candler.emory.educandler.emory.edu/news/connection/summer-2015/_pdfs/Candler... · those issues. In...

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Candler Connection Summer 2015Centennial Edition II

Laurel Hanna, Editor

Contributing Editors

Molly Edmonds

Claire Asbury Lennox

Candler Connection is published by the Office

of Communications of Candler School of

Theology at Emory University and is distributed

free as a service to all alumni and friends of

the school. Send correspondence regarding

the magazine to: Laurel Hanna, Director of

Communications, Candler School of Theology,

1531 Dickey Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322 or email

[email protected]

This magazine may be viewed online at

www.candler.emory.edu

Design by Wages Design,

www.wagesdesign.com

Copyright 2015, Candler School of Theology,

Emory University. All rights reserved.

www.candler.emory.edu

Corrections: The print edition of the Fall 2014

issue of Candler Connection contained these errors: In

“Centennial Medalists,” we stated that William R.

Cannon joined the Candler faculty in 1944 and became

dean nine years later. In fact, he joined the faculty in

1943 and became dean ten years later. In “Influential

Faculty Books,” we broke our own rule of counting

only those books published while the author was on

the Candler faculty by including Fred B. Craddock’s

As One Without Authority (1971), Luke Timothy Johnson’s

The Writings of the New Testament (1986), and

Thomas G. Long’s The Witness of Preaching (1989).

Though all are among the most influential books in

their fields, they were published before the authors

joined Candler’s faculty.

Features:

12 Meeting the Theological Challenges of the New Century LukeTimothyJohnsonontheissuesfacingtheologyandthechurchtoday

20 Echoes of Prophetic Voices ArecapofCandler’scentennialacademicconference

28 From Here to There RobertFranklinonraceandreconciliationinpolice-communityconflicts

34 Everyday Prophets

SnapshotsofeightCandleralumniandtheirpropheticwork

in this issue

20 28

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Faculty:26 Required Reading

Whatfacultyarereadingnow

32 New Books By Candler Faculty

Alumni: 40 Mentorview

JaneWeston14Ttalks

withTomLong

46 Class NotesNewsfromouralumni

Community: 02 The Collect

Newconditionsand

newresponses

04 News ThelatestfromCandler

44 Giving Growingstudentscholarships

48 Benediction BrentStrawnpondersif

Candlerisamongtheprophets

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WESTERLUND 2 STAR CLUSTER: NASA/ESA; HANDS: HYOSUB SHIN/ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION VIA AP; SMITH: KAY HINTON/EPV; ILLUSTRATION: “AN ANCIENT LIGHT” © JAN RICHARDSON, JANRICHARDSON.COM. USED BY PERMISSION.

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Candler Connection | Summer 20152 The Collect 3

Dear Friends,OurcommemorationofCandler’scentennialhascometoanend,leaving

ourcommunitywithamultitudeofmemoriestosavor,awealthofnew

knowledgetospurfurtherlearning,andarenewedsenseofcallaswe

enteroursecondcentury.

Wherethefirsthalfofthecentennialfocusedonourhistory,thisspring

weturnedourmindstowardprophecy—“discerninginthecomplexcir-

cumstancesofeverydaylifeaWordfromGod,andspeakingthatWordtoa

worldthatmostdesperatelyneedstohearit,”asLukeTimothyJohnsonso

eloquentlyputsit.Inpopularparlance,anotherwaytoputitisto“speak

truthtopower.”Thoughsomeconsiderthephraseoverplayedtoday,when

Quakersfirstintroducedittothewiderpublicin1955viaabrochureofthe

samename,itsparkedfreshandprovocativeconversationsrootedinGod’struth.

Yetaspopularasthetitlephraseis,theopeningofSpeak Truth to Power featuresanotheraxiomthatbefitsCandler’sobservanceofour

centennialevenmore:“newconditionsdemandnewresponses.”Conditionsarecertainlydifferentnowthantheywere100yearsago

whenCandlerwasfounded;thus,duringthesecondhalfofourcentennial,wechallengedourselvestoseeknewresponsestothese

newconditions.Thecenterpieceofthisspring’sactivitieswasamajoracademicconferencethatbroughttogetheradozenscholars,

thoughtleaders,andpractitionerstoexamineissuesconfrontingtheologyandthechurchtoday,andtoexplorefaithfulresponsesto

thoseissues.Intruepropheticfashion,theconferencestartednewconversationsrootedinGod’struth.Asyou’llreadinLukeTimothy

Johnson’skeynoteaddressandinthearticlesummarizingtheconference,thechallengesaregreat,andengagingthemwilldemand

greatthought,greataction,andevengreaterpropheticboldness.

Asweclosethiscentennialyear,letusconsidertheclosingofSpeak Truth to Power:

…the world is not saved by discoveries or inventions, by the trample of iron hoofs nor the thunder of

bombing planes, but by the quiet pervasive influence of the small company of people who in all lands

and in all times, in spite of all that has happened or may come to pass, steadfastly continue to say,

‘Nevertheless…I believe.’ Faith is relevant, and in an Age of Anxiety, we affirm ours.

Indeed,inourfirstonehundredyears,andnowatthedawnofoursecondcentury,we,thepeopleofCandlerSchoolofTheology,

continuetoproclaimourfaithamidthisongoing“AgeofAnxiety.”Thisyear,ourattentiontostoryandprophecyhasenlivenedand

energizedustomoveforwardwithconfidenceintheGodwhocallsusforthetransformationoftheworld.

Graceandpeace,

Jan LoveDean and Professor of Christianity and World Politics

The Collect

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The Centennial in Pictures 01 August 28, 2014: The centennial opened with Fall Convocation, featuring the dedication of Phase II of Candler’s new building.

02 September 12, 2014: Candler dedicated the new Wesley Teaching Chapel in Phase II.

03 October 16, 2014: Doris Shockley attended the dedication of a classroom in honor of her late husband, Grant S. Shockley, the first tenured African American on Candler’s faculty.

04 October 23, 2014: Brent Strawn, professor of Old Testament, preached at the opening chapel ser-vice for the fall two-day Centennial Celebration.

05 October 23, 2014: Attendees enjoyed an out-door reception on Theology Plaza after “Memories of Candler in Word and Song.”

06 October 24, 2014: The Centennial Convocation highlighted Candler’s historic significance within the larger community, with 56 individuals recog-nized as Centennial Medalists.

07 October 24, 2014: Professor Emeritus of Church and Community Luther E. Smith, Jr. gave the Centennial Convocation address, “Since We Are Surrounded.”

08 November 6, 2014: Professor Emerita of Church History Roberta C. Bondi, Candler’s first female tenured faculty member, attended the dedi-cation of classroom in her honor.

09 March 18-20, 2015: Candler’s centennial academic conference, “Prophetic Voices: Confront-ing Theological Challenges of the Next Century,” featured presentations by a dozen renowned theolo-gians from Candler and beyond.

10 May 11, 2015: Candler conferred 138 degrees on the school’s 100th graduating class.

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Candler News 5Candler Connection | Summer 20154

Whatayear!Candlermarkedits100thanniversarywithanarrayofevents,fromtheCentennialCelebration

inthefalltotheacademicconferenceinthespring,andmuchmoreinbetween.Hereareafewofour

favoriteimagesfromtheyearlongcommemoration.Foracompleterecapofcentennialevents,including

linkstovideos,visitthenewssectionofcandler.emory.edu.

Photo Credits: 01-Pat Graham; 02, 03, 10-Lisa Stone; 04-Bryan Meltz/EPV; 05, 06, 07, 09- Kay Hinton/EPV; 08-Claire Asbury Lennox.


Candler Connection | Summer 20156 Candler News 7

“Dr.Longhasthisunique

giftandcallingtohelp

peopleseethegiftsthat

Godhasgiventhemfor

ministry,evenifthey

can’tseeitinthemselves.”

—Daniel Ogle 08t

After winningeverypossibleCandlerandEmoryprizeforteaching,wideacclaimforhisbooks,

therespectofhispeers,andthegratitudeofhisstudents,Thomas G. Longretiredattheendofspring

semesterafter15yearsasCandler’sBandyProfessorofPreaching.

Namedin1996as“oneofthe12mosteffectivepreachersintheEnglish-speakingworld,”Long

hasbeenpopularwithCandlerstudentsandcolleaguesalike.Inadditiontouniversity-widehonors

suchasthe2011EmoryWilliamsTeachingAwardandthe2015Scholar/TeacherAward—twoofthe

highestfacultyhonorsEmorybestows—Longrecentlyreceivedthe“OnEagle’sWings”Excellencein

TeachingAward,whichispresentedbyCandler’sseniorclassinrecognitionoffaithfulanddedicated

service.Inthewordsofonestudentnominator,Long“doesmorethansimplyteachstudents;hepre-

paresthemforgrowthinministrywithhelpful,criticalfeedback,andaspiritofencouragement,which

createsstrongerpreachersandleaders.”

Notonlyagiftedpreacherandteacher,Longisalsoanaccomplishedscholar/authorwhohasproduced

aprolificbodyofwork,including21booksandscoresofarticlesinbothprofessionaljournalsand

popularperiodicals.His1989bookThe Witness of Preaching—nowinitssecondedition—isoneofthe

mostwidelyusedtextsonpreaching,appearingonclassreadinglistsinseminariesthroughoutthe

world.In2010,Preaching magazinenameditoneofthe25mostinfluentialbooksonpreachingfrom

thelast25years.TheAcademyofParishClergynamedhisPreaching from Memory to Hopeasoneofthe

“toptenbooksforparishministrypublishedin2009”andWhat Shall We Say? Evil, Suffering, and the Crisis

of Faithasthe2011BookoftheYear.AndheisafrequentcontributortoThe Christian Century magazine.

AlthoughLongisofficiallyretiring,Candlerwillcontinuetobenefitfromhisexpertiseinhisnext

chapter:directingagrantprogramtohelprecentCandleralumnibecomeleadersintheircommunities

throughatwo-yearprogramofleadershipeducationandpastoralformation.ThanksbetoGod!n

The Gift of a Long Legacy Real International

Engagement 01

JamesT.andBertaR.LaneyProfessorinMoral

LeadershipRobert M. Franklin, Jr.,ledstudents

inhis“MoralLeadershipinInternationalContext”

travelseminarcourseonaten-daytriptoSouth

KoreainMay.Theirjam-packeditineraryincluded

thesehighlights:meetingandworshipingwith

familiesofvictimsoftheSewolFerrydisaster,

visitingtheDemilitarizedZone(DMZ)[01],taking

partinademonstrationalongsideKorea’sWorld

WarII-era“comfortwomen,”andparticipating

inaprayerserviceattheworld’slargestchurch,

800,000-memberYoidoFullGospelChurch.They

alsovisitedYonseiUniversityandattendedMethod-

istTheologicalUniversity’sInternationalConference

forthe277thanniversaryofJohnWesley’sconver-

sion,featuringtheuniversity’spresident,Jong Chun

Park 82T 86G.AssociateProfessorofPastoralCare

andCounselingGregory C. Ellison IIaccompanied

thegroupasaguestlecturer.

Back to School 02

CandlerwelcomesbackDon E. Saliers[02],William

R.CannonDistinguishedProfessorofTheologyand

Liturgy,Emeritus,whohasreturnedtotheactive

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facultyforamulti-yeartermasTheologian-in-

Residence.SaliersretiredfromCandlerin2007

after33yearsofteachingsystematictheologyand

liturgy.Inhisnewrole,heisfocusingonspiri-

tualformationandlifelonglearning,including

developingandteachingnewcourses,craftingop-

portunitiesforstudentstopracticedailyprayerin

Candler’snewWesleyTeachingChapelandnew

spiritualformationroom,andleadingretreats

andworkshopsforcongregationalleaders.Itwill

comeasnosurprisethatoneofhisgreatpassions

willaccompanythisnewjourney.“Therewillbe

musicallalongtheway,”hesays.

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Cambridge Calling 03

WhenJeania Ree Moore 15T[03]decidedtoattend

Candler,shewasn’tsureexactlywheretheexperi-

encewouldlead.Nowthatexperienceisleadingher

tofurtherstudiesattheUniversityofCambridge

inEngland,whereshehasbeenawardedaGates

CambridgeScholarship,aprestigiousfullscholar-

shipgiventostudentsoutsidetheUnitedKingdom

topursueapostgraduatedegreeatCambridge.The

40U.S.recipientswerechosenfrom755national

applicants,with55additionalscholarscoming

fromothercountries.Recipientsareselectedfor

outstandingintellectualability,leadershippotential,

andacommitmenttoimprovingthelivesofothers.

Sincethescholarship’sinceptionin2000,Mooreis

onlythefourthEmorystudenttobenamedaGates

Cambridgescholar—andthefirstfromCandler.

Acandidatefordeacon’sordersinTheUnited

MethodistChurch,Moorewillpursueaone-year

master’sdegreeofphilosophyintheologyand

religiousstudies,onlythefourthGatesCambridge

scholartodoso.

Career High

John Snarey,FranklinN.ParkerProfessorof

HumanDevelopmentandEthics,wonthe2014Lisa

KuhmerkerCareerAwardfromtheAssociationfor

MoralEducation(AME).Theawardrecognizesthose

whohavemadeoutstanding,long-termscholarly

contributionstothefieldofmoralityandtotheAME.

Praisedas“aninnovativeandfearlessresearcher,”

Snareywasnotedforhisaward-winningresearchand

criticalreviewinPsychological Bulletinoncross-cultural

morality,aswellasforhisbookHow Fathers Care

for the Next Generation: A Four-Decade Study(Harvard

UniversityPress,1993).“Snareyhasfocusedon

religiousethicsandexperiences,buildingabroad

foundationforresearchandtheorizingatthein-

terfacebetweenmoralityandreligion.Heputshis

theoreticalideasandresearchfindingsintoactionby

honoringmultiplevoicesinthemoralityconversa-

tionatAMEconferencesandschoolclassrooms,”

readtheawardannouncement.

Luminaries Who Lecture

Candlerhostedastar-studdedrosterofguest

lecturersthisspring.Obery Hendricks,whohas

beencalledoneofthecountry’smostprovocative

andinnovativecommentatorsonreligion,politics,

andsocialpolicy,taughtaJ-termcoursecalled

“ThePoliticsofJesus”asthe2015SankofaScholar

inBlackChurchStudies.FormerpresidentJimmy

Carter spokeinFebruaryaspartoftheLaneyLegacy

inMoralLeadership.GeorgetownUniversity’sJulia

Watts BelserspokeinMarchattheinauguralNancy

EieslandEndowmentLecture,namedforCandler’s

lateassociateprofessorofsociologyofreligionand

disabilitystudies.ActivisttheRev.Osagyefo Sekou

addressed“TheLiberationTheologyofFerguson”in

April.Readmoreabouttheseandotherlecturesin

thenewssectionofcandler.emory.edu.

Faculty Moves 04 & 05

Newtitlesandnewopportunitieswereabundant

amongtheCandlerfacultythisspring.Professor

ofHomileticsTeresa L. Fry Brown[04]wasselect-

edfromanationalpoolofcandidatestobecome

Candler’sfourthBandyProfessorofPreaching,

effectiveSeptember1.TheBandyChairinPreach-

ingwascreatedin1986withagiftfromB.Jackson

Bandy,andisconsideredbymanytobethe

premierchairinhomileticsinthecountry.Bishop

MackB.andRoseY.StokesProfessorofTheol-

ogy Ian A. McFarland[05],whocurrentlyserves

asassociatedeanoffacultyandacademicaffairs,

willleaveCandlerthissummerfortheUniversity

ofCambridge,wherehehasbeennamedRegius

ProfessorofDivinity.England’sKingHenryVIII

createdthefamedRegiusProfessorshipsin1535.

FollowingMcFarland’sdeparture,Associate

ProfessorofChurchHistoryJonathan Stromwill

serveasassociatedeanoffacultyandacademicaf-

fairs.Rex D. Matthews waspromotedtoprofessor

inthepracticeofhistoricaltheologyandWesleyan

studies.Gregory C. Ellison IIwaspromotedto

associateprofessorofpastoralcareandcounsel-

ing,Steffen Lösel receivedanewtitle,associate

professorofsystematictheology,andElizabeth

Corriewaspromotedtoassociateprofessorinthe

practiceofyoutheducationandpeacebuilding.

Andrea C. White,assistantprofessoroftheology

andculture,hasacceptedaposition

asassociateprofessoroftheologyatUnion

TheologicalSeminaryinNewYork.

Lighting the Way

CandlerandtheIvanAllenCollegeofLiberalArtsat

GeorgiaTechhaveestablishedajointinitiativecalled

theLeadershipandMulti-FaithProgram(LAMP)to

addresstheneedformulti-faithunderstandingand

communitybuildinginAtlantaandthesurrounding

region.Thepartnershipincludestheestablishment

ofafacultypositionatCandlerandthedevelop-

mentofpublicprogrammingtobecoordinatedby

theIvanAllenCollege.“Morethaninanyprevious

periodinAmericanhistory,peopleofmanydifferent

faithcommitments—ornofaithcommitments—go

towork,schools,hospitals,recreationalfacilities,

grocerystoresandmallstogether,buttheyoften

don’tunderstandeachother’sreligiousidentityor

communalpracticesverywell,”explainsCandler

DeanJanLove.Thatignorance,shesays,hasthe

potentialforbreedingcontemptthatcancausethe

degradationofpublicdiscourseand—intheworst

Candler Connection | Summer 20158

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Candler Connection | Summer 201510 Candler News 11

Remembering the Saints

Candler recently lost twoofitsbest-lovedsaints.William Mallard,professoremeritusofchurch

history,diedonDecember23,2014,attheageof87,andFred B. Craddock,BandyProfessorofPreaching,

Emeritus,diedonMarch6,2015,attheageof86.Bothlegendaryteachersputtheirinimitablestampsonthis

place,andwerehonoredasCandlerCentennialMedalistsattheschool’sCentennialCelebrationinfall2014.

BillMallardwasCandler’slongest-servingprofessor,teachingfrom1957-2000.Duringthose43years,he

shapedthelivesofgenerationsofstudents,alongwiththeschool’scultureandcurriculum.Aleadingvoice

onthefaculty,hedemonstratedstrongcommitmentstocivilrights,academicfreedomandcollegiality,the

church—andperhapsmostofall—teaching.Mallardwasknownforhisunfailinglywhimsicalpresentation,

occasionallyunconventionalmethods,andunparalleledbroadreachashetaughtthousandsofstudentsat

Candlerandthousandsmorelifelonglearnersinchurchprogramsaroundtheregion.HisimpactonCandler

mightbeillustratedmostclearlybythecourseheco-taughtwithRobertaBondi,saysDavidPacini,profes-

sorofhistoricaltheology.“Theirpracticeofopeningeachclasswithafull-throatedrenditionof‘GiveMe

thatOldTimeReligion’wontheheartsofmanyaCandlerstudentwhootherwisemightnothavefoundthe

intricaciesofearlyChristianchurchhistoryanywherenearasenticingastheydid.”

Describedbysomeas“oneofthemostimportanthomileticiansinAmericaforthelastfortyyears,”Fred

Craddockappearedonmanyliststhatmarkedhisimpact.In1996,BaylorUniversitynamedhimoneofthe12

mosteffectivepreachersintheEnglish-speakingworld,andin2010,his1985book,Preaching—widelyused

asatextbookinseminariesaroundtheworld—wasrankedfourthonPreachingmagazine’slistofthe25most

influentialpreachingbooksofthepast25years.WhenCraddockcametoCandlerin1979asthefirstBandy

ProfessorofPreachingandNewTestament,hewasalreadyaworld-renownedpreacher,buthewasalsoa

scholar.Hisadvocacyofaninductivestyleofpreachingwasgroundbreakinginthefieldofhomileticsand

continuestoinfluencecountlesspastorsinthepulpittoday,fourdecadesafteritsintroduction.

