community, especially LGBTQ+ and POC folks, have had with Christianity and create an open and affirming congregation.
State of California DOJ Press Release | 11/1/22
PSR alumnx Dr. Sarai Crain (MTS ’06) was selected as CA’s first-ever sexual assault evidence outreach coordinator. Dr. Crain previously served as the Deputy Chief for the City of Oakland’s Department of Violence Prevention and as the Executive Director of Bay Area Women Against Rape, the nation’s oldest rape crisis center.
UCC News Room | 10/18/22
Amid ‘major cultural shifts,’ millions from Lilly will help seminaries innovate, collaborate
Coverage of PSR’s Lilly Endowment Inc. Grant through the Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative.
PSR Newsroom | 10/12/22
PSR Community Grieves the Loss of MDiv Student Isamaeli (Eli) Mata’afa
The entire Pacific School of Religion community grieves deeply for the sudden death of Isamaeli (Eli) Mata’afa. We hold his family, church, and the entire Bay Area Samoan and Tuvaluan community in prayer.
ABC 8 News | 9/14/22
Richmond’s trauma healing coordinator connects those impacted by gun violence to resources
A profile of Doctor of Ministry student, Donte McCutchen, and the impact he has in his home community of Richmond, VA as the health district’s trauma healing coordinator.
PSR Newsroom | 8/29/22
Historically Large and Diverse Class Enters PSR in Fall 2022
Students from around the country are drawn to PSR for its rigorous scholarship, compassionate and welcoming community, flexible, stackable curriculum, and commitment to intersectional inclusion and social justice.
Religious News Service | 7/18/22
The Rev. Adriene Thorne voted eighth Senior Minister of The Riverside Church in the City of New York
PSR alumnx Rev. Adriene Thorne becomes the 8th Senior Minister and third PSR alunmx to serve the historic Riverside Church.
PSR Newsroom | 6/24/22
LGBTQ+ Pioneers Share Hopeful Vision for Radically Inclusive Faith
During a Pride month event PSR alumnx Loey Powell and current student Ryan Cassata shared their experiences as LGBTQ+ pioneers, why they were drawn to seminary and how PSR helped them build a community that fueled their activism.
Premier Christianity | 5/27/22
When are we going to do something? Why America needs Christians to stand up for gun law reform
An urgent plea for Christians to call for sensible regulation of weapons in the wake of the Uvalde massacre by PSR alumnx Rev. Peter Cook (MDiv ’89, MA ’91).
The Crime Report | 2/24/22
PSR alumnx and the first African American to lead the Contra Costa District Attorney’s office, Diana Becton (MTS ’15) discusses her career and her vision for reforming the criminal justice system.
Religious News Service | 2/10/22
Are today’s seminarians tomorrow’s corporate leaders?
Profile of PSR’s Ignite Institute and their Wisdom Based Leadership cohort program as part of a larger trend of seminaries creating ethical leadership programs.
The Guardian | 9/11/21
US Evangelical Lutheran Church installs first openly transgender bishop
PSR alumnx, Megan Rohrer (DMin ’17) is installed as the first openly transgender bishop by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.
Desert News | 3/27/21
What put Passover in the Jewish home? Not the pandemic
Rabbi Jane Rachel Litman, leader of the Jewish Roundtable at PSR’s Center of LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion discusses how Jewish women have shaped rituals like Passover throughout history.
NPR | 9/12/20
California Catholics Adjust To Outdoor Worship During Pandemic
PSR Dean, Susan Abraham, shares reasons Catholics have historically eschewed outdoor service, a practice that gained traction during the pandemic.
The New York Times | 9/1/20
From the Seabed, Figures of an Ancient Cult
Aaron Brody, director of the Badè Museum at PSR weighs in on an archeological discovery containing figurines of Tanit, a 5th century Phoenician goddess about whom Brody previously published work.
Religious News Service | 7/20/20
As seminaries welcome openly transgender students, church lags behind
PSR, described by a student as “the most welcoming and accepting place I had ever experienced,” featured as one of the seminaries working to increase inclusion of trans seminarians post-graduation.
The Salt Lake Tribune | 6/15/20
Utah Methodist pastor takes on a demanding role in a faith on the brink of an LGBTQ schism
Profile of PSR alumnx and superintendent of the UMC’s Utah/Western Colorado District, Rev. Elizabeth McVicker (MDiv ’93) as she helps her denomination navigate the worldwide schism over LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Vice | 9/17/2019
The Female Pastors Making Space for Queer Christians to Express Their Faith
A profile of PSR alumnx and founding pastor of Ministerio Latino, Rev. Rhina Ramos, and her work creating inclusive spaces for queer Christians.
