Justin Sabia-Tanis named inaugural Wilson Yates Chair in Theology and the Arts

United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities has appointed Rev. Dr. Justin Sabia-Tanis as the first occupant of its Wilson Yates Chair in Theology and the Arts. The formal installation is set for Fall Convocation on Sept. 24, 2026, underscoring the seminary’s push to link theology, the arts and social transformation.

Why it matters: - The appointment gives United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities a named academic leader focused on theology and the arts. - The chair is designed to advance work that connects artistic practice, religious identity and social transformation. - Sabia-Tanis brings background in ethics, LGBTQ+ religious studies and creative expression to the role.

What happened: - United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities named Rev. Dr. Justin Sabia-Tanis as the inaugural occupant of the Wilson Yates Chair in Theology and the Arts. - Sabia-Tanis currently serves as McVay Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Social Transformation and director of the Social Transformation Program. - The seminary will formally install Sabia-Tanis at Fall Convocation on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.

The details: - Sabia-Tanis joined United in 2019. - Before United, Sabia-Tanis served as a congregational minister in Boston, Honolulu and San Francisco. - Sabia-Tanis also served as director of leadership development for Metropolitan Community Churches. - His ministry work has included community organizing and advocacy. - Sabia-Tanis served as managing director at the Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion. - He also worked as communications director for the Hawai’i Equal Rights Marriage Project, the National Center for Transgender Equality and Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. - Sabia-Tanis earned a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies from Graduate Theological Union in 2017, a DMin from San Francisco Theological Seminary in 2003 and an MDiv from Harvard Divinity School in 1990. - His teaching experience includes the University of Arizona, Pima Community College, Iliff School of Theology and Pacific School of Religion. - Sabia-Tanis recently completed “Queer Spirituality, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity in Contemporary Visual Art,” which is due later this year from Bloomsbury Academic. - He also wrote “Transgendered Ministry, Theology and Communities of Faith” and contributed a chapter to “Transbiblical: New Approaches to Interpretation and Embodiment in Scripture.” - In 2024, Sabia-Tanis gave a lecture at the art gallery of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis on Keith Haring’s life and art. - Sabia-Tanis is also an artist and works to cultivate creative expression among students in his courses. - The Wilson Yates Chair in Theology and the Arts was established in 2025 through gifts from friends, alumni and former United faculty. - The chair is named for Rev. Dr. Wilson Yates, President Emeritus and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Religion, Society and the Arts. - Yates joined United’s faculty in 1967, became dean in 1988, was named president in 1996 and retired in 2005.

Between the lines: - United is signaling that the chair will be more than a ceremonial post and will anchor the seminary’s arts-and-theology work. - The school is tying the appointment to social justice, LGBTQ+ scholarship and artistic practice, which fits Sabia-Tanis’ career. - Yates’ endorsement frames the selection as a continuation of the seminary’s long-running emphasis on theology and the arts.

What’s next: - United will formally celebrate the installation at Fall Convocation in September. - Sabia-Tanis said he looks forward to helping the program evolve and grow in the coming years. - The new chair is expected to build on United’s existing integration of the arts in student formation and ministry training.

The bottom line: - United has chosen a scholar-practitioner with deep experience in theology, LGBTQ+ advocacy and the arts to lead one of its signature academic initiatives.