WearegratefultoGodforthelivesofBillMallardandFredCraddock.Toreadfullertributesandaccess

linkstovideosoftheirmemorialservices,visitthenewssectionofcandler.emory.edu.n

06

cases—spawnviolentacts.LAMPwilllighttheway

towardunderstandingbyofferingstudents,civic

andbusinessleaders,andthegeneralpublictraining

inmulti-faithrelationsthroughcoursesatthetwo

schoolsandcontinuingeducationprogramming

suchasseminarsandexperientiallearningopportu-

nitiesthatdrawontheexpertiseofCandlerfaculty

andotherrenownedspecialists.

New Degrees of Possibility

Nowopenforbusiness:Candler’snewestdegrees,

theMasterinReligionandPublicLife(MRPL)and

theMasterofDivinity/MasterofSocialWork(MDiv/

MSW)dualdegree.TheMRPLisa30credit-hour,

residentialdegreeprogramthatexploresthedy-

namicsoffaithinthepublicsphere.Designedfor

completionbyapart-timeorafull-timestudentin

onetofouryears,theMRPLisidealforprofessionals

desiringabetterunderstandingofthespecificcon-

cernsofreligioustraditionstheyencounteratwork,

aswellasforlifelonglearnersinterestedindevel-

opinganappreciationforthewaysreligionshapes

thepubliclandscape.TheMDiv/MSW,offeredin

partnershipwiththeUniversityofGeorgia,isde-

signedforthoseinterestedinconsideringtheroleof

faithandreligiousinstitutionsincommunityhealth

anddevelopment,thecareofindividualsinpoverty

andcrisis,responsestosystemicandinstitutional

injustice,andissuesofsocialtransformation.The

programallowstheMDiv/MSWdegreestobeearned

infouryears,oneyearlessthanifthetheologyand

socialworkdegreeswerepursuedseparately.For

moreinformationontheseandanyofCandler’s17

degrees,visitcandler.emory.edu/academics.

Bothlegendaryteachers

puttheirinimitable

stampsonthisplace,

andwerehonoredas

CentennialMedalists

atCandler’sCentennial

Celebrationinfall2014.

The Prize is Wright’s 06 Actually,makethattwoprizes.AssociateProfessor

ofHebrewBibleJacob L. Wright [06]hasreceived

a$50,000TempletonFoundationgranttounder-

writenewresearchandabookawardrecognizing

hismostrecentscholarship.Thegrantwillenable

Wright’sparticipationinaphilosophyresearch

groupatJerusalem’sHerzlInstitute,wherehewill

examinethehighlydevelopeddiscourseregarding

theknowledgeofGodintheHebrewBibleandun-

dertakecomparativeworkwiththeNewTestament.

Wright’s2014book,David, King of Israel, and Caleb

in Biblical Memory (CambridgeUniversityPress),

receivedanhonorablementioninthetheology

andreligiousstudiescategoryatthisyear’sPROSE

Awards,administeredbytheAssociationofAmeri-

canPublishers.Recognizingexcellenceinprofes-

sionalandscholarlypublishing,thePROSEAwards

acknowledgepioneeringresearchandlandmark

workinmorethan40categories.Entriesarejudged

bypeerpublishersandlibrarians,andawardsare

giveneachyearattheProfessionalandScholarly

PublishingConference.


13

Butanotherwayofconstruingtheologyisasaform

ofprophecy.ByprophecyIdonotmeantheability

topredictthefuture.Ispeakofprophecyinbiblical

terms,asdiscerninginthecomplexcircumstances

ofeverydaylifeaWordfromGod,andspeakingthat

Wordtoaworldthatmostdesperatelyneedstohearit.

Theologyunderstoodasprophecyisariskyproposi-

tion.Riskybecauseprophecyseekstodiscoverthe

waysofthelivingGod,andasHebrewsremindsus,

itisaterriblethingtofallintothehandsoftheliving

God.RiskybecauseGod’sworkintheworld,here

andnow,isdisclosedonlypartially,indirectly,and

often,darkly.

Itisriskyaboveall,though,becausethetheologian

asprophetdoesnotstandaboveorapartfromthe

contextofordinarylifebutstandssolidlywithinlife

assharedbyall.Thetheologianisthereforerequired

todiscernanddeclareGod’sWordbothwithbold-

nessandwithhumility—boldnessbecausetheWord

mustbespoken:withoutavisionthepeopleperish;

humilitybecausethetheologianholdsnoposition

greaterthanthatofservant,wieldsnopowerother

thanthatoftheWorditself.

ForaschooloftheologylikeCandler,construing

theologyasprophecymeanscommittingfaculty

andstudentsaliketothedangerousandexhilarat-

ingchallengeofmovingbeyondtheexegetingof

ancienttextstotheexegetingofthecomplexand

ever-changingtextsofworldlylife.Weseektolearn

howtohearandtospeaktheWordthatisGod’sown

amidtheconstantnoiseanddistractionofhuman

babble.Wemusttogetherembracetheriskofengag-

ingGod’sworlddirectlyandwithoutsafetygoggles.

THEOLOGYASPROPHECY

ThisconferenceontheoccasionofCandler’scenten-

nialrepresentsjustsuchanefforttodotheologyina

propheticmode.Wehavegatheredtogethertospeak

simplyandcandidly,tolistencarefullyandrespect-

fully,andtodiscussresponsiblysomeofthegreat

theologicalchallengesthatfaceusaswemoveinto

theschool’ssecondcentury.Wedonotpretendtobe

prophetsinthepredictivesense:Wehavenospecial

abilitytoforetellthefuture.Wetakeononlythe

dauntingtaskofdiscerningwhatGodmightbeupto

intheworldnow,andtowhatresponseGodmight

becallingusasdisciplesoftheLordJesusChrist.

ToexpectthosewhofoundedCandlerahundred

yearsagotobepropheticinanysenseoftheterm

wouldhavebeenfatuous,muchlikeexpectingthe

pilgrimsin1620tostepofftheMayflowerandim-

mediatelydeclareAmerica’sforeignpolicy.In1914,

Atlantawasquiteliterallymakingtheturnfrom

horseandcarriagetoautomobile;howcouldanyone

thenlivingpredictthetechnologicalrevolutionsthat

wouldtransformeveryaspectoflife:theaircondi-

tioningthatwouldchangetheoldtothenewSouth,

theantibioticsthatwouldconquerinfectionsand

extendlife,thecyberneticsthatwouldchangecom-

munication,theplanesthatwouldspantheglobe

andtherocketsthatwouldleaptospace?

By Luke Timothy Johnson, R. W. Woodruff Professor of

New Testament and Christian Origins

Meeting the Theological Challenges of the New Century

Ifweaskwhatthetaskoftheologyiswithinthelifeofthechurchandinservicetotheworld,several

answersarepossibleandlegitimate.Theologycanbethoughtofalternativelyascatechesis,criticism,

ordoxology,dependingonwhetherweseeitsgoalasthehandingonoftradition,theassessmentof

thoughtandpractice,orthepraiseofGod.ForaschooloftheologylikeCandler,theologicaleduca-

tioncancorrespondinglybethoughtofasequippingstudentstofaithfullytransmittheteachingofthe

church,orasdistancingstudentsfromanunthinkingacceptanceoftraditionalways,oraspreparing

themforaricherexperienceofworship.Allthesemodesareactivelypresentinourpedagogy.

This was the keynote address

at the “Prophetic Voices”

conference in March 2015.

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Meeting the Theological Challenges of the New Century 15

recently,however,preacherscouldassumethatif

thewordwasproclaimedclearlyandpassionately,it

wouldfindahearinginhumanhearts.Afewstones

mayneedtobecleared;thebirdsandtheweedsneed

tobecontrolled,butthereisalwaysgoodsoilforthe

seedtotakerootandgrow.

Therewerealwaysproblemsposedtoeffective

preachingbyculturaldiversity,tobesure;thus,the

persistentconcerntotranslatetheScripturesinto

languageintelligibletopeopleindiversesettings—if

peoplecouldonlyhearofGod’swondersinwords

oftheirown,theywouldrecognizeGod’sWordand

respondtoitinfaith.ButtheoptimismofChristian

preachingwasalwaysbasedonthepremisethat

humans,nomatterhowalienatedtheirexistenceor

howdepravedtheirbehavior,stillhadalongingfor

thetruththatenabledthembothtohearandobey

God’scall.

Accordingtothispremise,humanshaveanatural

tropismtowardGod:Peoplehavealongingfor

somethingmorethantheeverydayworldoffers

them.Christianpreachinghistoricallyfoundsuc-

cessamongthosewhowereinonewayoranother

alreadyreligious.TheGospelprovidedadistinctive

andconvincingversionofatruththattheirhearts

alreadysoughtwithoutknowing.Butwasthatreli-

giousinstinctsolelyamatteroftheheart’snatural

longing,orwasitalsoaconsequenceofcultural

formation?

Weknowthattherehavealwaysbeenthoroughly

secularpeople,whodefinedthemselvesexplicitly

bywhattheysawandtouched,andwholivedtheir

livesindisregardofthedivine.Butsuchfolkwere

historicallyatinyminority,andtheirsecularstance

wasactivelydiscouragedbysocietiesthatsupported

andrewardedreligiousadherence.Takeforexample

theGreco-RomanculturewithinwhichChristianity

founditsfirstandmostlastingsuccess.Thestruc-

tureofthatsocietysupportedapietyembracingboth

politicsandreligioninasinglevision,andtheform

ofeducationreinforcedthisvision,sothatGreeks

andRomansthoughtnaturallyintermsofa“cityof

godsandmen.”

Today,thathistoricalpremiseforproclamationisno

longerobvious.Thechallengefacingtheologytoday

withrespecttoGod’sWordisnotdisorderedreligi-

ositybuttheapparentabsenceofreligioussensibility

inthecontemporaryFirstWorld,anabsencecarved

outofhumanconsciousnessbytheEnlightenment,

bytheastoundingsuccessesofscienceandtechnol-

ogy,andbypowerfulideologicalforcesmakingthe

argumentthatthebeginningofhumanliberationis

thebanishmentofreligiouspiety.Secularity—defin-

ingrealitysolelyintermsofmatter,seeingtheworld

notasmysterybutasasetofinterlockingproblems

andanswers—isnownolongerthequirkofidiosyn-

craticindividualsorofoddgroups.Itisthedefin-

ingelementofFirstWorldculture,supportedand

reinforcedbypolitics,commerce,andeducation.

Thetheologicalchallengefacingustodayisthere-

foremoreradicalthanforthefoundersofCandler,

whocouldassumeintheirstudentsandintheir

congregantsbothalanguageandaperceptionofthe

worldshapedbyreligiousconvictionsandcommit-

ments,whoknewthatwhentheyspokeofsacri-

ficeforothers,ofseekingGod’swill,orofvalues

transcendingself-interest,suchideaswerealready

familiartothoseculturallyshapedbylateChris-

tendom.Nosuchassumptioncanbemadetoday.

Today,theologymustcometogripswitharadical

andpervasivesecularitythatmakesspeakingofGod

atallincreasinglystrange,evenquaint,andmust

cometogripswiththefactthattheeffectsofsecular-

ismaffectinprofoundlycorruptingwayseventhose

whoprofessreligiousbelief.Thechallengeofhow

wemightspeakGod’sWordtodayisreal,serious,

andnotfortheweakofheart.

Whoin1914Atlantacouldhavepredictedthatthe

greatEuropeanempireswoulddissolve,thatcolo-

nialismwoulddisappear,thatnewworldpowers

wouldemergefromtheFarEast,thatAfricawould

bethearenaforgreatadventuresinsuppression

andliberation,thatthecombinationofmineral

resourcesandreligiousupheavalwouldgiveIslamic

landsanimportancegreaterthanatanytimeinhis-

tory?HowcouldanyoneimaginethattheGreatWar

begunin1914wouldinitiateacenturyofwarfarein

whichadvancedtechnologywouldbeemployedfor

theslaughterofuntoldmillions?Whocouldhave

dreamedthathumanswouldbecapableofideologi-

callyinspiredgenocideonthescaleoftheShoahin

NaziGermanyortheGulagArchipelagoofStalinor

thekillingfieldsofPolPot?

In1914,thegreattheologicalcentersofEurope

showedthemselvesunawareofthecataclysmic

eventsthatthe20thcenturywouldbringandill-

equippedtorespondtothemwhentheyoccurred.

Theologicalresponsestowar,genocide,andsocial

oppressiontendedtobeweakandlate.Nosur-

prise,then,thatthefoundersofCandler,withatiny

faculty,fewstudents,andtrulymeagerresources,

wouldhavekepttheireyesfixedmainlyonthe

catecheticalanddoxologicaldimensionsoftheology

astheysoughttoformministersfortheMethodist

EpiscopalChurch,South.

Mainly,butnotentirely.Inthegreatbattlebetween

fundamentalismandmodernismthathasdomi-

natedAmericantheologyfromthetimeofCandler’s

founding,thisschoolaligneditselfquicklyand

consistentlywithmodernism.Thereputationof

being“liberal”—thatis,ofencouragingandsup-

portingfreeinquiryintoScriptureandtradition—

hasbeenCandler’sthroughoutitshistory,withnot

alwayspositiveconsequencesfortheperceptionof

theschoolinapredominantlyconservativeregion

andchurch.Insimilarfashion,althoughCandler

asaninstitutionwasagonizinglyslowtoadvance

thecauseofracialequality,itsfirstprofessorof

NewTestament,AndrewSledd,wrotepassionately

againstracistpractices,andCandler’salumni

wereamongthemostprominentfiguresinraising

regionalconsciousnessontheissue.

THEOLOGICALISSUESFACINGUSTODAY

WeseekinthisconferencetostandwithinthatCan-

dlertraditionoffreeinquiryandpassionforsocial

justice.Weattempttodotheologyinaprophetic

modebyconsideringfourissues,whichinourjudg-

mentdemandourbestattentionnow,andwill,in

alllikelihood,continuetodemandtheattentionof

theologiansthroughthecomingcentury:theologi-

calimaginationandsecularization;theimageof

Godincontemporarysociety;creationandthecare

oftheearth;andthekingdomofGodandglobal

pluralism.

Thefourtopicshaveseveralcharacteristicsincom-

monthatrecommendthemtoourattention.They

areallgroundedinScriptureandtheCreed,and

involveconvictionsclosetothecoreofChristian

identity.Theyhaveallbeenthesubjectofexamina-

tionintheearliertheologicaltradition.Theyall

involvedevelopmentsinhistoryandculture,making

themespeciallyattractivetothisschool’shabitof

practicingtheologycontextually.Andtheyallare

underseriousthreatinthecontemporaryworld.

Theological Imagination and Secularization

ThefirstissueisthatoftheWordofGod.Noneed

todefendthecentralityofthistopicwithinChristian

faith.ScripturedeclaresthatGodcreatestheworld

throughspeechandcommunicateswithcreatures

throughspeech.ThemediumofGod’srevelationto

humansistheword,expressedfirstthroughcreation

itself,thenthroughGod’sself-disclosureinlaw,

prophecy,andwisdom.God’sWord,weconfess,is

mostfullyrevealedthroughtheincarnationofGod’s

SonJesusChrist,inhisembodiedpresenceamong

humans,inhisscandalousdeath,andinhisglorious

exaltationasLord.ThroughthepresenceofGod’s

HolySpirit,wealsoaffirm,God’sWordcontinues

tobespokeninandthroughtheexperiencesofmen

andwomen.Thegiftandtaskofthechurch,there-

fore,istobetheplaceintheworldwheretheWord

ofGodistrulyembodiedandpowerfullyexpressed,

sothatthepowerandpresenceofGodthatisonly

implicitlypresentwithinhumanexperiencemight

bebroughttofullarticulationwithinthecommunity

gatheredbytheHolySpiritinthenameofJesus.

Thetheologicaltraditionhasnaturallydevoted

sustainedattentiontotherevelatoryword,debating

thewaysbywhichGod’sWordinScriptureisbest

interpreted,inquiringintotheadequacyofhuman

speechtoexpressdivinemysteries,distinguishing

betweentheordersofnaturalandsupernaturalrev-

elation,identifyingthewaysthatGod’sWordcalls

humanstotheobedienceoffaith.Untilrelatively


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onhumanrelations;thetaleofhumansavageryand

violenceisbothlonganddismal.Peoplehavebeen

conqueringeachotherinwar,rapingandpillag-

ing,takingothersintocaptivity,anddegrading

otherpeopleapparentlyaslongastheyhavebeen

awareofeachother.Butitcanlegitimatelybeasked

whetheroverthehundredyearssinceCandlerwas

founded,thepitchandpaceofhumansavageryhas

notmadebothaquantitativeandqualitativeleap.

Itmaybe,infact,thatthispastcenturyhasseen

anunprecedentedconvergenceofhumancruelty,

technologicalcapacity,andideologicaljustifica-

tion,leadingtoformsofgenocide,enslavement,

discrimination,anddegradationthatformerages

couldscarcelyhaveimagined,andwhichmakesany

efforttothinkcreativelyaboutthehumanpersona

perilousproposition.Recoveringsomesenseofthis

mostfragileandpreciousoftheologicalconvictions

isdifficult,notleastbecauseoftheoverwhelming

amountofexperiencethatseemstocontradictit.As

GerardManleyHopkinslamentedconcerningGod’s

grandeur,“generationshavetrod,havetrod,have

trod;andallissearedwithtrade;bleared,smeared

withtoil;andwearsman’ssmudgeandsharesman’s

smell:thesoilisbarenow,norcanfootfeel,being

shod.”Itisdifficult,butitisalsonecessarydirectly

inproportiontoitsdifficulty.

Creation and Care of the Earth

ThatfrighteningquotationfromHopkinsservesas

atransitiontoourthirdtopic,creationandthecare

oftheearth.Thecrisisofthepresentmomentcanbe

seenasshapedbythecollisionoftworealities.The

firstistherecognitionthatChristianshavepartici-

patedinpracticesderivingfromadistortedvisionof

thehumanplaceinGod’screation.Thesecondisthe

suddenandshockingrealizationthatsuchpractices

threatentodamageorevendestroytheworkofGod

increation.Candler’sfoundershadnosenseofthe

issue:Thoughcoinedin1873,theterm“ecology”

wasnotusedinreferencetohumaninteractions

withtheenvironmentuntilthe1960s.Now,itforms

amajordimensionofourawarenessoftheworld.

ThedistortedChristianvisionofhumanity’splace

inthecosmoshastakentwomainforms.Thefirst

derivesfromthepowerfuldualisticviewoftheworld

thatweassociateinitsmildformwithChristian

PlatonismandinitssevereformwithGnosticism:

Matterisatbestashellforthespiritandatworsta

prison;thepointofhumanexistenceistoliberate

thesoulfromthebody.Inthisconstruction,theno-

tionof“caringfortheearth”isaformofentangle-

mentwiththatdeceptivematerialityfromwhichthe

souloughttoflee.Amorecontemporaryformof

suchdualismistheferventexpectationoftherescue

oftheelectfromtheearthwheretheyhavebeen

trapped,withtheirbeingsweptuptoheaven,leaving

theplanettoconflagrationanddestruction.

IftheGnosticversionsawonlythesoulworthsaving

andregardedallothercreatureswithatbestbenign

neglect,asecondtheologicalposition—onebased

squarelyonacertainunderstandingofhumansbe-

ingcreatedintheimageofGod—adoptedafarmore

aggressivestancetowardcreaturesregardedaslower

linksonthegreatchainofbeing.Thescripturalwar-

rantforsuchasenseofsuperiorityisclearenough.