Detroit Free Press | 6/29/19
Ministers argue for state to adopt legal protections for LGBTQ Michiganders
Op-ed from PSR alumnx and senior pastor of Metropolitan Community Church Detroit, Roland Stringfellow.
The Daily Californian | 4/30/19
UC Berkeley students navigate intersection of LGBTQ+, Christian communities
PSR professor and executive director of PSR’s Center for LGBT and Gender Studies in Religion, Bernard Schlager on how to repair and build relationships between Christain and LGBTQ+ communities.
The Body | 3/30/19
10 Black Transgender Women to Watch
A profile of PSR alumnx Rev. Monica Joy Cross as part of a roundup of leaders in the nationwide fight for civil and human rights for trans and gender nonconforming people of color.
Iowa State University News Service | 2/25/19
Iowa attorney general, national faith leader to discuss immigration
PSR president David Vasquez-Levy discusses immigration laws and the current landscape from a faith-based perspective with Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller.
The Salt Lake Tribune | 1/12/19
Karen Oliveto, PSR alumnx and the first openly lesbian bishop in the United Methodist church, discusses the schism in her denomination over LGBTQ+ inclusion.
The New York Times | 9/28/18
Robert Wood, 95, Dies; Urged Christian Acceptance of Gay People
PSR professor and executive director of the Center for LGBT and Gender Studies in Religion, Bernard Schlager discusses the impact of Wood’s seminal 1960 book, Christ and the Homosexual.
The Christian Century | 1/18/17
How do you hold together your trans identity and your life of faith?
Justin Tanis, director of the Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion (CLGS) discusses how religion informed his transition, “I had a sure sense that God knew exactly who I was and loved me as I am.”
NPR | 9/28/16
Hear Something, Say Something: Navigating The World Of Racial Awkwardness
PSR faculty Robyn Henderson-Espinoza talks about she responded to racist comments, big and small, from family, friends, and strangers.
Mother Jones | 8/29/16
The Methodist Church May Split Over LGBT Issues. Meet the Lesbian Bishop Caught in the Middle
PSR alumnx Karen Oliveto (MDiv ’83) on choosing to become Bishop despite the controversy, “If you’re going to tell me that my love is wrong, I’m concerned about the church and its ability to recognize God. Because we believe God is love and love is of God.”
The Washington Post | 5/27/16
A transgender divinity student finds peace as a man
PSR highlighted for having a large population of transgender students and for convening the Trans Seminarians Cohort a nationwide leadership development program through PSR’s Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion.
The New York Times | 5/3/16
Bob Fitch, Photojournalist of Civil Rights Era, Dies at 76
Obituary for alumnx Bob Fitch (MDiv ’72), who photographed the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other prominent black civil rights figures as the official chronicler of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
The New York Times | 12/25/14
Harold M. Schulweis, Progressive Rabbi, Is Dead at 89
Obituary for alumnx Harold Schulweis (DTh ’72), an influential rabbi and theologian who focused his sermons, books, and social activism on connecting the Jewish community with the wider world.
Washington Post | 9/22/14
Gerald A. Larue, religious scholar who debunked Bible stories, dies at 98
Obituary for alumnx Gerald Larue (Dmin ’53), an archeologist, a religious scholar, and debunker of claims such as Lazarus rising from the dead and the discovery of Noah’s ark.
New York Magazine | 7/10/12
Episcopal Church Approves Rite to Bless Same-Sex Unions
“This is significant because it’s saying, ‘This is around to stay — this is not a passing fad,’” said Mary A. Tolbert, founding director of PSR’s Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion (CLGS).
The New York Times | 2/18/12
A Quiet Struggle Within the Gay Marriage Fight
PSR faculty, staff and alumnx are among the leaders in mainline Protestant denominations fighting for marriage equality and the ordination of gay clergy.
Time | 3/22/11
Fertility Goddess Asherah: Was ‘God’s Wife’ Edited Out of the Bible?
PSR faculty and Director of the Badè Museum of Biblical Archaeology, Aaron Brody speaks on early Israelite polytheism.
The New York Times | 3/04/07
Moved by the Spirit to Dance With the Lord
PSR faculty Doug Adams, who has edited several books on the subject of dance and the church, discusses its growing popularity.
SF Gate | 2/25/04
Marriage’s lineage a bit convoluted
Mary A. Tolbert, founding director of PSR’s Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion (CLGS) discusses the Bible’s complicated history of marriage.
