Litehouse
Leadership Team
Nathan Pederson
Nathan is a scholar-practitioner with a passionate interest for the well-being of both the Church and the academy. His pastoral and theological training included college and seminary study, earning an M.Div at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and M.A. at The University Chicago Divinity School. Earning his Ph.D. in Theology and Ethics at Loyola University Chicago, his dissertation examined the theological formation of whiteness and coloniality through the development of modern perspective. His passion is how Christians are shaped to read signs and symbols (Scripture, Christ, themselves, the world) amidst their racial identity to make sense of the good and beautiful.
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“As I approach Whiteness both academically and experientially, I find it to be a deeply theological and existential problem. My journey with Christ in this regard is an opportunity to experience afresh God’s work and love in the world by discovering deeper depths of repentance and discipleship. Litehouse was birthed out of our pastoral hearts to see racial reconciliation taken seriously in the Church and world. I long for the Church to fully convert from its multifaceted reliance on Whiteness, and to witness to a new reality for broader society.”
Aderonke Pederson
Aderonke (Ronke) is a physician whose research focuses on understanding the intersection of religion, stigma, race, and mental health in the Black community (nationally and globally). She received her Bachelor's in Biological Sciences and International Studies from the University of Chicago. She received her MD at Northwestern University where she also completed her residency training in psychiatry. Currently, Ronke is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and NIH-funded researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital.
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As a mother of three, she is an advocate for supporting women and mothers. Dr. Pederson manages a clinic where she prioritizes caring for Black women with depression and anxiety. She has been featured on NPR, the Chicago Tribune, NBC, Washington Post, The Grio, on ABC 7 Chicago and several other news outlets for her work on mental health and advocacy. As a Christian and a Black woman, she believes that it is her calling to promote racial equity and justice for Black people across the country and globally.
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“As a Black woman, there are few spaces that allow me to have righteous anger in the face of oppression. Litehouse is committed to giving me a space to come fully as I am. My hope is to share this space with others who are ready for authentic racial reconciliation.”
Nathan and Ronke live in the Boston area. They have five children together, who keep them quite busy.