HavingcreatedmaleandfemaleinGod’simage,

“Godblessedthem,andGodsaidtothem,‘Befruit-

fulandmultiply,andfilltheearthandsubdueit;and

havedominionoverthefishoftheseaandoverthe

birdsoftheairandovereverylivingthingthatmoves

upontheearth’”(Gen1:28).Thismajesticimpera-

tivehashistoricallyovershadowedthehumblerbut

nowsuddenlymorepersuasivescenewhere“The

LordGodtookthemanandputhiminthegardenof

Edentotillitandtokeepit,”andplacedstrictbound-

ariestothehumanexploitationofthegarden’sfruits

(Gen2:15-17).

Ecologicalblindnessisnotentirelythefaultofthe

BibleorChristiantheology.Christianslivedforcentu-

rieswiththeseviewsinremarkableharmonywithother

creatures.Indeed,materialexploitationanddespolia-

tionarefarmoretheresultofattitudesandpractices

thathavedevelopedindirectoppositiontoclassical

Christiantenets.ItisthespiritoftheEnlightenment,

afterall,thatseekstodemystifyeverything,reduce

mysterytoproblem,magictostatistics.Cartesian

dualismdidmorethanChristianmysticismtocultivate

theperceptionofthebodyasamachineandtheworld

asthemind’slaboratory.Aboveall,ithasbeenthe

spiritofcapitalism—intensionwiththeChristian

idealofsharingpossessions—thathasfostered

competitiveacquisitionasthemeasureofhuman

success,andhasreducedallthingsmaterialand

spiritualtomarketplacecommodities.

Morethananythingelse,theeffectsoftechnological

revolution—andthehumanpopulationexplosion

suchtechnologysupports—havefundamentally

alteredtherelationbetweenhumansandtherestof

creation.Theimpactofourinsatiablegrowthand

consumptiononthesurvivabilityofthehuman

speciesaswellaseveryotherspeciesissomething

wearestillstrugglingtocomprehend.Theimpact

couldnothavebeenunderstoodahundredyearsago,

whentheconsequencesofthehumandriveforpower,

possessions,andpleasure—abettedbymind-boggling

technologicalprowessandmultipliedbyswarming

populations—couldnotyetevenbeimagined.Nature

stillseemedtobeinfinitelyvast,infinitelyrichand

variedinlifeandresource,eveninfinitelyfrightening

The Image of God in Contemporary Society

ThesecondissueistheimageofGodincontempo-

rarysociety.Theconvictionthathumansarecreated

intheimageofGodisonethatderivesentirelyfrom

Scriptureratherthantheobservationofhuman

behavior.ItisaperfectexampleofthewayScripture

doesnotsomuchdescribetheworldasimaginea

world,andinviteus,byimaginingtheworldinthe

sameway,tomakeitreal.Weshouldneverhave

cometosuchaperceptiononourown,butweare

schooledbyScripturetoregardourselvesandevery

otherhumanasbearingtheimpressofthedivine.

AsSaintPaulinsists,“Justaswehavebornetheim-

ageofthemanofdust,wewillalsobeartheimage

ofthemanfromheaven”(1Cor.15:49).

Christiantheologicalanthropologyisthusinher-

entlycomplexandtension-filled.Ononeside,

Scriptureproposesatruthaboutourselvesthat

wecouldneverimagineonourown;ontheother

side,Scripturealsoinstructsustopaytheclosest

attentiontoouractualmortalbodies,forthrough

themwefindGod’sSpiritdisclosedintheworld.

Notonlychangesinhumanconsciousness,then,

butalsochangesinhumanbodiesaresignificantfor

thinkingabouttheimageofGod.Today,thedigital

revolutionischangingourculturewithunparalleled

speed,andpromisestoaltereventhestructuresof

humanconsciousness.Medicaltechnologyhasin-

creasedlongevityandenabledanastonishingrange

ofphysicalalterations:organtransplants,prosthe-

ses,plasticsurgery,transgendering,cloning—all

thesetransmogrificationspressonusseriousreflec-

tiononwhathumanidentitymightmeanintheface

ofsuchmalleability.Whatmightitmeantobe

createdintheimageofGodwhenweorourneigh-

borsarecyborgs?

Speakingoftheneighbor,ourconvictionscon-

cerningGod’simpressonhumansdemandsthat

wethinkinmoralaswellasontologicalterms.

Scripture’slanguage,infact,tendstofocusonthe

imperativetotreathumansdifferentlybecausethey

arestampedwithGod’simage.Thethirdstatement

ofitinGenesis9:6declares,“Whoevershedsthe

bloodofahumanbyahumanshallthatperson’s

bloodbeshed,forinhisownimageGodmade

humankind,”andthelastinJames3:9decriesthe

eviluseofthetongue:“withitweblesstheLordand

Father,andwithitwecursethosewhoaremadein

thelikenessofGod.”Paulsimilarlylinksbearingthe

imageofChristandthewaywetreatothers:“When

yousinagainstthebrothers,andwoundtheirweak

conscience,yousinagainstChrist”(1Cor.8:12).The

dignity,eventhesacrality,ofhumanlife,andthe

basisforallclaimstoreligiousandotherrights,is

locatedinthespecialcharacterofthehumanperson

ascreatedinGod’simage.Howwetreatourneigh-

boristhemeasureofourresponsetoGod.

ThehistoricalrecordfromCainandAbeltothekill-

ingfieldsofRwanda,however,doesnotsuggestthat

thisdoctrinehashadmuchofapositiveinfluence


“WeareschooledbyScripturetoregardevery

humanasbearingtheimpressofthedivine.”

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thosedoingthedeciding.Fromthestart,authentic

beliefwasdefinedintermsofanabsoluteeither/or,

andlocatedincontrasttorivalseekersafterGod:

amongtheGentiles,therecouldbeonlydarkness,

nolight;amongtheJews,therecouldbeonlyblind-

ness,notsight.ThepracticeofGentilereligion

wasdemonic;thepracticeofJudaismwasstubborn

disobedience.

Definingbyexclusioncontinuesinthelongtradition

ofheresiology:Gettinganythingwrongmeansget-

tingeverythingwrongandfallingoutsidetherealm

ofGod’srule.Inatimeofrelativelyrobustecumen-

ismamongfamiliesofChristianstoday,itishelpful

torememberthatatthetimeofCandler’sfounding,

scurrilousattacksbetweenCatholicsandProtestants

werestandardfare,missionstoAfricawereregarded

intermsofanurgentrescueofpaganbabiesfrom

theclutchofdemons,andtheologicalJew-baiting

wascommoninChristiansermons.

Allofthistheologicalmap-makingwascarriedout

withsupremeindifferencetowhatmightactually

behappening—stilllesswhatGodmightbeup

to—amongJewsandthecountlessGentileswhohad

neverheardofJesusorperhapshadneverheard

ofhimapartfromthesinisterimplicationsof

Westernimperialism.

Christiantheologianswerelikepre-Copernican

astronomerswhocoulddrawexquisitechartsofthe

starsandplanetsvisibletothoserestingcomfortably

ontheplanettheycomplacentlyassumedwasthe

centeroftheuniverse.Thepasthundredyearshave

rudelyjerkedusfromthatstateofcomplacencyto

alonelierandmoreisolatedplaceinaCopernican

universe.ThetragedyoftheHolocausthasrevealed

therotthatlayatthecenterofChristiansuperses-

sionism.Thecollapseofcolonialismhasrevealed

howcorruptthealliancebetweenChristianmission

andWesternpoliticalambitiontrulywas.Islam

hasawakenedfromitscenturies-longslumberto

becomethefastestgrowingreligionontheplanet,

makingclaimsconcerningGod’sruleanditscon-

nectiontothestatethatareeerilyreminiscentof

Christianity’sConstantiniandalliance.TheGentile

religionsofthepresent—aboveallthoseofIndia

andChina—areinourschoolsandplaygrounds.

Thesecularizationoftheso-calledFirstWorldhas

revealedthepowerfulideologicalforcesthatnot

onlydiminishtheroleofChristianityinsocietybut

challengethedefaultpremisefavoringreligion.In

short,ChristiansandChristiantheologymusttoday

cometogripswithapluralismthatisbothglobal

andradical.

Onthistopic,wetrulyareatthestartingpoint.

Withregardtothequestionofthechurchandthe

world,weneedtostartover.Thetaskismassiveand

demanding.WearenotsurehowtorereadScripture

andthetraditionwithsufficientlyfresheyes.Butat

stakeistheauthenticityandintegrityofChristian

preachingwithinaworldthattrulyisunderGod’s

ruleratherthanours.

CONCLUSION

These,then,arethetheologicalissuesthatweseek

toaddressinthisconference.Letmeconcludebyan-

ticipatingthreeobjectionstotheagendawehaveset.

First,ourselectionoftopicsomitsissuesofarguably

evengreaterurgencyandvisibility.Whynotspeak

propheticallytotheissueofecumenismandchurch

unity,thehistoricalJesus,theprosperityGospel,or

thepersistentconflictamongChristiansbetween

fundamentalistandmodernist?Whilenotdenying

theimportanceoftakingastanceoneachofthese

issues,theyarenotofsuchfundamentalimportance,

fortheworldaswellasforthechurch,asthethemes

wehavechosen.

Second,itmaybeobjectedthatthetopicsareinsuf-

ficientlytheological,inthesensethattheydonot

derivedirectlyfromthechurch’sconfessionor

leaddirectlytoprayerandpiety.Theytiltratherto

culturalanalysisandethics,areperhapstoomuch

criticalandnotenoughdoxological.Ouranswerto

thisissimplythatthisisthewaywedotheologyhere

atCandler.Overtheseveraldecadesthatwehave

triedtolearnandtoteachhowtothinktheologically

withinsocialandpastoralcontexts,wehavenow

becomeunabletothinkoftheologyasasubjectthat

everlacksculturaldimensionsandethicalentail-

ments.Andweareconvincedthatthisisjustthesort

oftheologyourworldmostneeds.

Finally,eachofthesethemestakenbyitselfcould

commandtheattentionofmanysuchconferences.

Wearewellawarethattakingthemonalltogether

insuchashortspanoftimecanmakeourtreatment

appearintroductoryandsuperficial.Itisourhope,

though,thatourconversationwillbringtolight

otherdimensionsofeachtopic,andthatbyputting

allthesetopicsintoplayatonetime,wecanappreci-

atetheinterconnectionsamongthem.Wedonot

pretendtoknowaheadoftimehowourtheological

conversationwillturnout.Butwedonotintendto

closeaconversation.Wewanttostartaconversation

thatcanhelpshapethenexthundredyearsofthis

schoolandbeapropheticvoiceforthechurchand

world.So,let’sgetstarted.n

You can view a video of this address online at

vimeo.com/candler.

whencomparedtohumanstrengthandcunning.We

couldnotleapintospace,lookdownonourbeloved

planet,andseeitasastunninglybeautifulyetsud-

denlyfragilebluemarble.Butnowwehavesoseen

it,andthatmakesallthedifference.

Puttingasidethequestionofblame,therearethree

reasonswhyChristiansnowbearadistinctive

responsibilityforrespondingtotheecologicalcrisis.

First,therearemoreChristiansintheworldthanad-

herentsofanyotherreligion;whatChristiansthink

anddomatters.Second,ofalltheworld’sreligions,

Christianityhasbeenuniquelycorruptedbythespirit

ofmodernity,thatcombinationofEnlightenment

reason,technology,individualism,commodification,

andconsumerism;conversioniscalledfor.Third,

Christianityisthedominantreligionintheparts

oftheworldmostresponsibleforthedespoliation

oftheearth’sresources;becauseoftheirprivileged

position,theconversionofChristiansisthemost

importantandcanhavethegreatestimpact.

Conversionisnotamatterofeachofusdoingour

bitbyrecycling.Thechangerequiredismassive.It

requiresachangeofmindaswellasoftheheart.

Andthisispreciselythetheologicalchallenge:

tothinkofGod’screationandoftherelationof

humanstoothercreaturesinwaysthatrestorethe

senseofwonderandreverenceatGod’swork,that

leadstoasenseofappreciationfortheequalityand

necessaryreciprocityamongallbeings,thatyields

dispositionsandpracticesthataremoreprofoundly

inaccordwithGod’svisionfortheworld.Itisa

challengewemightnothavechosen,butitisone

wemustengage,forthestakescouldnotbehigher.

The Kingdom of God and Global Pluralism

Thefinalissueagaindemandsthereassessmentof

traditionalteachinginlightofcontemporarycir-

cumstances.Inthiscaseitistheconviction,rooted

inthepreachingofJesushimself,thatGodisking

oftheuniverseand,asJesusexpressedinhisprayer,

thatGoddesireshiswilltobedoneonearthasitis

inheaven.InPaul’sfirstlettertotheCorinthians,

acorollaryofJesus’exaltationtoGod’srighthand

isthatChristrulesoverallcosmicpowersuntilhe

givesoverfinalsovereigntytoGod,sothatGod

willbe“allthingsinallthings.”TheNiceneCreed

declaresasthehopeoftheChristianpeoplethe

expectationofakingdomthatshallneverend.

ButconvictionsconcerningthekingdomofGod

haveneverbeeneasytocorrelatewithconditions

ontheground.Christiansfromthebeginning

experiencedatensionbetweenthealreadyandthe

notyetofGod’sdominion,withbelieverslocating

themselveseitheroptimisticallyintermsofGod’s

presencenow,or,morepessimistically,interms

ofGod’striumphinthefuture.Therewasalsothe

questionoftherelationshipofGod’sruletohuman

kingdoms.WithConstantine’sestablishmentof

Christianityasthereligionoftheempire,thechurch

beganamisalliancewithhumanpoliticalpower

thatlasteduntilveryrecently,andthatmadeit

seemfittingtowedevangelismtocolonialism.

Onlywiththehammerblowstoreligion’sestablish-

mentstruckbypoliticalrevolutionintheUnited

States,France,andRussiahasthechurchfound

itselflargelyunsupportedbycivilgovernment

andableatlasttoembracethediasporaawareness

thatwasnaturaltoitinthefirstfourcenturies

ofitsexistence.

Despitesuchuncertainties,Christiantheologians

havealwaysbeenconfidentaboutdeclaringwhowas

tobeincludedandwhoexcludedfromGod’srule,

ortoputitmoreprecisely,whowouldexperience

thatrulepositivelyassalvationandwhoasdamna-

tion.Outsidethechurch,theslogansaid,therewas

nosalvation.AgreatdealofChristianself-definition

overthecenturies—involvinganastonishingamount

ofintellectualpassionandenergy—hasconse-

quentlybeendevotedtodecidingissuesofinclusion

andexclusion,alwaystotheadvantage,tobesure,of



Thethree-dayeventconsistedofacademicpresenta-

tionsbyCandlerfacultymembers,withresponses

fromdistinguishedguestpanelistsandquestions

fromtheaudience.Eachofthepresentationscen-

teredonathemedeliberatelycraftedandselected

byCandler’sCentennialCommittee,chairedby

Luke Timothy Johnson,R.W.WoodruffProfessor

ofNewTestamentandChristianOrigins.Johnson

introducedthefourthemesinhisopeningkeynote,

“MeetingtheTheologicalChallengesoftheNew

Century”:theologicalimaginationandseculariza-

tion,theimageofGodinthecontemporaryworld,

creationandthecareoftheearth,andthekingdom

ofGodandglobalpluralism.[Seep.12toreadhis

address.]

“Thesewereidentifiedasissuesthataredistinctive

toourageinawaythattheyweren’twhenCandler

wasfoundedacenturyago,”Johnsonsaid.

Regardingthetitle“PropheticVoices,”Johnson

emphasizedthat“prophecy”inthiscontextshould

notbetranslatedaspredictingthefuture,butas

discerningGod’sWordineverydaylifeandspeaking

thatWordtotheworld.Thus,insteadofchoosing

isolation,aprophetmustlivefullyengagedwithin

theworld.

Thepresentersandrespondentsrosetothatchal-

lenge,engagingthese“realworld”problemswith

intellectualfinesse,theologicalinsight,andlively

discourse.Together,thesepropheticvoicesstarted

aconversationthatcanhelpshapeCandler,the

church,andtheworldinthenexthundredyears.

Theological Imagination and Secularization

AssociateProfessorofPreachingandEthicsTed A.

SmithopenedPropheticVoices’firstfulldaywith

“GreatBirdsoftheKingdom,”consideringtwo

formsofsermonnarratives:thetypologicalnarra-

tive,popularamongthePuritansinthe17thcentury,

andtheillustrativenarrative,whichrosetopromi-

nenceinthe18thcenturyandisstillthemost

commonsermonnarrativetoday.Smithproposed

thatthedeclineoftypologicalsermonsandtherise

oftheillustrativesignaledashifttowardsecularism

—butthisisnotnecessarilyareasonforconcern,

hesaid.

Smith’sexampleofanillustrativesermoncame

fromBishopWarrenAkinCandler,co-founderof

CandlerSchoolofTheology.Inasermonnearlya

centuryago,BishopCandlerdescribedtheanxiety

anddespairthatmusthaveovercomethesailorswho

accompaniedChristopherColumbusonhis1492

expedition,afterweeksoffloatinginopenwater.

Whenlandbirdsbegantoappearintheskiesabove

theship,thecrewjoyfullyshouted,“Landahead!”

Candlerusedthisstorytoillustratehowhumans

sail,despondent,on“unchartedwaters”until“the

greatbirdsofthekingdomcomesinginginthe

sails,”andweknowthereislandahead.

“Candlerusedthestoryofthelandbirdstoillustrate

hispointthatGodsendssignsofhopewhenweneed

them,”Smithsaid.“Becauseallthetheologicalsig-

nificanceresidedinthatpoint,andbecausethestory

connectedtothepointonlyasCandlermadethe

connection,Candlerpreachedasiftheeventsofthe

storyhadnotheologicalsignificanceinthemselves.”

IntheearliertypologicalnarrativesofthePuri-

tans,preacherspairedathing,personorevent—a

“type”—withan“antitype”thatrepresenteditsful-

fillment.“Suchstoriesworkedthroughconnections

thatwerefound,notmade,bythepreacher,”Smith

said.Puritansheldthatthoseconnectionsexistedto

befoundbecauseGodhadestablishedthemoutof

Echoes of Prophetic Voices: A Recap of the Centennial Conference 21

SomeofthebestmindsintheologicaleducationgatheredatCandlerthisspringfor

anacademicconferenceonthepressingissuesfacingtheologyinthecomingcentury.

PartofCandler’syearlongCentennialCelebration,“PropheticVoices:Confronting

Theological Challenges of the Next Century,” sponsored by the McDonald Agape

Foundation,featuredadozenrenownedtheologiansfromCandlerandbeyondwho

considerednewresponsestothenewconditionsthatsurroundus.

Echoes of Prophetic Voices:A Recap of the Centennial Conference

“Pointsofstories

declareourhopefor

somethingmore...

ourtrustinastory

withabetterending.”

Ted A. Smith

By Claire Asbury Lennox

KAY

HIN

TON

/ E

PV


Intermsofuniversality,Marshallarguedthatthe

imago Dei isbothaChristiancriterionforjusticeand

atheologicalstatement.Allinequities,whetherthey

arebasedoneconomics,race,genderorotherele-

mentsofdifference,areviolationsoftheimago Dei.

