From the Academy to the Public Square
Dr. AHyun Lee’s new book on clergy sexual abuse in immigrant communities was a groundbreaking work of scholarship.
Then she took that conversation into a world that badly needs to hear it.
In the fall of 2025, the Reverend Dr. AHyun Lee published Protestant Clergy Sexual Misconduct and Intercultural Pastoral Care: Invisible Mask. This landmark work is the first book to specifically examine clergy sex abuse in immigrant churches, naming reasons why so many victim-survivors choose not to report and how migrant communities’ overarching political vulnerability can be weaponized to protect perpetrators’ power and shield them from accountability.
During a year filled with news about ICE raids—as federal agents enacted mass deportations here in Chicago and in cities across the country—Dr. Lee’s scholarship became particularly crucial for understanding this immigration policy’s cascading consequences.
After delivering a powerful address at the American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature annual conference that named deportability as a risk factor for sex abuse, she translated that scholarly work into prominent feature articles. The Christian Century selected “A Betrayal of Refuge” for publication in the magazine’s June print issue, and The Persistent—a prominent feminist news company—published her analysis in the wake of the César Chávez abuse revelations.
This intellectual journey from academic research into public dialogue exemplifies a role Garrett Seminary faculty have long played. While our professors are prominently published in academic journals and scholarly presses, many are also pastors, clinical practitioners, elected officials, and public intellectuals—applying knowledge into practice.
Through annual giving, you offer faculty the freedom to focus on student mentorship and community engagement. Travel grants empower professors to bring their work to professional conferences, connecting with the country’s leading thinkers. Sabbaticals offer rest and freedom to cultivate vibrant life beyond the classroom. All these gifts manifest in the breadth of what they teach—to the Garrett community and beyond.
Small Churches Make a Big Difference
Rev. Kelsey French ’20 brings social holiness to rural Michigan.