A conversation with Rachael Clinton-Chen, Director of Care and Teaching at the Allender Center, talks about her place at the intersection of Trauma and Spiritual Formation. She talks about the church's role in healing social injustice; it's not just about awareness and action, both of which are needed, it's about transforming the way we view injustice and care for those who have been oppressed by systems that have been perpetuated by bad theology. We are to use our positions, our voices, our gifts and resources to care for and bless others.
Rachael Clinton-Chen is a trauma specialist, pastor, preacher, and therapeutic practitioner. She serves as the Director of Organizational Development for The Allender Center at The Seattle School, as well as a part of the teaching and training team. She is a stormborn woman of the Oklahoma plains, but relocated to Seattle over a decade ago where she received a Master of Divinity at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology in 2010.
Rachael is devoted to bringing healing, hope, and radical welcome at the prophetic and pastoral intersection of trauma, embodiment, and spiritual formation. She has deep convictions that our stories shape our biblical imagination and the way in which we experience and participate in God’s unfolding story. While offering both sanctuary and a call to action, Rachael engages the elements of our stories that distort and disorder as well as reveal and illuminate God’s story and our place within it.
In this episode, she offers wisdom on call to action, transformation of living in the here-and-now and the not-yet. Rachael also speaks to the locatedness with which we read the Bible, how this affects our theology, and practical living.
She is Inspired by the short film, live action nominated films for the Oscars - the story-tellers who are trying to capture different perspective of stories and the complexity of humanity. She is inspired by story-tellers who give her the privilege to step into their worlds.
She is reading fantasy novels by women of color, "Children of Blood and Bone" and "The Fifth Season" and reading "My Grandmother's Home: radicalized trauma and the pathway to healing our hearts and bodies".
She is listening to a lot of kid's music (i.e. the muffin song).
CONTACT
Website: https://theallendercenter.org/about/team/rachael-clinton