Andyet,theagentsofthoseinequitiesarenotleft

outofthatblessedimage.“Wemust,surely,stumble

abitwhenwerecallthatallpersonsarecreatedin

God’simage,”Marshallsaid.“Notonlytheop-

pressed,butalsotheoppressor;notonlythevictim,

butalsotheperpetrator…Eachandeveryoneofthem

isalsocreatedintheimageofGod.”

Thatrealization,Marshallcontinued,goesdeeper

whenconnectedtotherelationalitythatinformsthe

imago Dei.“Itisevenmorearrestingtorealizethat

theperpetratorsofviolencearenotonlymadein

theimageofGodlikeIam;butthattheyaremade

intheimageofGodwithme,”shesaid.“Theimago

Dei isnotonlyadeclarationofpersonhood;itisa

declarationofrelationship.Weshareacommonroot

system.Withthisargument,imago Deiemergesas

atheologicalfoundationforrestorativejusticeand

processesofreconciliation.”

Processappliestobothdesecrationandhealing.“An

actofviolenceisneveranisolatedorencapsulated

event,”Marshallnoted.“Itisalwayspartofalarger

story.”Thesameappliestoviolationoftheimago Dei.

Butthatsenseofabroaderstorymeansthattheim-

pactofviolenceandviolationblursthelinesbetween

perpetratorandvictim.“Asweexplorethedetailsof

alife,weseetheformationandtransformationof

personhoodovertime.Weseethewaysinwhichthe

imago Deigetsburiedbeneathactsofabuse,”Mar-

shallsaid.“And,mostpowerfully,weseethatthis

burialoccursinthelifeofthoseinflictingviolence

aswellasthosereceivingit.”Asanexample,she

citedtheconceptofmoralinjury,studiedin-depth

overrecentdecadesofwar,whenveterans“feelas

iftheylosttheirsoulsincombatandarenolonger

whotheyoncewere.”

Healingfromsuchinnerwounds,asvictimorperpe-

trator,isalsoaprocess;ittakeswhatMarshallcalls

“ajourneyofgrace.”Shenotedthehealingworkand

processofaffirmationtakenonjustthisyearbyCan-

dlerstudentsinthe“BlackLivesMatter”movement

andinadvocacyfordeathrowinmateKellyGissen-

daner.“Thestudentsherenotonlyaffirmtheimage

ofGodthatnarrativesofviolencehavediminished

anddisregarded,buttheyalsobearthatimageinto

thisworldofgreatneedandpain.”

Marshallconcludedthatthoughweallfacethedaily

challengeofaffirmingandreflectingtheimageof

Godintheworld,thereisamoreparticularchal-

lengefortheologicaleducation:maintainingimago

Dei’sdynamism,vibrancy,andcoherence,while

avoidingitsfragmentation,instrumentalism,and

idolatry.This“sitsatthefeetoftheologicaleduca-

tion,particularlytheologicaleducationthatseeksto

beprophetic.”

M. Shawn CopelandofBostonCollegeandSteven J.

Kraftchick ofCandlerwerethepanelists.Copeland

emphasizedtheconceptoftheWordmadeflesh,as

statedatthebeginningofJohn’sGospel.Shealso

citedIrenaeusofLyon,whobelievedthatimago Dei

wassituatedinthebody.“Christ,Irenaeustellsus,

isthevisibleimageoftheinvisibleGod.Further,

Christistheperfecthumanbeing…thecomingling

andunionofthesoulreceivingthespiritofGod

andjoinedtotheflesh,whichwasmoldedafterthe

imageofGod.”Kraftchickdealtwiththeconcept

oftranshumanism,theprocessofhumanbrains

andbodiesbecoming“enmeshed”withtechnology,

fromcommunicationandbusinesstomedicineand

implanteddevicesthatprolonglife.“Thephysical

andpsychologicalboundariesbetweentheperson

andthetoolareincreasinglyblurredtothepointof

vanishing.”Whatistheimago Deiwhentheorganic

andtheinorganicaspectsofhumanityaresoclosely

intertwined?

Creation and the Care of the Earth

CharlesHowardCandlerProfessorofOldTestament

Carol A. Newsom’spresentation,“Understanding

andHopeinaTimeofClimateChange:AConversa-

tionwiththeBible,”beganinthecontextofCan-

dler’sfirst100years.Whentheschoolwasfounded

in1914,noonecouldforeseetherateatwhich

humanprogresswouldmove,andtheseveredam-

agethatso-calledprogresswouldcausetheearth’s

environment.Today,shesaid,thereisnearcertainty

thathumanity’sactionshaveimpactedtheearthso

negativelythatitwouldrequirethousandsofyearsto

repair.“Theworldthatcomesafterthiscenturywill

beverydifferentfromtheonethatexistedbefore,

muchpoorerinbiodiversity,muchlesshospitableto

manyspecies,”Newsomsaid.“Atthesametime,I

donotseethefutureindystopianterms.”

InGenesis,AdamandEve’seatingfromthetreeof

knowledgegivesthemaccesstowhatNewsomcalls

a“divinecapacity”thathumansarenotequipped

tohandlewisely:thecapacityforreflectiveself-

consciousness.“Wearebothsplendid,andvery,very

dangerous,”Newsomsaid.WhenGoddiscoversthe

couple’stransgression,Goddeclares,“Cursedbe

theearthonaccountofyou.”

Thereisadeepirony,Newsomnoted,inthat

human-helddivinecapacity:“Suchabilityto

God’sgraciousdesiretobeknown.Smithrecounted

PuritanpastorJohnWinthrop’s1630sermontohis

congregationaboardashipheadingforNewEng-

land,whereWinthropdeclaredthatGod’sdeliver-

anceofthePuritanstotheNewWorldhadcreated

acovenantbetweenthem,makingthePuritansan

antitypetotheIsraelites,God’soriginalcovenant

people.InWinthrop’ssermon,therelationshipbe-

tweenthetwocommunitieswasnomerepersuasive

inventionofthepreacher’simagination;itwasseen

asreal,Smithsaid.

Theriseofmodernscience,religiouspluralism,and

increasingsocialandgeographicmobilityinthelate

18thand19thcenturiescatalyzedtheshiftfromthe

typologicalsermonnarrativetotheillustrative.“The

shifthappenedbecausedeepchangesinbackground

beliefsmadetypologylessplausiblethanillustra-

tion,”Smithexplained.

Acknowledgingthatsomemayviewthisshiftas

anarrativeofdeclineintheologicalimagination,

Smitharguedagainstthatperspective.First,anar-

rativeofdeclinedoesnottakeintoaccountthefact

thathumansarefinitebeingsthatdevelopovertime.

“Wecannotundothedeepshiftsofmanycenturies

simplybychangingthewaywetellsermonstories.”

Secondly,anarrativeofdeclinefailstoseethatthe

shiftfromelect-conscioustypologicalsermonsto

moredemocraticillustrativesermonsfitwiththe

culturalreforms“inthenameofequalityforall.”

Finally,anarrativeofdeclinedoesnotrecognizethe

richnessthatcomesfromtherolethathumansplay

inmakingmeaning.

“Storiesaboutthisworldhavemeaningnotbecause

wetelltheminaparticularway,butbecausethe

worlditselfispartofamuchlargerstory,”hesaid.

“Pointsofstories,evenifwemakethem,declareour

hopeforsomethingmore.Theydeclareourtrustina

storywithabetterending.”

PulitzerPrize-winningauthorMarilynne Robinson

andJanet SoskiceoftheUniversityofCambridge

servedasguestpanelistsatthesession.Robinson

suggestedthatperhapsthelackoffaithinoursoci-

etycomesdownnottosecularization,buttoalack

ofreverenceforhumankind.“Ifindmyselfhaving

toexplainthatyes,IamaChristian,butI’mnot

angry.Idon’thateanybody.”Soskicedescribed

propheticChristiansasthosewhoactwhencalled

upon,evenwhentherearegraveconsequences.

“Jesuscallsus‘friends,’notservants,”shesaid.

“Theservantdoeswhatheistold,whichdoesn’t

requireinitiative.Friendstakeinitiative.Afriend

seeshisfriend’sneedandsays,‘Icanhelpwiththis.

HereIam,Lord.Sendme.’”

The Image of God in the Contemporary World

AssociateProfessorofChristianEthicsandConflict

TransformationEllen Ott Marshall presented“Af-

firmationandAccountability:EthicalDimensions

of‘ThatBlessedImage.’”The“blessedimage”she

referredtoistheconceptof imago Dei,theideathat

allhumansaremadeintheimageofGod.Affirming

thisidea,Marshallsaid,isoneofthegreatprophetic

challengesforthe21stcentury.“Ifwetaketheimago

Deiseriously,wecannotdismissanyoneasunworthy

ofcareorbeyondredemption.”

Theimago Dei hasitsbasisinScripturebutcomes

toafullerdepictioninlifeasweliveit,Marshall

said.“The imago Dei isinformedbyourexperiences

intheworld.Weunderstandmorefully[its]pro-

foundmeaning…bytrulyattendingtobodies,

intheirdestruction,brokenness,healing,restora-

tion,andtransformation.”ForMarshall,theimage

ofGodincontemporarysocietyisnotsomuchan

exerciseindoctrinaldefinitionasanengagement

withanexpansiveanddynamicprojectoffaith

comprisingthreeelements:universality,relational-

ity,andprocess.

Echoes of Prophetic Voices: A Recap of the Centennial Conference 23Candler Connection | Summer 2015 22

Ellen Ott Marshall

“Allinequities,whether

basedoneconomics,

race,genderorother

elementsofdifference,

areviolationsofthe

imago Dei.”

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ThisincludesfreshperspectivesregardingWestern

theologicaleducation.Hancilesproposedthata

“fundamentalreorientation”isrequirediftheologi-

calprogramsintheWestaretointegrateglobal

perspectivesinordertoofferthebesteducationfor

thenextgeneration.“Leadingtheologicalinstitu-

tionslikeCandlermustaddressthisneedasamatter

ofpriorityandacademicintegrity,”hesaid.

“Navigatingthenewandexcitingfrontiersofthe

worldChristianmovementcallsformultiplelenses

andcriticalembraceofamultiplicityofvoicesand

experiences.Ourcommitmenttothekingdomof

Godrequiresunwaveringdeterminationtoaffirm

andcultivate‘fishofeverykind.’”

Candler’sArun Jonesreadthepaperofrespondent

Daniel Jeyaraj ofLiverpoolHopeUniversity,who

wasunabletoattend.Jeyarajcontendedthatonly

togetherarewecompleteinChrist.Hecalledon

Christianstolookbeyondlocalcontexts,notingthat

immigrantorethnicchurchesoftenaskdifferent

questionsthandolocalestablishedcongregations.

Joneshimselfthenofferedaresponse,sayingthat

economic,culturalandpoliticalhomogenization

worksymbioticallyandconflictuallywithinglobal

pluralism.FinalpanelistDana RobertofBoston

Universityarguedthatinthe21stcentury,itisnot

Jehu Hanciles

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Candler Connection | Summer 2015 24

“Wehavebeenenchanted

bytheidolsofourown

making,andwearebeing

calledtoaccount...”Carol Newsom

Echoes of Prophetic Voices: A Recap of the Centennial Conference 25

issue.Peopleoffaithshouldbeleadingthemove-

menttowardacleaneconomy.”Norman Wirzba

ofDukeUniversity,thesecondrespondent,focused

onwhathecalledtwo“troubling”elementsof

theologicaleducationtoday:first,thatitistoo

anthropocentric,assumingthatnothingelsematters

buthumanflourishing.“HowcanGodbeaffirmed

whencreationisnot?”Secondly,henotedthattoo

often,theologicaleducationistreatedonlyasapass-

ingonofinformation,resultinginalossofcontexts

thatrequiretheologicalreflection.

The Kingdom of God and Global Pluralism

D.W.andRuthBrooksAssociateProfessorofWorld

Christianity Jehu J. Hancilesoffered“FishofEvery

Kind:TheKingdomofGodandGlobalPluralism,”

thefinalpresentationoftheconference.

Asthefuturistsofthe1960senvisionedtheim-

pendingnewmillennium,twostrikingomissions

hinderedtheiraccuracy,saidHanciles:thelackofa

globalperspectiveandnomentionofreligion.

Theprognosticators’homogenizedthinkinginpure

WesternworldtermswasnotasurprisetoHanciles.

Infact,heremindedtheaudience,“Thetendency

toviewtheimmeasurablediversitythatcharacter-

izeshumanexistenceasanunhelpfulpredicament

hasalonghistory,andremainsprevalentamong

Christiansofvariousstripes.”Herecountedthe

biblicalstoryofthetowerofBabel,onethatis

typicallyinterpretedfromtheangleof“prideand

punishment.”Butfromadifferentangle,Hanciles

argued,thepeople’sdesiretobuildacitysimply

showstheirdesireforastablelifeinthemidstof

constantmovement.Perhapsthebuilders’action

“waspromptednotbysinfulrebellion,butrather

anaturalhumanresistancetomigrationandthe

forcesofdispersion,”hesaid.Whenthetextis

interpretedthisway,Hancilescontinued,“thedivine

planforhumanityisnotonelanguagebutaplurality

oflanguages,notonelocationbutglobaldispersion,

notasinglenameorculturalidentitybutamultiplic-

ityofcultures.”

HancilesnotedthegrowingreachofIslam,Hindu-

ism,BuddhismandChristianity,andthemassive

impactofglobalizationandimmigrationonthe

spreadofthesereligions,inparticularwhathecalled

“there-emergenceofChristianityasanon-Western

religion.”Ontheotherside,thedramaticriseofim-

migrantcommunitiesmeansthatWesternsocieties

asawholeareincreasinglypluralistic,withhugeim-

plicationsforreligiousencounterandchange.The

mostdynamicandfastestgrowingchurchesinthe

U.S.todayareeitherlinkedtoimmigrantcommuni-

tiesorincorporateawiderangeofracialandcultural

groupsintheirstructures.

Acknowledgingthisincreaseinglobalpluralism,

Hancilescalledonthe“kingdomofGod”concept,

which“evokesGod’spresenceandsavingpowerin

theworldandexpressesthegoodnewsofsalvation

forthepoorandoppressed,”andwhichfoundits

fullestmanifestationinthelifeandministryofJesus.

Matthew13:47encapsulateswhatHancilescalledthe

“pluralistintent”ofJesus’message:“Thekingdom

ofheavenislikeanetthatwasthrownintothesea

andcaughtfishofeverykind.”Inthisworldview,

Hancilessaid,“Ourcommoncommitmenttothe

‘kingdomofGod’dailycallsustoanewunderstand-

ingandfreshperspectives.”

thekingdomofGod“versus”pluralism,butthat

thekingdomofGodstretchestoincludetheother.

RobertclosedwiththeRoadtoEmmausstory,

which,shesaid,remindsusthatweareapost-

Resurrectioncommunityonapilgrimageinthe

companyofstrangers,whereChristisrevealedtous

inthebreakingofthebread.

Within a Broad Arc

Inhiskeynote,LukeTimothyJohnsonsaid,“The

theologianasprophetdoesnotstandaboveorapart

fromthecontextofordinarylife,butstandssolidly

withinlifeassharedbyall.”Thougheachtopic

andpresentationthroughoutthePropheticVoices

conferenceacknowledgeddifferentchallenges,one

definingthreadwasclear:allhumans,allpeopleof

faith,allChristiansarepartofalargercontextanda

widerstory,somethingthathasonlybecomeclearer

inthe100yearssinceCandler’sfounding.Bycon-

sidering,discussing,listening,andwelcomingthat

broadarc—bystanding“solidlywithinlifeasshared

byall”—maythelife-givingWordofGodresonate

evenmoreprofoundlyinthissecondcentury.n

You can view all conference sessions and

worship services online at vimeo.com/candler.

distinguishbetweenwhat’sgoodandwhat’sbad

canonlybewieldedwiselybydivinebeingswhocan

lookuponthewholevastnexusofcausesandtheir

effects.Humansseetoonarrowlyandsomakedev-

astatinglybaddecisionsthatlookgoodatthetime.

Thisisatragicstructureinourverybeing.”

Atthecenterofhertalkweretwointerpretationsof

time:Deuteronomistictimeandapocalyptictime.

Deuteronomistictimestemsfromthenarrativestory

toldinGenesisthrough2Kings;Newsomdescribed

itashumanity’sperceptionoftime,when“theac-

tionsoftheparentshaveconsequencesforthelives

oftheirchildren.”Inparticular,humans’timeof

responsetothecrisisofclimatechangefallsunder

thecategoryofDeuteronomistictime.“Itisatime

inwhichwerealizethatwehavebeenenchantedby

theidolsofourownmaking,”Newsomsaid.“And

wearebeingcalledtoaccountbypropheticvoices

whodemandthatwelookattheconsequencesof

ouridolatry.”

Apocalyptictime,ontheotherhand,takesawider

view,asillustratedinRevelation21:1:“ThenIsawa

newheavenandanewearth;forthefirstheavenand

thefirstearthhadpassedaway.”Newsomadmit-

tedthatwhenshefirstbeganstudyingit,shefound

apocalyptictimeirredeemablyanti-environmental,

seeminglyenvisioning“adisposableworld.”

Withfurtheranalysis,though,Newsomfound

apocalyptictimetobeanindispensibleelement

oftherelationshipbetweenpeopleoffaithand

environmentalactivism.Apocalyptictimedoesnot

meanthathumansevadetheirresponsibilitytothe

planet,sheargued;itsimplyplacesDeuteronomis-

tic,“realworld”timeinabroadercontext,“thestory

ofcreationfromitsverybeginningsuntilitsultimate

end.Thisisnottimeonahumanscale,buttimeona

divinescale—deep,cosmictime.”

Newsompointedoutthatinbiblicalbookssuchas

Revelation,theimageofEdeniscombinedwiththe

imageofthecity,apurposefulpairingsheviews

withhope.“Weoftenthinkofthecityasthesymbol

ofallthatiswrongwithhumanwaysofbeing.But

asweenvisionatransformedfutureforourplanet,

ahealingfuture,itwillnothelptothinkinterms

ofromanticizednostalgia,areturntosomepure

hunter-gathererpast.Thecityisnolongerthesign

ofourfallennessbutbecauseitistheplacewhere

Goddwells,itbecomesthesourceofthehealingof

theland.”

Still,Newsomemphasizedthatthinkinginterms

ofapocalyptictimedoesnottakeawayhuman-

ity’sresponsibilitytotheworldorgriefoverthe

environmentalscarshumanscreate.Thiswider

contextshouldinsteadserveasacalltoaction.“The

theologicalresourcesofourtraditionofferusways

oflivingwithunderstandingofwhoweare,with

seriousnessofpurpose,andyetwiththehumility

thatouractions—whethersuccessfulornot—are

enfoldedinaprocessthatwillincorporatetheminto

thelargerstoryofdivinefaithfulnesstocreation.”

Panelist Sally G. BinghamofInterfaithPowerand

LightandTheRegenerationProjectwasthefirstre-

spondent.Callingherselfanenvironmentalactivist,

notatheologian,sheemphasizedthattheongoing

damagehumansareinflictingontheworldaffects

morethantheenvironment.“Climatechangeis

notjustanenvironmentalissue,butasocialjustice

“Thedramaticriseof

immigrantcommunities

meansthatWestern

societiesareincreasingly

pluralistic.”

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History Lesson

Doc: A Novel, by Mary Doria

Russell (Random House, 2011)

TheDocHollidayoflegendisagamblerandgunmanwhoappearsoutof

nowherein1881,arrivinginTombstonejustintimeforthegunfightatthe

O.K.Corral.InDoc,MaryDoriaRussellcastsafullerstoryofthis“scared,

sick,lonelyboy,bornforthelifeofaminoraristocratinaworldthatceased

toexistattheendoftheCivilWar,tryingtostayaliveontherawestedgeof

theAmericanfrontier.”

BorntoaprosperousGeorgiafamily,classicallyeducatedandmusically

trained,JohnHenryHolliday(1851-1887)earnedthedegreeofDoctorof

DentalSurgerybeforehewas21.Whenhedevelopedtuberculosis,the

diseasethathadclaimedhismother’slife,heknewexactlywhatkindof

deathhefaced.Inthevainhopethathishealthwouldimproveinthehot,

dryclimateoftheWest,heleftAtlantaandeverythinghelovedin1873to

encountercharacterslikeWyattEarpandBatMastersonandgainanindel-

ibleplaceinAmericanfolklore.

Historicalfiction,ifwellwritten,cantakeareaderinsideacharacterina

waythatworksof“regular”biographyornarrativehistorysimplycan’t.

Thepoweroftheauthor’simaginationenablesthereadertounderstand

andexperiencethecharacter’semotions,attitudes,andthoughtsaswell

asactions,sothatthecharacter“comesalive”forthereader.Knownfor

hermeticulousresearchandnarrativedrive,MaryDoriaRussellwrites

historicalfictionexceptionallywell.ThesceneneartheendwhereDoc

playsBeethoven’s“Emperor”ConcertoonadancehallpianoinDodgeCity

movedmetotears.

— Rex MatthewsProfessor in the Practice of Historical Theology and Wesleyan Studies

Beth Corrie,associateprofessorinthepractice

ofyouthministryandpeacebuilding,callsMapping

Exile and Return: Palestinian Dispossession and a Political

Theology for a Shared FuturebyAlainEppWeavera

“watershedbook.”Assomeonewhocaresdeeply

abouttheimpacttheologyhasontheworld,Cor-

riesaysshewasparticularlyimpressedwithhow

theauthorfoundawaytodrawontheologyto

addressoneofthemostdifficultandintransigent

religiousandpoliticalissuestoday:justiceand

peaceintheHolyLand.

JamesT.andBertaR.LaneyProfessorinMoralLeader-

shipRobert FranklinhasbeenreadingKevinDut-

ton’s“insightful,quirky,andhumorous”The Wisdom

of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can

Teach Us About Success. Franklin’sclassonmoralleader-

shipentertainstwoquestionsposedbythebook:Do

thesaintandthepsychopathsomehowconstitutetwo

transcendentalsidesofthesameexistentialcoin?And

whydopeoplefollowtoxicleaders?Duttonanswers

fromhisperspectiveasaresearchpsychologist,offer-

ingalookintothenatureofirrationalityandleadership.

AWallStreetJournalreviewspurredM. Patrick

GrahamtoreadOur Kids: The American Dream in Crisis

byRobertPutnam.TheMargaretA.PittsProfessor

ofTheologicalBibliographyanddirectorofthePitts

TheologyLibraryreportsthatthebookusesportraits

ofrepresentativeindividualstoanalyzethecurrent

Americanlandscapeofsocietalfragmentationalong

linesofclass.Theissuesofincomeinequalityandwan-

ingpossibilitiesforupwardeconomicmobility“willbe

ofinteresttoallwhoseeresponsibilitiesforthechurch

intheseareas,”hesays.

Required Reading 27

David Pacini,professorofhistoricaltheology,has

beendivingintotheworksofMarilynneRobinson,

theacclaimedauthorwhorecentlyvisitedCandlerto

participateinthe“PropheticVoices”conference.He

recommendshermostrecentnovel,Lila,aswellas

itscompanionvolume,2005’sPulitzerPrize-winning

Gilead.“Deeptheologicalthinkingoftenappearsin

stunningliterature,”hesays.Thesetwoworksare

exemplarsofthat.MarilynneRobinson’slyrical,spare,

andspiritualproseallows“eventhefaithlessreaderto

feelthepossibilityoftranscendentorder”(Slate).

AlisonLuriemaybebetterknownasaPulitzerPrize-

winningnovelist,butit’sanonfictionbookthat

captivatedEllen Echols Purdum,assistantdeanof

studentlifeandspiritualformation.Sherecommends

Lurie’sThe Language of Houses: How Buildings Speak to

Us.Purdumsaysthebookismoreaboutformation

thanarchitecture,as“Luriepersuadesthereaderthat

theexteriorandinteriordetailsofbuildings—from

apartmentstogradeschoolstohousesofworship—

affecthowwefeel,behave,relatetoothers,andgrow

ashumanbeings.”

Jacob Wright,associateprofessorofHebrewBible,

callsJenniferEgan’sPulitzerPrize-winningA Visit from

the Goon Squad“stunning.”Thecastofinterconnected

characterswithalternatingvoices,fluidtreatmentof

timeandplace,andstylisticexperimentationareall

noteworthy,butWrightwasfascinatedbysomething

else.“WhatmakesEgan’swritingsocompellingis

thetensionbetweenthesaidandtheunsaid—what

Ifindtobethemostimportantaspectofwritingin

generalandsomethingthatmakesthenarrativesofthe

HebrewBiblesocompelling,”hesays.

“Iamjustfinishingasmallbutwonderfulbookcalled

The World of Saint Patrick,”saysArun Jones,Danand

LillianHankeyAssociateProfessorofWorldEvange-

lism.Thebook,editedbyPhilipFreeman,contains

someoftheearliestChristianwritingsofIreland,in-

cludingaccountsofSaintsPatrick,Brigid,andBrendan.

Notingthathepickedupthevolumeinhispursuitto

readmoreliteratureinworldChristianity,Jonessays

thathe“foundthecollectionagreatdelight,aswellas

asourceofpersonaledification.”

AssociateProfessorofNewTestamentSusan Hylen

foundThe Hidden History of Women’s OrdinationbyGary

Macyacompellingread.“Mostofushavetheideathat

ordinationofwomenisentirelyamodernphenomenon,

butMacy’sthesis—whichhesayssurprisedevenhim—

isthatwomenwereordainedforthefirsttwelvehundred

yearsofChristianity,”shesays.Macydrawsonawide

rangeofhistoricalevidenceincludingliturgies,literary

references,letters,andinscriptionstosuggestthatthe

suppressionofwomen’sordinationemergedinthe11th

and12thcenturies.“Accessibleandintriguing,”the

bookreshapesourimageoftheearlychurchandits

relationshiptowomen.

Thankstomodernmedicine,wearelivinglongerthan

everbefore—buttheendoflifeisstillinevitable.When

itnears,docurrentmedicalpracticeshelporhinder

us?That’sthetopicaddressedinBeing Mortal byAtul

Gawande,recommendedbyDeanJan Love.“My

husbandandIareatthestagewherewe’rethinking

aboutendoflifeissues,bothforourselvesandour

agingfamilymembers,”shesays.“Thisbookhelps

readersfocusonwhatreallymattersattheend.”

Required ReadingWhether it’s the wisdom of ancient saints and psychopaths, revisionist history, or prize-winning literature,

you’re sure to find something to intrigue you in the latest books recommended by Candler’s faculty.



From Here to There 29

DR.KING’SVISIONANDVALUES

WegathertodaytohonoroneofAmerica’sgreatest

moralleadersbytakinghislifeandworkseriously.

King’slifeandlegacyprovidemuchforourreflec-

tiononwhomoralleadersare,whattheydo,andthe

outcomestheyenable.Moralleadersarewomenand

menwhoactwithintegrityandimaginationtoserve

thecommongoodwhilestrivingtomakepeople

better.Thisincludesbutisnotlimitedtoclergy.Be-

comingamoralagent,onewholivesinaccordwith

deeplyheldethicalprinciplesandmoralvalues,is

hardwork.TheGreekssaidthemorallifeisanagon,

adailystruggleorcontest.Buttoaspiretomoral

leadership—asmallleapbeyondmoralagency—is

amoreaudaciousenterprise.

Kingwasanimatedbyavision,andweshould

understandourresponsibilityforimplementinghis

vision.Hewasalsodrivenbyaframeworkofvalues.

Hisvisionandvaluesplacedhimatanhistorical

crossroadwherehewouldprovidethemoralleader-

shipAmericarequiredtoalignherrealitywithher

nobledemocraticrhetoric.Kingelaboratesonhis

visioninhisfinalbook,Where Do We Go From Here:

Chaos or Community?Inthelastchapter,“TheWorld

House,”hewrites:

“Some years ago a famous novelist died. Among his

papers was found a list of suggested plots for future

stories, the most prominently underscored being this

one: ‘A widely separated family inherits a house in

which they have to live together.’ This is the great

new problem of mankind. We have inherited a large

house, a great ‘world house’ in which we have to live

together—black and white, Easterner and Westerner,

Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Muslim

and Hindu—a family unduly separated in ideas,

culture and interest, who, because we can never

again live apart, must learn somehow to live with

each other in peace.”

Hegoesontodescribepeopleandlifeas“interde-

pendent”and“interrelated.”Inthe13shortyears

thatmarkedhispublicministry,thesewerethe

animatingvisionandtheinnervatingvaluesthat

drovehimforward.

King’svisionofinterdependencehasbeencreatively

reformulatedforourdigitalageinanexercisecalled

“100People:AWorldPortrait.”Itconsidershow

avillageof100peoplewouldbecomposedifthe

existinghumanratiosoftheearth’spopulationwere

applied.Withthismethodology,therewouldbe60

Asians,15Africans,14peoplefromtheAmericas,

and11Europeans.Therewouldbe33Christians,

22Muslims,14Hindus,7Buddhists,12peoplewho

practiceanotherreligion,and12peoplenotaligned

withanyreligion.83wouldbeabletoreadandwrite,

but17peoplewouldnot.Only7wouldhaveacol-

legedegree,while23wouldnothaveshelterand13

wouldhavenocleanwatertodrink.

Thisisaportraitofstunningdiversityanddiffer-

encethatinvitesaninclusive,generous,respectful

narrativecapableofmovingforwardinpeace.King’s

metaphoroftheworldhouseoffersthat.Itisavision

thatcanimplementcomponentsofhumancoopera-

tionandunderstanding.Ashisvisionlingersinthe

mind,letusturnnowtotherealityofthishour.

OURCURRENTREALITY:ATHREATTO

JUSTICEEVERYWHERE

Theeventsofrecentmonthsandyearshaveexposed

thedangerofasocietywantingforavisionofinter-

dependenceandanarrativeofequaljusticeforall.

EricGarner,MichaelBrown,TamirRiceandothers

demonstratethatunarmedmenofcolorfacean

unacceptablyhighriskofbeingkilledbyasmall

numberoflawenforcementofficerswhoregard

themthroughthelensoffearandprejudice,com-

plicatedbysituation-specificpoorjudgment.Butit

isimportanttounderstandthatthesehighprofile

caseshaveexposedmorethanthehistoryofbad

police-communityrelations.Theyalsoexposea

widerdisturbingdivide.

InDecember,CNNreportedonracialdifferencesin

howAmericansviewpoliceandthecriminaljustice

system.Accordingtotheirpoll,57percentofwhite

Americansthinknoneoralmostnoneoftheirarea

policeareprejudicedagainstblacks,whileonly25

percentofnon-whiteAmericanshadthatpercep-

tion.WhiteAmericanswerealsomuchmorelikelyto

believethatthecriminaljusticesystemtreatsblacks

fairly—50percentfeltthatway,comparedto21

percentofnon-whitespolled.

Thesedivergentperceptionsarerootedinverydif-

ferenteverydayexperiencesandperceptionsofrace,

classdifference,andthefunctionsoflawenforce-

ment.Peopleservingongrandjurieswhoseepolice

onlyasbenevolentfiguresarenotlikelytoindict

themincomplicatedcases.Wheneveraclosecall

mustbemade,lawenforcementwillalwaysgetthe

benefitofthedoubt.Asasociety,weneedtoreckon

withthesepotentiallylethalassumptions.

Timewillnotallowafullunpackingoftheimplica-

tionsofthesevaryingperceptions,butIdowantto

drawyourattentiontothehistoricalandlegalreali-

tiesthatinformtheseviews.InOctober2014,the

EconomicPolicyInstitutereleasedareportbyRich-

ardRothstein,thesubtitleofwhichcouldserveas

thethemefortheevolutionofurbanAmerica’sracial

polarizationduringthepastcentury.Thetitleofthe

articleis:“TheMakingofFerguson,”butthesubtitle

is“PublicPoliciesattheRootofitsTroubles.”

Rothsteinnotesthatwhileracialprejudiceshaveled

tothecreationofwhiteandblackneighborhoods,

influentialandintentionalpoliciesdevelopedby

governmentofficialsandbusinessleaderswere

alsoresponsiblefortheresidentialsegregationthat

hasbeenthestatusquoinurbanandsmalltown

America.Rothstein’slistoftheoffendingpolicies

includesactionssuchaszoningdecisions,restrictive

covenants,governmentsubsidiesthatfavoredwhite

developments,lackofmunicipalservicesinpoorer

By Robert M. Franklin, Jr.,

James T. and Berta R. Laney

Professor in Moral Leadership

Dr. King’s Vision, Our Current Reality, and the Way Forward

From Here to There:

OnDecember4,2014,Candlerstudentsleda“die-in”protestonEmory’scampus,spurredby

recentgrandjurydecisionsnottoindictwhitepoliceofficersinvolvedinthedeathsofunarmed

black men. The peaceful protest attracted approximately 200 students, faculty, and staff from

CandlerandEmoryandgarneredtheinterestofmediaoutletsfromtheAtlantaJournal-Consti-

tutiontotheBBCNewsandUSAToday.Severalfacultymembersspokeattheprotest,including

RobertFranklin.InJanuary2015,FranklindeliveredthefollowinglectureduringEmory’sKing

WeekhonoringthelifeandlegacyofDr.MartinLutherKing,Jr.

LIS

A S

TON

E


poseandtheirgreatopportunityistoprepare

thenextgenerationfortheworld.

Partofthatlearningagenda—perhapsthehard-

estpart—willbethepsycho-social-spiritualand

politicalworkinourethnicandeconomicenclaves.

Whitesmustgrapplewithwhiteprivilegeandmyths

ofsupremacy,abenefitnotrequestedorearned

butmerelyconferredbysocialsystemsandcodes

withdeeprootsinaracistpast.Onedoesnothave

tochoosetobeprejudiced;likefriesinaHappy

Meal,itcomesalongwiththepackage.Know

thehistory,knowyourlocationinthenarrative,

andaboveall,knowhowyoucantranscendand

transformthenarrative.

Blacksmustwrestlewiththetortuousmemories,

legacies,policies,andsocialdemonsofthepast.

Thesedemonsassumemanyforms,includinga

senseofvictimizationthatpromotesself-pity,stag-

nation,andself-destruction.Blacksmustavoidthe

trapsofinternalizedoppressionandself-hatred.

ThosewhoareAsian,Hispanic,andotherswhoare

neitherblacknorwhitemustunderstandthatthey

arepartofthisinterconnectednetworkofdestiny.

Noonegetsapassorcanstandoutsideofhistory.

Youareinthisnarrative.Insteadofbeingassigneda

part,beanagentanddefinethepartyouwillplay.

Inallofourcommunities,ouryoungpeopledesper-

atelyneedtoknowhowtolivetogetherinadiverse

world.Teachthemtheirresponsibilitiesaswellas

theirrights.Teachthemtorespectandaccept—not

merelytolerate—peoplewhoaredifferent.Teach

themtheartofcivilityandmanners.Teachthem

towork,tolove,toforgive,andtoreconcile.This

isparentalworkofcareanddiscipline,butitistoo

importanttoleavetoparentsalone.Wehavedone

thatandreapedtragicconsequences.Norcana

governmentorthemarketteachthemwhatthey

needtosurviveinthisnewworld.Ifthevillage

eldersdonotfillthevoid,thevillageidiotswill.

Aspolice-communityrelationsaresortedout,andas

eachofourhouseholds,neighborhoods,andhouses

ofworshipworkonsocializingouryouthforthe21st

century,thethirdzonecallsusalloutofourethnic

andeconomicenclavestothedemandingworkof

reformingandreengineeringourinstitutions,poli-

cies,andpracticesthroughmulti-racial,interfaith

coalition-building.Moralleadersdonotremainin

theirzipcodesorcomfortzones,theyventure,they

pushboundaries,andtheyexploreandpioneernew

relationshipsforthecommongood.Wemustwork

togethertoensuregreaterinclusivenessandequity

inourinstitutions.Thosewhohavebeenexcluded

orbarelyvisibleinthepastmustbewelcomedatthe

table,includingwomen,peopleofcolor,andthose

fromotherfaithtraditions.

OrganizationalmanagementexpertsJulieO’Mara

andAlanRichterprovidesomeguidanceinhowto

changetheseinstitutions.Workingwithavastgroup

ofotherscholars,diversityexperts,andchange

managers,theyhavedefineddiversityas“thevariety

ofdifferencesandsimilarities/dimensionsamong

people,suchasgender,race/ethnicity,tribal/indige-

nousorigin,age,culture,generation,religion,class/

caste,language,education,geography,national-

ity,disability,sexualorientation,workstyle,work

experience,jobroleandfunction,thinkingstyle,and

personalitytype.”

Thisexpansiveunderstandingoftheconceptof

diversityishelpful.Achievingbasicinclusiveness

wherediversesegmentsofthecommunityarewel-

comeatthetablewillbeahugemoralachievement,

butitisnotenough.Thenextstep—recallKing’s

vision—istodemonstrateourethicalcommitment

toinclusionbyinstitutionalizingtheworldhouse.

Howwillweknowweareachievingthis?O’Mara

andRichterpresentbenchmarksthatinstitutions

canstrivetomeet.Accordingtotheirguidelines,

wewillbeonthewaywhendiversityandinclusion

aren’tisolatedinitiatives,butatrue,embeddedfac-

toringrowthandsuccess.Wewillbeontheright

pathwheneveryoneinaninstitutiondemonstrates

abeliefthatinclusivityisakeytosuccess.Wewill

beheadingtherightdirectionwhenwecancredit

ouraccomplishmentstoourworkbecomingmore

inclusive.Andaswecontinueonthepath,wemust

continuallyreviewourvision,initiatives,andgoals

toensurethatwearedoingallwecantoachieve

inclusion.

CONCLUSION

Thereisanalternativetoourstatusquo.Thereis

anotherscriptwecanconsultaswenavigatethedif-

ficultwaterssurroundingus.Itbeginswithforgive-

ness.AsDesmondTutusaid,“withoutforgiveness

thereisnofuture.”

Weliveinacynicaltime.Weseeevidenceofleaders

whonolongerpretendtohavearesponsibilityfor

thecommongood.Butwearestillcapableofbeing

movedbythepresenceandpowerofmoralleaders,

leaderslikeMartinLutherKing,NelsonMandela,

MalalaYousafzai,theDalaiLama,DesmondTutu,

andPopeFrancis.Theyinviteustoreflectonwhat

moralleadersmustdoandtoacceptourown

mantlesofleadershipandmoralagency.

Thetimetoassumethismantleofmoralleadership

isnow.AsthemedievalrabbiMaimonidesreminds

us:“Theworldisequallybalancedbetweengood

andevil;yournextactwilltipthescale.”n

This is a condensed version of Dr. Franklin’s lecture.

To view the full lecture, visit vimeo.com/candler.

Photos, these two pages, L-R: Claire Asbury Lennox;

Bryan Meltz/EPV; Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Con-

stitution via AP.

neighborhoods,andannexationandincorporation

initiatives,allofwhichservedtokeepthe

racesseparate.

Iampersonallyintriguedanddisturbedbythese

patternsofresidentialsegregationbecausemy

familylivedinthisnarrative.Ourfirsthomewasin

anall-blackcommunityonChicago’sSouthSide.

JustbeforeIcametoAtlantatoattendMorehouse

College,myfamilybecamethesecondblackfamily

tomovetoMountVernon,formerlyanall-white

neighborhood.Weenjoyedgoodrelationshipswith

ourneighbors,butwewitnessedfamilyafterfamily

moveoutoftheirhomesatnight,nevertobeseen

again.Friendshipsruptured,butmoreimportantly,

integratedcommunitiesthatmighthavethrived

werequicklyabandoned.

Residentialsegregationwasnotsolelyresponsible

forisolatingghettos.Racialdiscriminationinlabor,

jobs,andeconomicpoliciesmeantthatblacks

wereexcludedsystematicallyfromopportunitiesto

improvetheireconomicconditions.Bypayingtheir

taxes,theyhelpedtofinancepubliclysupported

measuresthatbenefitedtheirwhitecounterparts,

subsidizingtheirownexclusion.

Itisimportant,however,torememberthatblack

peoplewerenothelplessvictimsinthisunfolding

narrativeofstate-sponsoredexclusion.Theyestab-

lishedtheirownbanks,creditunions,entrepreneurial

activities,andvastbusinesses.Blackbusinessdistricts

thrivedinplaceslikeAuburnAvenueindowntown

Atlanta.BlackcollegeslikeMorehouseandSpelman

pastorthattheneighborsobjectedtoablackbuyer.The

pastorheldaprayermeetingfortheneighborhood,

andtheneighborsagreedtoallowtheWilliamsfamily

topurchasethehome.

Onewhitepastor,oneloneandcourageouspastor,

helpedopenthedoorforthisfamilyandbrokethe

silenceofthefaithcommunity.Amidstthetragiccolor

narratives,therehavebeen,arenow,andmustcon-

tinuetobemoralleaderswhotransgresstheracialreli-

giousboundaries,whobreakthesilence,andactwith

integrityandimaginationforjusticeandinclusion.

THEWAYFORWARD

Goingforward,Iseethreezonesofmoralactionthat

peopleoffaithmustengagesimultaneously.First,the

zoneofcommunity-policerelations.Moralleaders

muststepintoplaceswherethereismistrustandfear

withvisionsandvaluesofinterdependence,respect,

andhope.Wemusthavedifficultpublicconversations

aboutrepairingpoorcommunity-policerelations

throughchangesinpolicy,greaterdiversityinpersonnel,

andbyholdinglawenforcementaccountablefor

professionalbehavior,particularlyincommunities

ofcolor.

Second,alongsidethepublicworkofimprovingpolice-

communityinteractionsistheunglamoroushomework

ofprovidingcare,discipline,andmoraleducation

forouryoungpeople.Thatistheresponsibilityofthe

villageelders,anchorinstitutions,families,schools,

congregations,andcommunityorganizations.Harvard

developmentalpsychologistErikEriksonsaidthatas

eldersenterthelatterphasesofthelifecycle,theirpur-

From Here to There 31

helpedattractanationalcadreoftalentedyoung

people.Blackchurchessupportedentrepreneurial

andsocialjusticeactivism.

Inadditiontoresidentialandlaborsegregation,law

enforcementispartofthenarrative.Manyscholars

andactivistshavecommentedonhowlawenforce-

mentwasdeployednotsimplytoserveandprotect

localcitizens,butalsotopatrolandprotectcolor

linesandclassboundaries.Policebecamevirtual

guardsonthebordertopreventunwantedspatial

transgressionbyblacks,especiallyyoungblackmales.

Asweengageincommunityempowermentand

socialministry,weshouldthinkaboutthepolitical,

social,andeconomichistoriesofourchurchesand

neighborhoods.Weshouldallowthatknowledge,

theknowledgeofthecurrentreality,andDr.King’s

visionofinterdependencetoinformouroppor-

tunitiesformoralleadership.Anexamplefrom

Rothstein’sreportmademesmileandgavemehope

ofthewayforward.

In1968,thesameyearmyfamilymovedtoMount

Vernon,LarmanandGeraldineWilliamsboughta

homeinFerguson,Missouri,becomingoneofthe

firstblackfamiliestodoso.Theyhadbeenlivingin

aSt.Louisghetto,andthoughtthatFergusonwould

provideabettereducationandlessviolencefor

theirdaughters.Butthepathtohomeownershipin

Fergusonwasn’teasy—therealestateagentrefused

toshowtheWilliamsfamilyahousethatwason

themarket.Thefamilybelongedtoachurchwitha

whitepastor,whocalledtheagent;theagenttoldthe



The Story of Us

AlongwiththesubstantialliteraryoutputfromCandlerfacultyduringthiscentennialyear,abookonCandler

itselfdebutedtocommemoratetheschool’sfirstcentury.Gary S. Hauk,vicepresidentanddeputytothepresi-

dentofEmoryUniversity,pennedReligion and Reason Joined: Candler at One Hundred (Bookhouse,2014),which

beginswithCandler’sfoundingin1914atthestartofWorldWarI.“Historyhadbeguntoturnonahinge,”

Haukwrites.“Itwasanaltogethersplendidtimetostartaschooloftheology.”

FromthefirsttheologyclassesheldatWesleyMemorialChurchindowntownAtlantatothecompletionofthe

PhaseIIbuildingatEmory100yearslater,twelvedetailedchapterstrackCandleranditspeoplethroughdecades

ofgrowthandchange.SpecificsectionshighlightCandlerandtheCivilRightsMovement,PittsTheology

Library,womenatCandler,andtheschool’sdynamicroleinthecontextofEmoryUniversity.

Inthemidstofthebook’swidescope,HaukzoomsintoshowhowasmallSouthernseminaryrespondedtothe

shiftingsocietyaroundit—andhowtheseresponses,offeredinfaith,forgedidentityandpurposeonapersonal,

communal,andinstitutionalscale.

ForDeanJanLove,thenewhistoryofCandlerisacelebrationoflegacyandpossibility.“Thisbookisanincred-

iblyinsightful,remarkablepieceofworkthatsuperblytellsthegreatCandlerstoryofthelast100years.Aswe

recallourroots,wearealsoguidedtoenvisionthenextchapterofCandler’sstory,andourplacewithinthe

academyandthechurch.”


Weird John Brown: Divine Violence and the Limits of Ethics

Ted A. Smith, Associate Professor of Preaching and Ethics.

Smithexplorestherelationshipbetweenreligion,

politics,andviolencethroughaseriesofreflections

onfamousabolitionistJohnBrown,upending

thenotionthatthecombinationofreligionand

politicsfuelsunavoidableviolence.[Stanford

UniversityPress,2014]

From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms

Brent A. Strawn, Professor of Old Testament, editor; Walter Brueggemann. Highlyrespectedauthor-

theologianWalterBrueggemannencouragesus

totakeanewlookatanolduseforthePsalms—

performingthemasscriptedprayerstohelpus

revealourselvestoGod,astheIsraelitesoncedid.

[WestminsterJohnKnox,2014]

The Class Meeting: Reclaiming a Forgotten (and Essential) Small Group Experience

Kevin M. Watson, Assistant Professor of Wesleyan and Methodist Studies. WatsonsharesaWesleyanvisionand

practicalstrategyforreclaimingthein-depthsmall

groupsbegunbyearlyMethodists,structuredasan

eight-weekstudyresource.[Seedbed,2014]

Pursuing Social Holiness: The Band Meeting in Wesley’s Thought and Popular Methodist Practice

Kevin M. Watson. Athoroughexaminationofearly

Methodism’s“bandmeeting”anditscriticalrolein

thedevelopmentofthedenominationandshift-

ingconceptsofcommunityin18thcenturyBritain.

[OxfordUniversityPress,2014]

African American History Month 2015: Daily Devotions

Woodie W. White, Bishop-in-Residence. White’s28

devotionsfosterawarenessofandprideinAfrican

Americanhistory,whilestrengtheningpersonaland

communalfaith,hope,andcommitmenttoarich

heritageandfuture.[AbingdonPress,2014]

Healing in the Gospel of Matthew: Reflections on Method and Ministry

Walter T. Wilson, Professor of New Testament. Wilsontakes

aninterdisciplinaryapproachtotheGospelofMat-

thew’shealingnarratives,withinsightsfrommedi-

calanthropology,feministtheory,disabilitystudies,

andancientarchaeology.[Fortress,2014]

David, King of Israel, and Caleb in Biblical Memory

Jacob L. Wright, Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible.

Wrightcomparesthefunctionofthebiblicalac-

countsofKingDavidtotherolewarmemorialsplay

overtime,examiningnationalidentity,statehood,

power,andthehumancondition.[Cambridge

UniversityPress,2014]

New Books by Faculty 33

ing,demonstratingitsintrinsicconnectiontoChristian

thoughtandaction.[WestminsterJohnKnox,2014]

Daniel: A Commentary

Carol A. Newsom, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Old Testament, with Brennan W. Breed.

PartoftheOldTestamentLibrarySeries,Newsom’s

commentaryisafreshstudyofDanielinitshistori-

calcontext,offeringanalysisfrombothliteraryand

theologicalangles.[WestminsterJohnKnox,2014]

Formation for Ministry in American Methodism: Twenty-First Century Challenges and Two Centuries of Problem-Solving

Russell E. Richey, Professor Emeritus of Church History.

Amust-readforthoseinvolvedinshaping

UnitedMethodistministers.Richeyexamines

thedenomination’sministryformationtrends

fromthe18thcenturyandintothefuture.

[UnitedMethodistGeneralBoardofHigher

EducationandMinistry,2014]

Readings in African American Church Music and Worship, Vol. 2

James Abbington, Associate Professor of Church Music

and Worship. Offersthelatestscholarshipon21stcen-

turydevelopmentsinAfricanAmericanmusicand

worshipfromtheperspectiveofmusicians,

authors,andtheologians.[GIA,2014]

Singing Our Savior’s Story: A Congrega-tional Song Supplement for the Christian Year— Hymn Texts Since 1990

James Abbington. Anewworshipresourcehighlighting

morethan100hymns,completewithculturaland

theologicalbackgroundinfoforeach.[GIA,2014]

Wild Things: Poems of Grief and Love, Loss and Gratitude

Roberta C. Bondi, Professor Emerita of Church History.

Meantformournerandcomforteralike,Bondi

exploreshermother’sdeaththroughpoetryand

reflection,writingthroughtheconflictingemotions

ofgriefandgratitude.[UpperRoomBooks,2014]

Plantation Church: How African American Religion Was Born in Caribbean Slavery

Noel Leo Erskine, Professor of Theology and Ethics.

Erskineinvestigatestwostrandsoftheblackchurch,

intheU.S.andtheCaribbean,andtheirparallel

histories,theologies,politics,andpractices.

[OxfordUniversityPress,2014]

Political Agape: Christian Love and Liberal Democracy

Timothy P. Jackson, Professor of Christian Ethics. Isagape,

loveofGodandneighbor,themissingingredient

intoday’scivilsociety?Jacksonconsiderspolitical

agapeappliedtoissuessuchasthedeathpenalty

andsame-sexmarriage.[Alban,2015]

From Nothing: A Theology of Creation

Ian A. McFarland, Associate Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs, Bishop Mack B. and Rose Y. Stokes Professor of Theology.

DrawingontheBible,classicalsources,andcontem-

porarythought,McFarlandconstructsaninnovative

defenseoftheclassicaldoctrineofcreationfromnoth-

The Candler faculty contributed an impressive 10 percent of the total number of books published by Emory

faculty in 2014. Their work fosters a vibrant intellectual community of scholarship and learning that serves

the church, the academy, and the human spirit. Here are the latest publications by Candler’s own.

New Books By Faculty


dreamonenight,throughwhichIbelievedGodwas

callingmetoequipthisemerginggeneration.ButI

hadnoideawhereorhowIwasgoingtodothat.”

Withinayear,aUGAWesleyboardmembertoldhim

thatthepositionofdirectorwasopenandurgedhimto

apply.Inthatmoment,BeckwithknewGod’sanswer.

Hetookthepostin1999andhasn’tleft,facilitating

thegrowthandvibrancyofacampusministrycom-

mittedtonurturingstudents.Whilemanystudents

detachfromorganizedreligionandintentional

spiritualformationduringtheircollegeyears,UGA

Wesleyaddsahopefulfootnotetothatstory:Dur-

ingUGA’s2014-2015academicyear,about1,100

studentsandstaffregularlyattendedWesley’stwo

weeklyworshipservices.

“Thisgenerationisoneofgreatsignificance,”

Beckwithsays.“Thefutureofthechurchisintheir

hands,andyet,theyarethemostspirituallyunin-

formedgenerationournationhaseverproduced.

ButwhentheydoencounterGod,theyoftengrow

andcomealiveinwaysthatmygenerationstruggles

tounderstand.”

BeckwithworksalongsideUGAWesley’sfour

long-termleaddirectors,tenassociatedirectors,

and67full-timeministryinterns.ChrisFisher15T,

whoservedasafull-timeinternbeforehecameto

Candler,saysBeckwithpossessesthemixofsturdi-

nessandflexibility,humilityandjoyrequiredto

workwithyoungadultswhosefaithjourneysarestill

evolving.“BobbridgesthestabilityoftheBiblewith

grounding,”Repoleysays.“Engaginginservice

fromaplaceofunderstandingthatwe’reallbroken

andseekingwholeness.”

Afteradecadeofconversationandconsultationwith

Quakersfromaroundthecountry,Repoleylaunched

QuakerVoluntaryService(QVS)in2012withseven

youngadultfellowslivingandservinginAtlanta.

QVShousesinPhiladelphiaandPortland,Oregon,

openedin2013,andthisAugust,anotherwillopen

inBoston.Byitsfourthanniversary,QVSwillhave

28fellowsandclosetofiftyalumni,manyofwhom

arestillactivelyengagedwiththecommunitiesand

congregationswheretheyserved.

MuchofRepoley’spreparationforwhatwould

becomeQVSblossomedatCandler.Shewroteher

MDivthesisonthehistoryofQuakerservice,and

creditsprofessorsLutherSmithandEllenOttMar-

shallasintegraltoherwork.Candleralsonurtured

Repoley’sneedfortheintegrationofinwardand

outwardinherownlife.At28,shewasalready

beginningtofeelburnedoutbyactivism.“Ifsocial

justiceworkwasgoingtobesomethingIcoulddo

sustainablyfortherestofmylife,Ineededadeeper

theologicalandspiritualgrounding,”shesays.

“Tospeakachallengingwordtosociety,youhave

todoitinaninvitational,hopefulway,ratherthan

comingfromaplaceofangerandfrustration.When

wecomefromagroundinginrelationshipwith

Godandwitheachother,we’reabletolivemore

propheticallyandmoreboldly.”

Molding the Next Generation It’snotjustOldTestamentprophetswhohearthe

voiceofGodindreams. Bob Beckwith’s 88Tfruitful

ministryattheUniversityofGeorgiaWesleyFoundation

owesitsstartandthesuccessofitshallmarkdisciple-

shipprogramtothepropheticpowerofdreams.

Nearlytwentyyearsago,Beckwith,anordainedelder

inTheUnitedMethodistChurch,feltanudgetoward

collegeministry.“Ihadaveryclearandunusual

Inward Spirit, Outward Service In2014,Christina Repoley 11Tgavethecommence-

mentaddressatheralmamater,GuilfordCollege.

ThishonormightsuggestthatRepoleyisretired

afterdecadesofexperienceinafieldwheresheex-

celled.Inreality,onlythelastpartofthatstatement

istrue.At34,Repoleyisfarfromretired,withhardly

adecadeofexperienceunderherbelt.Yetthereisno

doubtthatsheexcelsinwhatisnotsimplyherfield,

buthercalling.

WhenshegraduatedfromGuilfordin2002,she

hopedtoworkwithaQuakerserviceorganiza-

tion,buthersearchcameupempty.Gonewerethe

Quakerworkcampsoftheearly20thcentury,where

youngadultstookpartindomesticandinternational

serviceprograms.“OlderQuakerswhohavelived

theirlivescommittedtopeaceandjusticepointback

toanexperienceofQuakerserviceasyoungadults,”

Repoleysays.“Thereweren’tthoseopportunitiesfor

mygeneration.”Butinsteadoflookingelsewhere,

Repoleyhadavision.

Hervisionwastobuildanetworkofintentional

communitieswhereyoungadults,Quakerand

otherwise,couldworshipwithlocalQuakercongre-

gationsandservewithlocalnonprofitsforayear.

Repoleyreferstothispairingastheintegrationof

theinwardandtheoutward,twoelementsessential

toQuakerism.Shewasinspiredbylate19thcentury

QuakerRufusJones,whocoinedthetermprophetic

service.“Propheticservicemeansbeingengagedin

theworldinawaythatcomesoutofyourspiritual

Everyday Prophets 35

EVERYDAYProphets In a sense, you could say that all Candler graduates are prophets. After all, as a seminary,

we’re in the business of training our students to discern where God is working and

to join that work with hearts, minds, hands, and voices. So in keeping with the

centennial themeof“storyandprophecy,”herearea fewstoriesabout theeverydayprophets

amongusandtheincrediblyvariedwitnesstheyoffer.

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By Claire Asbury Lennox


CombsappliedhisCandlerexperiencestoachap-

laincyatAtlanta’sGradyMemorialHospital,the

nation’sfifthlargestpublichospitalandoneofits

busiestLevelItraumacenters.Hisworktherewith

peoplefromvariousmarginalizedpopulationsled

himtoAsheville,NorthCarolina,wherehewas

inspiredtostarttheHaywoodStreetCongregation,a

UnitedMethodistmissionchurchlaunchedin2009

asaplaceofwelcomeandministryforpeoplewho

arehomelessorotherwiselivingonthemargins.

Combsfocusesonreframingroleswhenministering

tothehomelesspersonortheindividualstruggling

withaddictionormentalillness.First,hehelpsdis-

peltheperceptionthatifthey’rehomeless,theymust

beinastateofdeficitintheirrelationshipwithGod.

“IfJesuswasgoingtoincarnateastheschizophren-

ic,thehomelessperson,thecrackaddict,thepros-

titute,thenwehavetobeginbysaying,‘I’mactually

theone—eventhoughIhavehousing,education,

privilege—whohasaspiritualpoverty,whoneedsto

encounterthatJesus,andIcan’tdothatifItreathim

asaspiritualproject,’”hesays.

Thismessageresonateswiththepeople—homelessor

not—whocometoHaywood.Combstalksenthusi-

asticallyaboutthedramaticconversionhe’sseenin

thechurch,peoplewhoseassumptionsaboutpoverty

andthemselveshavebeencompletelyobliterated.

“Whattheysaytomeis,‘formostofmylifeIas-

sumedfollowingthegospelandbelievinginJesus

meantwritingmychecktothesocialserviceagency

sotheycoulddothediscipleshipthatIdidn’twant

todo.MyliberationisboundupinthepeopleI’ve

dismissedformostofmyChristianlife.I’mhere,

I’mbroken,andIneedtobetobefilledbackupin

anewway,’”hesays.

Combsencouragesthissortoftransformation.“If

there’sonethingIhopepeoplearetransformedinto

doing,insteadofdismissingtheguyonthecorner

withthesign,theywillinsteadextendahand,aska

name,offerahug…becausetheyhaverealizedthat

theirhumanityisboundupinthatperson,”hesays.

“Tobeabletowatchsomeoneastheyrealizethat

maybeGoddoeslovethemthatmuch—theybegin

totakeseriouslythatthey’reachildofGod.That’s

kingdomworkasfarasI’mconcerned.”

From Brokenness, A New Creation DuringherfinalsemesteratCandler, Jan Richard-

son 92Tbeganputtingtousewhatshecalls“those

skillsIlearnedinkindergarten”:cutting,tearing,

andpastingpaperontopofpapertocreateworks

ofart.“Collagebecameapowerfulpracticeforme,”

shesays.“Aformofprayerandametaphorforthe

continualworkofpiecingtogetherthatGod,the

consummaterecycler,doesinourlives.”

ItisthatsacredpiecingtogetherthatRichardson,an

ordainedUnitedMethodistminister,hasfeltcalled

toexploreintheyearssinceseminary.Asdirector

ofTheWellspringStudio,LLC,sheleadsretreats,

speaksatconferences,andhaspublishedbooksof

herwritingandvisualart.Twoofherworksadorn

thismagazine,oneinthetableofcontentsandthe

otheronthetitlepageofthisarticle.

AssociateDeanofMethodistStudiesAnneBurk-

holder77T92Gisalongtimefriendandcolleague

ofRichardson’s.Toher,Richardson’svisualart

andwritingcallpeopletoalifeofencounterwith

theHoly.“Onecannothelpbutencounterthe

realityofGod’spresencethroughthem,”shesays.

“Theybeckonustodivedeeplyintothewavesof

liturgicalandprayerpractices,emotion,and

spiritualencounterthatremindushowgenuinely

wearelovedbyGod.”

Richardson’sarthasservedasthatreminderof

God’sloveforothersandforherself.InDecember

2013,herhusband,singer/songwriterGarrison

Doles,passedawayunexpectedlyfollowingcompli-

cationsfromsurgery.Afteronlythreeyearsof

marriage—duringwhichthecouplefrequently

collaboratedinretreats,conferences,andworship—

hisdeathwas,shesays,an“absoluteshattering.”

Inhergrief,shehasturnedconstantlytotheartist’s

actofpiecingtogether.“Becauseofthepracticeof

collage,Iknowinmyhands,mybones,mysoul,

whatitmeanstoputthepiecestogether,andtoal-

lowGodtodothisinmylife.Iknowwhatitmeans

tositwithwhatistorn,whatisinfragmentsand

scraps,andinvitetheSpirittobroodoverthechaos

andpainandtoconnectoneshardtothenext,and

thenext.Iamlearning—slowly,slowly—howitis

possibletocreateanew.”

Herpracticeoffaithandart,andthetwointer-

twined,hasprovidedspaceforanguish,questions,

andarenewedsenseofcall.“Theworkoftheartist,

andmyownsenseofcall,isaboutrefusingtoturn

awayfromwhatisbroken,”shesays.“Myjobisto

say,‘Look,hereisgracethatflowsintothebroken

placesandinspiresustofindtheconnections,tosee

newvisions,todreamnewdreams.’”


thechallengeandmovementoftheinspirationofthe

Spirit.Hisvoiceisonesaying,‘TesttheSpiritagainst

theWord,thenjumpallin.’”

ApillarofBeckwith’stenurehasbeenthedevelop-

mentoftheLead/Growdiscipleshipprogram.Again,

hewasguidedbyadream.“OnenightIdreamed

thatIwasabouttospeakandneededaBible,soI

borrowedonefromastudent.Thepageswerefull

ofholes,likeSwisscheese.Iborrowedanother

student’sBibleanditspageswerefallingout.Athird

hadpagesthatweresmearedandblotted.Ibelieve

theLordwastellingmethatinspiteoftheirpassion,

ourstudentswereyoungandneededtobeinvestedin.”

InLead/Grow,“Grow”studentsarementored,or

discipled,byanolder“Lead”studentorWesley

intern.Thisyear,600studentsparticipated,meet-

ingweeklyinpairstoconnect.“Wetrytocreatean

atmospherewherestudentstalktransparentlyabout

lifeissuesinacontextofgrace,biblicaltruth,and

prayer.Whenthathappens,freedomandgrowth

usuallyfollow,”Beckwithsays.

“Seeingstudentsbecomepassionatetoknowand

followJesus,experienceHislove,healing,andfree-

dom,andstepintothesignificantpurposesGodhas

forthem—that’swhatstillmotivatesandexcitesme

afteralltheseyears.”

Nothing Happens without the WordWhenMaria Dixon Hall 98T 99TwasaCandler

student,ProfessorTeresaFryBrownnicknamedher

“Pearl.”Pearlsarecreatedbyanirritationofdirt,Fry

Browntoldher,andthatirritationultimatelyforms

somethingprecious.“So,”DixonHallsaidwryly,

addressingstudentsatthestartofarecentlectureat

Candler,“Myintenttodayistoirritateyousomewhat.”

DixonHalllivesuptohernickname,andshe

wouldn’thaveitanyotherway.“Let’sthinkabout

theword‘irritate,’”shesays,whenaskedtoelabo-

rate.“Sooftenwethinkofitaspejorative,butreally

itmeans‘touncomfortablydislocate.’Irritation

requiresintentionalmovement.Irritationrequires

strategy.Thegospelcallsustoirritatepowersand

principalitiesthatarecomfortableinthewaythings

are,ratherthaninthewaytheycouldbe.”

AnordainedUnitedMethodistdeaconandassoci-

ateprofessorofcommunicationstudiesatSouthern

MethodistUniversity,DixonHallhasdoneherfair

shareofirritating—intheclassroom,atspeaking

engagements,onthepage,andontheInternet.

Herblog,“TheViewfromDixonHall,”hostedon

Patheos.com,tacklescommunicationissueswithin

Christianity,TheUnitedMethodistChurch,and

theologicaleducation,alongwithissuesofrace,

gender,andpoliticsinAmerica;entrieshavebeen

pickedupbysuchnewsoutletsastheHuffington

Post,theAtlanta Journal-Constitution,andtheHouston

Chronicle,tonameafew.Shechallengestheboundaries

oflanguage,culture,andfaith,oftenturningissues

upside-downinunexpectedways,asshedidinher

March2015blogpostdisputingtheUniversityof

Oklahoma’sswiftdecisiontoexpelstudentsinvolved

inaraciallyoffensivevideoratherthanrecognizing

thesituationasa“teachablemoment”forboththe

perpetratorsandthecommunity.

ThechurchisnotexcludedfromDixonHall’sexami-

nation.Shereferences1Corinthians14:9:Unless you

speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone

know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into

the air(NIV).“Godiscallingthechurchtofinda

waytocommunicatethegospelthatresonateswith

people.AndIbelieveGodiscallingmetobethat

irritatingtranslatorthatholdsourleadersaccount-

ableforlearninghowtospeakinwaysthatare

authentic.”

CurrentMasterofReligiousLifestudentMichael

GravescametoCandlerbecauseofDixonHall,and

callshisformerSMUprofessoraspiritualguide.

“Dr.DixonHall’sworkinbothcommunication

studiesandthechurchcanbesummarizedbythe

word‘grace,’”Gravessays.“Shewritesaboutour

world’smostpressingandcomplexissues.Instead

oflosingpatienceandpushingopposingvoices

away,shewelcomesthosewhocritiqueher,and

constantlyseekstoengagethosewhorejectherin

holyconversation.”

Thatdesireforholyconversationconstantlyrenews

DixonHall’scalling.“EverysemesterwhenIteach

CommunicationTheory,Iopenwiththesame

phrasefromJohn1:In the beginning was the Word.

Iamtransfixedandtransformedbythatverse.Itis

thefoundationofmyministryandmyscholarship.

Communicationshapesidentityandpossibility.

NothinghappenswithouttheWord.”

Widening the CircleBrian Combs 06Treachesouttorestorerespectto

membersofsocietymostpeopletrytoavoid—pros-

titutes,drugaddicts,peoplewithmentalillness,and

thoselivingwithAIDS.

RaisedinCharlotte,NorthCarolina,Combsat-

tendedasuburbanchurchthathesaysheldChrist

“aloftintheskyandsofarawaythatnotonlycan

younotseehim,butyoucan’tfollowhim.”Candler

broughtJesusdowntoEarthforCombs,andhehas

beenbuildingintentionalcommunitywithpeople

wholiveonthestreetssincehegraduated.

“AtCandlerIwasintroducedtoaJesusinthegut-

ters,thisSaviorwhochosetotakeonfleshand

blood,boneandbreathasaderelictamongus.That

wascompletelyrevolutionaryforme,”hesays.


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tionlessthanayearlater“profoundlyimpacted”

Bacon,spurringhimtodelvemoredeeplyintothe

civilrightsleader’steachingsonpropheticChristi-

anityandnonviolence.AstheVietnamWarbegan,

BaconwasatlawschoolatVanderbilt,buthecontin-

uedtostudyKing,aswellasThomasMerton,calling

them“my20thcenturypropheticnorthstars.”The

writingsandtheologyofbothmeninspiredBaconto

makethemostradicaldecisionofhislife:becomea

conscientiousobjector,leavelawschool,andpursue

ordainedministry.

Baconhasservedasrectorofthe4,000-member

AllSaintsEpiscopalChurchinPasadena,Califor-

nia,since1995.Duringhistwenty-yeartenure,the

effectsofhisbriefinteractionwithDr.Kinghave

reverberatedwithinhiscongregationandthe

widercommunity.

CandlerprofessorEllenOttMarshallattendedAll

SaintswhenshelivedinPasadena.“Withevery

featureofhislifeandministry,Edreachesout

topersonswoundedbywrathfulandexclusivist

religiouslanguageandbringsthembackintoGod’s

lovingembrace,”shesays.“Whatis,perhaps,most

remarkableabouthisministryisthatheproclaims

thisradicallyinclusivelovenotonlyforthoseonthe

margins,butalsotothosewhomarginalizethem.”

In2009,OprahWinfreyinvitedBacontoappear

inthespiritualitysegmentofher“BestLife”series.


liketheearlydisciples,drivenforwardbytheSpirit,

constantlyamazedbywhatGodisdoingtoresurrect

theseindividualsandfamilies.”

BryanhasalsofacilitatedFUMC’stransformation

intoa“teachingchurch”forstudentsatHunting-

don,aUnitedMethodistcollegejustupthestreet.

“WethinkofourrelationshiptoHuntingdonlikea

teachinghospitalconnectedtoamedicalschool,”he

says.“Wefeltacalltoactivelyhelpcollegestudents

discernGod’scalltoordainedministry.”Sothey

developedaninternshipprogramforcollegestu-

dentswithpaidpositionsinministryareasincluding

children,youth,music,andmissions.Internsmeet

twiceamonthwithanFUMCpastortoreflecton

theirgrowthastheyintegratetheirclassroomstud-

ieswithministryexperienceinthechurch.Similar

toCandler’sgroundbreakingContextualEducation

curriculum,FUMC’sapproachappearstobework-

ing:inthefallof2015,sixformerinternswillenter

seminary—fouratCandler.

Atanearlierpointinhisvocation,Bryanrecalls

askingGod,Whatisitthatholdsministrytogether?

Whydowedowhatwedo?“Ihappenedtoberead-

ingEphesians1:9-10intheNewEnglishVersion:

God has made known to us his hidden purpose, to be

put into effect when the time was ripe; namely, that the

universe, all in heaven and on earth, might be brought

into a unity in Christ.”

“ThatwaswhatIreallyneededtoknow.Godhasa

purpose:toaddressthebrokennessoftheuniverse

andbringitintounitythroughJesusChrist.Iwantto

makethatavailabletoall.That’swhatdrivesme.”

From the Human Race to the Human Family In1967,collegestudentEd Bacon 79Tshookhands

withDr.MartinLutherKing,Jr.attheAtlantaairport

baggageclaim.Thischanceencounter“shiftedthe

tectonicplatesofmylife,”hesays.King’sassassina-

Duringthesegment,Baconaddressedacallerwho

identifiedasgay,tellinghim,“Beinggayisagift

fromGod.”

ThecommentwassocontroversialthatWinfrey

askedBaconbacktoexplainhimself,whichhe

gladlydid.“Itissoimportantforeveryhumanbe-

ingtounderstandthatheorsheisagiftfromGod,

andparticularlypeoplewhoaremarginalizedand

victimizedinourculture,”hesaid.“Gayandlesbian

peopleareclearlyoutcastsinmanyareasofourlife,

anditissoimportantforthemtounderstandthat

whenGodmadethem,Godsaid,‘Youaregood.’”

Baconputsthosewordsintoaction.Heisafounder

ofthegroupsBeyondInclusionandClaimingthe

Blessing,anorganizationofgayandstraightEpis-

copaliansworkingforLGBTequalityatlocaland

nationallevels,includingwithinthechurch.

AnotherexpressionofBacon’scallto“articulatethe

Christianfaithinnon-bigotedways”ishisdedica-

tiontointerfaithwork.BaconhasledAllSaintsto

createNewVisionPartners,anon-profitresource

centerthatformsministrypartnershipswithinter-

faithcolleagues;TransformationalJourneys,trips

thattransformparticipantsthroughchallenging

encounterswithotherlocalandglobalcommunities;

andtheAbrahamicInterfaithPeacemakingInitiative.

Baconreliesonadailyhour-longpracticeofprayer

andcontemplationtokeephim“inspired,empow-

ered,andenergized.”Duringthattime,hesaysthat

God’sSpirittakeshimdeepbelowthechoppywaters

ofhissurfacelifeandequipshimtolove.

ThatloveisboththecallandtheresponseforBacon.

“MyheartbreakswhenIseesystemsdestroyingthe

livesofthosewhoaremarginalized,”Baconsays.“I

feelcalledtogivemylifetoturningthehumanrace

intothehumanfamily.”n

standsout:“Asimportantasitistorememberand

celebratehowGodhasledFUMCfor185years,

itisequallyimportanttoaskforGod’svisionfor

thefuture.”

FUMCisacongregationdedicatedtoservice.As

SeniorPastorR. Lawson Bryan 75T 85T puts

it,missionworkisingrainedinitsDNA.The

church’s4,000membersareactivelocally,every-

wherefromFamilyPromise,helpinghomeless

familiesfindpermanenthousing,totheSamaritan

CounselingCenter,oneofthearea’slargestmental

healthproviders.ButsinceBryan’sarrivalin2007,

thechurchhasfoundacallingintwoparticular

ministriesthatemergedastheyconsideredGod’s

visionforthefuture.

“Forseveralyears,wesoughttodiscernananswer

tothequestion:Whatneedstohappeninourcom-

munitythatisnotlikelytohappenunlesschurches

doit?”Bryansays.“AsIwrestledwiththis,Ikept

gettingoneresponseoverandoveragain.”

Thatresponsewastocreateaprogramtoserve

dementiapatients,theirfamilies,andcaretakers.

FUMC’sAdultRespiteMinistrybeganin2012.Forty

participantswithdementiameetfourdaysaweek

forart,music,exercise,andworship,nurturedby

95volunteersfromsevenchurchesandtwosyna-

gogues.Asupportgroupforfamiliesmeetstwice

amonth.“Ourmemberswhoworkintheprogram

feelspirituallyaliveastheydiscoverChrist’spres-

enceinthisministry,”Bryansays.“Weoftenfeel

“Itisacallthatbelongstoeachofus:tositamidthe

shattering,tonotturnaway,tobearwitnesstothe

wildworkingsofgrace,andtoseehowGodwants

toactthroughustocreateanew.”

Narrowing the DistanceWhenyouspotCarlton Mackey 05Taroundthe

Emorycampus,thereisnodoubtthathiscamera

willbeslungoveroneshoulder.Withaphotogra-

pher’seyeandatheologian’sheart,Mackey,the

directorofEmory’sEthicsandtheArtsProgram,has

foundhiscalling:creatingarttobreakdownbarri-

ers.Hismulti-mediaprojects—includingBeautiful

in Every Shade,Fifty Shades of Black,Black Men Smile,

andTypical American Families—usephotographyand

videotoremoveculturallabelsandrevealauthentic

humanity,creating,asMackeyputsit,“possibilities

forpeopletobeunderstood.”

“Christianityis,blacknessis,theAmericanfamily

is…Mostofthetimewehaveawayoffillinginthe

blank,”hesays.“Thoughtheysoundlikecontrast-

ingwords,theworkIseektodoisbothabout

narrowingandbroadening:narrowingdistanceand

broadeningthought.”

Mackey’sCandlerexperiencehelpedshapehisthink-

ing.“Candlerchallengedmetothinkmorebroadly

thanIeverhadbefore.”ItwasherethatMackeymet

agayclergypersonforthefirsttime.“Iformeda

genuinefriendshipwiththisyoungmanwhohelped

metoseethattherewasn’tanoceanbetweenus.That

thethingswehungeredfor,thepeoplewewereseek-

ingtobecome,theGodthatwelovedandwantedto

serve,werethesame.Hewasabletohelpmebroad-

enmythinkingbynarrowingthedistance.Byliving

fullyintowhoweare,wecandothatforothers.”

Hecitesasanexamplehismostrecentproject,Typi-

cal American Families,aphotoexhibitthatshowsthe

diversityofAmericanfamilylife.“Whenwethink

aboutthephrase‘typicalAmericanfamilies,’weoften

thinkofheteronormative,Judeo-Christian,child-

bearing,matchedracepeoplewholoveeachother,”

hesays.Butthevarietyoffamilytypesinthese

portraits,featuredalongsideawrittencommentary

byeachfamily,narrowsthedistancebetweenviewer

andsubject.“Ifwebroadenourunderstandingof

whatafamilyis,wecangrowtounderstandthat

there’sroomforpossibilityoutsideourlimitedways

ofthinking,”Mackeysays.“Itleadstodifferences

inouractions.Itimpactsourengagement.Itworks

tobreakdownthewaysinwhichwemarginalize

individuals.”

“OnceweseethepresenceofGodinthosespec-

trumsofidentity,wethengrowtoappreciatethat

therearepeopleseekingtoliveintothefullness

oftheirbeinginwaysthatwemayneverevenhave

considered.”

Mackey’sfour-year-oldson,Isaiah,alsoinspires

hiswork.“Iwanttocreateanenvironmentforhim

wherepossibilityisgreaterthanlimitation.Thenhe

cancreatehisownreality,comeintohisownunder-

standing.Iwanthimtoexperiencethat.”

Forhisson,forhimself,fortheworldthatMackey

reachesthroughthelensofhiscamera,itisallabout

narrowingdistanceandbroadeningthought.“Those

aretraitsIthinkarecommonamongpeoplewholive

aresurrectedlife.That’sthelifeIwant.”

Asking the Right Questions OnthewebsiteforFirstUnitedMethodistChurch

(FUMC)inMontgomery,Alabama,onesentence


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Mentorview 41

Mentorview :

WESTON:Whatis“propheticpreaching,”andhow

doesitdifferfromotherpreaching?

LONG:Inasense,theterm“propheticpreaching”

isredundant.Allpreachingisprophetic.Weusedto

tellstudentsthatthereweretwokindsofsermons—

propheticsermonsandpastoralsermons.Pastoral

sermonswereaimedatindividualkindsofconcerns,

concernsoftheheart,andpropheticsermonswere

socialjusticesermons,sermonsaboutpublicissues.

We’dtellstudentsnottoletthatgetoutofbalance,

knowingthatmoststudentswoulddofivepastoral

sermonsforeverypropheticsermon,iftheyeverdid

apropheticsermonatall.

ButIdon’tthinkthatholdsanymore.Itseemstome

thegospelissocounterculturalnowthatregardless

ofwhetherwe’redealingwithpastoralconcerns

orwhetherwe’redealingwithpublicissues,all

sermonsarecontroversialandallsermonsare

propheticinasense.

Onecaution,though.Ithinksometimesthose

preacherswhofancythemselvesasmoreprophetic

imaginethemselvesasAmoschargingintothe

shrineofBethelwiththepropheticandsocially

justWord.Wehavetorememberwearethepriests

ofthoseshrinesandwetakecareofthosepeople.

Thatmeanswemustdoourpropheticteachingin

waysthatleavepastoralwindowsopentopeople.

Actually,wethepreachersarenottheprophetsin

thatsense.Itisthecongregationthatissupposed

tobetheprophetintheworld,andourpreaching

isdesignedtoequipcongregationstoengagein

propheticwitnessandaction.

WESTON:Whatyoujustsaiddovetailswithwhat

you’vesaidinclass,thatweshouldnevergive“hit

andrun”sermons.

LONG:Ithinkifwe’regoingtopreachonahot

buttonissuewhereweknowthecongregationis

Prophecy from the Pulpit Jane Mitchell Weston 14T was an attorney for more than 20 years before she came to Candler. She’s

now traded speaking in courtrooms for speaking from the pulpit as priest-in-charge at St. Simon’s

Episcopal Church in Conyers, Georgia. Following Candler’s “Prophetic Voices” conference, she sat

down for a conversation with her mentor, Thomas G. Long. A renowned scholar-preacher-teacher,

Long has served as Candler’s Bandy Professor of Preaching since 2000. He retired from the position

at the end of the 2014-2015 academic year.

dividedoncultural,political,ortheologicalgrounds,

weoweittothemtogotothecoffeepotafterwe

preachsotheycantalktousandletusknowhow

whatwesaidaffectedthem.

WESTON:Thosehardsermons—doyouthinkmost

preacherscanactuallypreachthem,ordoyouthink

somepreachersarealwaysgoingtobebetteratgiv-

ingapropheticword?

LONG:Somepreachersarebetteratitforavariety

ofreasons.IthinkofReinholdNiebuhrwhenhe

wasayoungpastor.Hewroteinhisjournalthathe

usedtothinkthepreacherswhoavoidedthehard

sermonsdidsooutofcowardice,butthelonger

hewasapastorherealizedthatitwassometimes

doneoutoflove.Thatthemoreyouknowabout

peopleinthecongregation,themoreyouknow

abouthowfragiletheyalreadyare,howmanythings

areoverwhelmingthem.

WESTON:Somecongregationsmaybereallyaverse

tohearingadifficultword,sowhenyoutalkedabout

beingpastorallysensitive—Ithinkthat’sprobably

thewayyougetintotalkingaboutthosethings,by

beingpastorallysensitive.

LONG:Itisanundervaluedskillnotonlytopreach

thegospel,buttohelppeoplegetreadytohearthe

gospel.Ithinkwereadatextorwegotoaconfer-

enceandwegetabsolutelyconvincedthatthechurch

needstohearthisurgentwordnow,sowechargein

onSundayandannouncethiswordandit’ssoout

ofcharactertowhatelsetheyunderstandaboutthe

Christianfaiththatitstrikesthemasdiscordant.But

ifconstantlyinourprayers,ifconstantlyinourBible

studies,ifconstantlyinourpastoralconversation

thefullnessofthegospelanditsreachacrossevery

issueandconditionandcircumstanceisalways

there,thenthepropheticsermonmaybedemand-

ing,butitwon’tbeunprecedentedintheirhearing.

WESTON:Weheardattheconferenceaboutthe

increasingsecularizationinourcommunitiesand

thatwecan’tassumeallthepeoplesittinginour

pewswillknowtheChristianstoriesthatwetake

forgranted.Howdoweaspreachersadjustandface

thatnewreality?

LONG:Justyesterday,thepastorofthechurch

wheremyfamilyattendswassayingthataperson

toldhim,“YoucankeepyourChristianstories;Ihave

nointerestinthemwhatsoever.”Weareinatime

whennotonlydopeoplenotknowthestory,they’re

increasinglyemboldenedtosay,“Idon’tbelongto

thestoryandIdon’twantthestory.”Ononelevel

thisisverydiscouragingtome.I’vespentmywhole

lifepreparingtopreachtoacongregationwho’s

readytohearthegospelandnowtheyaren’tthere,

orthey’recertainlynotthereinthesameintensity

andnumbersthattheyusedtobe.

Butonanotherlevel,Ifindthisveryexcitingbecause

Ithinkwe’renowinapositionofhavingtorenegoti-

atethehearingofthegospeleverywherewego.In

onesensethecongregationsdon’tknowthestory;

inanothersense,Godhaserasedtheharddriveand

wecanrecreateit.Wecanannounceahearingin

astartlingnewway.Weareincreasinglyhavingto

makeuseofthoseoccasionswhereweareoutinthe

publicsquaretobebolderandspeakthegospel.I’m

thinkingoffunerals,weddings,civicoccasionswhen

weareintheroleofpreacher-pastor.Everybody’s

gatheredthere—peoplewhoareclosetothegospel,

peoplewhoarenot.Andatthatpoint,tobeableto

givenotjustaconventionalpreachertalk,buttospeak

authenticallyoutofthegospelhasarivetingeffect.

I’mlearningalotaboutthisbyreadingaboutAugus-

tine.Whenhe’spreachinginHippoinNorthAfrica,

heisinaplacethesizeofabasketballgym,andit’s

jammedwithpeoplestandingshouldertoshoulder,

mostofthemnotatallinterestedintheChristian

faith—they’reinterestedinthisdazzlingorator.

Hestopsinthemiddleofthesermon,andsays,“I

wanttotalknowtothosewhoareherefromthe

paganfestival.You’rehereforthespectacle,aren’t

you?Well,we’vegotonecalledtheEucharist,”and

thenhewouldunfoldthestoryoftheLord’sSupper.

That’snimblepreaching,andI’mtryingtoinstruct

myselfaboutthatnow.WhatwoulditlooklikeifI

interruptedmyselfduringasermonandsaid,“Iwant

totalktotheyouthwhoaretextinginthebalcony”?

WESTON:Ithinkcertaingenerationsreallyvalued

publicspeakingandIthinknow,asyousay,people

aretextingandsurfingtheInternetduringasermon

orspeech.Couldyouspeakabouttheimportanceof

goodpublicspeakingforthepreacher?

LONG:Idothinkfashionschange,andoneofmy

predecessorsintheBandyChairatCandler,Fred

Craddock,wasaperfectexampleofachangingstyle

ofpublicspeaking.Fredhadnothingofthevirtues

thata1950spreachershouldhavehad.Hewasshort

andhadahighsqueakyvoice.Buthenotonlytook

those“weaknesses”andturnedthemintostrengths,

healsocameatatimewhenthedeep-voiced,pulpit

princewasdistrusted,andhemanagedtoridethe

crestofthatwaveofdistrust.

I’mwonderingifpreachingismovinginthatsame

directionagain.Thatinsteadofstandinginthe

pulpitanddroppingthelightsdownanddoingthe

NPRpiecewiththatgoldentone,ifpreachinginthe

futureisgoingtobeinthemiddleofalivingroomat

atable,withtheEucharistonit,andthepreacherin

achairspeakinghonestlytoagroupofpeoplegath-

eredaroundthetable.Sayinginessence,“Before

weeatthere’sonethingIreallyneedtosay”—and

speakingoutofthegospelinthatsortofway.It’s

notdramaticoratory,butmaybeit’smorematched

tothetime.

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Thenagain,it’spuzzlingtomethatforthefirst

timein250years,theaverageAmericansermon

isgettinglongerratherthanshorter.Theaverage

isbeingskewedbecausemegachurchesaredoing

teaching-stylesermonsthataregoing40to45

minutes.Andthey’renotonlygoinglonger,they’re

changinggenre.Weinthemainlinechurcheshave

beensoinfluencedbythenarrativestylethatwehave

beenconstructingsermonsonashort-storymodel

thatintroducessuspenseinthebeginning,develops

suspenseinthemiddle,andhasaresolutionatthe

end.Itrequiresthelistenertostayontrackwithus

allthewaythrough.Butwhatifpeopledon’tlisten

thatwaynow?

Andsowhattheseotherpreachersaredoingis

buildingonaninstructionalmodel,withbullet

pointsaboutformationintheChristianfaith.It’s

almostatawisdomlevel—theologyforkeepingyour

marriagealive,theologyforraisingyourchildren,

theologyforpersonalorvocationalfocus.Some

peoplewillsitforarelativelylongtimetolistento

someoneunpacktheologicallyinformedlifeskills.

Theyfeellikethey’regettingsomeGod-knowledge

that’sgenerallyusefulforeverydayliving.It’snotmy

cupoftea,butit’soutthereinthecommunicational

mix,alongwiththatconversationalmodelinaliving

room,andthe18-minuteTEDtalk.Thingsareina

swirlinaway.

WESTON:Areyouhopefulaboutthefutureof

preaching?

LONG:Oh,Iam,absolutely.Ithinktherewillalways

beaneedforsomeonewholovesotherpeopletotell

thosepeoplethetruth.Therewillalwaysbeahunger

forthegospelifitcancomewrappedintheauthen-

ticityof“thisisthetruth,theGod’struthaboutus

thatIwanttospeaktoyoutoday.”

WESTON:I’malwayscuriousaboutpitfallsof

preaching.Yourthoughts?

LONG:Ithinkoneofthepitfallsisnotwatchingthe

amountofautobiographicaldisclosurethatgoeson

inpreaching.Therearesometeachersofpreaching

whoforbidit,whothinkthereisnoreasontoever

mentionyourselfinasermon.Idisagreewiththat,

butIdothinkthatautobiographicalinformationis

verypotentinsmalldosesandbeginstobediluted

themorewetalkaboutourselves.Everynowand

thenIdothislittledisciplineformyself:Ilookback

atthelastfourorfivesermonsI’vewrittentosee

howmanyofthemstartwiththeword“I.”

It’ssuchaneasywaytostartasermon.“Ihate

realityshows,”westartout,or“Ihadtroublewith

thistextthisweek,”or“Myfavoriteseasonofthe

yearisLent.”

WESTON:Ifinditinterestingthatyougobackover

youroldsermons.

LONG:Oh,yes.MarilynneRobinson’snovelGilead

isaboutanoldministerwritingalonglettertohis

youngson.Oneofthethingshementionsishis

oldsermonsintheattic,andhowthosesermons

areuptherejudginghim!Iknowthatfeeling.You

thinkaboutthemissedopportunities,misstated

things,misunderstoodthingsthatyou’vedonein

oldsermons.

IthinkthisfinallythrowsusonthegraceofGod

aboutpreaching—thatwehavebeenfoolsforChrist

andwehavebeendamnedfoolsatthesametime!

Oursermonsarefullofthebrokennessthatisapart

ofallofus.Andyetweareconfidentthattheyhave

beentakenupintotheprovidenceofGodandused

toshapethegospel’shearing.

WESTON:Howhavestudentschangedoveryour

career?

LONG:ThebigchangeformeisthatwhenIfirst

startedteachingIcouldlookoutattheclassand

knowthateverypersontherefeltcalledtobea

preacher.Andsothetaskoftheclasswas,howdo

wedoit?Wewanttodoit.We’recalledtodoit.But

howdowedoit?NowIamlookingoutatamuch

moretentativegroup.Manyaretherebecauseit’s

arequiredcourse,andtheyhavenoinclinationat

allthattheyshouldbeapreacher.Ortheymayfeel

liketheywanttobeaminister,butpreachingis

notsomethingtheycanseethemselvesdoing.So

Ihavetostartinadifferentplacenow.Istartina

wayofcallingthemtopreach,notjustinstructing

themabouthowtopreach.Lettingthemknowhow

importantthisministryis,andhownoneofus,from

biblicalcharactersforward,haveevercometothis

momentwiththekindofdeepconfidencethatwe

aresupposedtobehere.ThatfromJeremiahtoPaul,

therehavebeenthosewhoask,“AmItodothis,why

amIhere,whatisthisthathasfallentomylot?”

WESTON:Havingdonethisforquiteawhile,what

wouldyousayisthemostimportantthingyoudoin

preparingasermon?

LONG:Whenwe’dgoovertheprocessofpreparing

asermoninclass,Iusedtohavestudentscomplain

thatInevermentionedtheplacewhereyoupray.Ial-

waysresistedtalkingaboutitasifprayerwereastep

intheprocess—pickyourtext,pray,thendothis—

becauseIthinkthewholethingisanactofprayer.I

realizenowIprobablyshouldhavearticulatedthat

morestronglyforthestudentstoaccentuatetheir

abilitytosensetheformsofprayerthatarefound

intheprocessofpreparingasermon.ButasIage,

thatdimensionofitissoimportanttomenow.It’s

almostlikeAugustine’sConfessions—thewholebook

isanactofprayerandthewholeactofpreparinga

sermonisanactofprayer,andtokeepthatinmy

consciousnessthewholetimeisthemostimportant

thingIdo.

WESTON:Whathasbeenthehighlightofbeinga

preachingprofessor?

LONG:Somepeopledon’tlastlongatthisjob.They

doitforafewyearsanddecidethey’dratherbea

pastorthemselves.Oftentheyburnoutinhearing

studentsermons.Thereisacertainrepetitiveness.

ButIamnotinthegroupthatburnsoutonthis.I

amtouchedwhenastudentpreachesforthefirst

timeinmyclass.Nomatterthelevelofaccomplish-

ment,it’sstillabravethingtodo,andthestudent

bringsahugegifttothemoment.That’sbeenthe

bestpartaboutthis.Isometimestalkaboutitasif

Iwereaninstructorinskydiving,andthere’sthat

momentwhenthepersonisstandinginthebayof

theairplane.Theylookdownandsensethedepths

andtheireyeswiden,andthenyou,theinstructor,

say,“GO!”n

Mentorview 43Candler Connection | Summer 201542

“Increasingsecularization

meanswecan’tassume

thatpeoplewillknowthe

Christianstorieswetake

forgranted.”

“Makeuseofthose

occasionsinthepublic

squaretobebolder

andspeakthegospel.

Speakingauthentically

outofthegospelhasa

rivetingeffect.”

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fessorofPastoralCareandPastoralTheologyKaren

Scheib,whohasservedasfacultyadvisortoEmory’s

KoreanGraduateStudentAssociationfor15years.

ThegiftgivenbyDr.Lee89Tisinhonorofthelate

FredCraddock,BandyProfessorofPreachingand

NewTestament,Emeritus,inthanksgivingforCrad-

dock’slegacyofteachinghomileticsatCandler.

AsthefirstawardsdesignatedforSouthKorean

students,theKwonandLeescholarshipssymbol-

izebothCandler’sroleinpreparingleadersforthe

church’sministriesthroughouttheworldandits

commitmenttointernationalengagement.Candler

ishonoredtoreceivethesegiftsasasignofthedeep

andenduringbondsoffriendship.

Encouraging Community Ministry Sincetheschool’sfounding,communityengage-

mentandsocialtransformationhavebeenwoven

intoCandler’scultureandpedagogicalcommit-

ments.Nowthesevalueshaveinspiredthecreation

ofanewscholarship,madepossiblebya$75,000

grantfromtheE.RhodesandLeonaB.Carpenter

Foundation.

Beginninginfall2015,theCarpenterScholarship

forCommunityEngagementwillbeawardedtofive

incomingMDivstudentswhohavereceivedanother

Candlerscholarship,demonstrateacademicexcel-

lence,andpossessawell-articulatedcommitment

tocommunityengagementandsocialtransforma-

tion.Recipientswillreceive$5,000annuallyforthe

durationofthethree-yearMDivprogram,aswellas

priorityinselectingtheirContextualEducationsites.

TheCarpenterScholarshipsaffirmCandler’s

commitmenttosupportindividualswhohavethe

passionandcouragetopursueChristianministryin

communitycontexts,andtoequipthemtomakea

realdifferenceintherealworld.

Fostering Future Leaders

Formorethan20years,Candler’sYouthTheological

Initiative(YTI)hasofferedyoungpeopletheoppor-

tunitytowrestlewithdeeptheologicalquestions

inasupportivecommunityofpeers,facilitatedby

Candlerstudentsandfaculty.Tohelpfurtherthis

importantwork,YTIhasreceiveda$100,000grant

fromtheUnitedMethodistGeneralBoardofHigher

EducationandMinistry’sYoungClergyInitiative,a

programdesignedtoincreasethenumberofyoung

clergyinthedenomination.


ThefundswillsupportCandler’sYTISummer

Academy,anannualeventthatbrings40high

schoolstudentsfromacrossthenationandworldto

EmoryUniversity’sAtlantacampusforathree-week,

intensivestudyofChristiantheologyandministry.

BethCorrie,directorofYTIandassociateprofessor

inthepracticeofyoutheducationandpeacebuilding,

saysthegrantwillenableintentionalpartnerships

betweenYTIandUnitedMethodistcongregations.

“OurhopeisthatyouthwhocometotheSummer

Academywillbeabletoexploretheirsenseofcall,

whilealsobecomingbetterequippedasleadersin

thedenomination.”

Responding to the Call

Candleristhebeneficiaryofagenerousgiftfromthe

Amosfamilythatwillcreatetwonewendowments

tofundstudentscholarshipsforyearstocome.Both

honorimportantfiguresinthelifeofKathelenVan

BlarcumAmos79C,amemberofEmoryUniversity’s

boardoftrustees.TheKathrinTrammelandJesse

WinfordMartinScholarshipisnamedinhonorof

hermaternalgrandparents.TheWilliamB.Turner

ScholarshiphonorsAmos’sfriend,mentor,and

formerSundayschoolteacherBillTurner,anemeri-

tusEmorytrusteewhotaughthighschoolSunday

schoolformorethansixtyyearsatSt.LukeUnited

MethodistChurchinColumbus,Georgia.

“Quitesimply,whenIthinkofmyownfaithjourney,

KathrinTrammelandJesseWinfordMartin,along

withWilliamB.Turner,havebeenthegreatestinflu-

encesonmyseekingapersonalrelationshipwith

JesusChrist,andinmodelingalifeofsurrender,

grace,andlove,”Amossays.

DeanJanLovenotesthattheMartinandTurner

scholarshipswillhelpmakeitpossibleforstudents

torespondtoGod’scalltoChristianministry.“Iam

gratefultoKathelenandDanAmosforinvestingin

Candler’smissiontoeducatefaithfulandcreative

leadersforthechurch’sministriesthroughoutthe

world.”

Paying it Forward OnMay11,Candlerconferreddegreeson138new

graduates.Wecelebratethehardworkandfaith-

fulnessthatwentintotheiryearshere,aswellas

thededicationtheyhavealreadyshowntofuture

generationsofCandlerstudents.ThroughtheSenior

ClassGiftcampaign,78percentoftheclassof2015

madeagifttoCandler,with100percentoftheMTS

classmakingagiftforthesecondyearinarow.This

isthehighestparticipationrateinrecordedhistory,

trumpingbytwopointstherecordpreviouslyheldby

theclassof2014.Thecampaignraisedjustover

$9,000,withthemajoritygoingtostudentscholar-

shipsviatheTheologySchoolFundforExcellence,

theErskineSmithMoseleyScholarship,andtheMTS

ScholarshipsFund.

Ournewestalumniarealreadymakingtheirmark

toensurethatthosewhowillwalkCandler’shallsin

theyearstocomecontinuetohaveaccesstoexcel-

lentfaculty,first-ratefacilities,profoundcontextual

education,andenrichinginternationalengagement.

MaytheirsupportofCandler’sfutureinspireusallto

actionaswebeginthissecondcenturywithrenewed

commitmenttothestudentsoftomorrow.

—Mathew A. Pinson, Assistant Dean of Development and Alumni Relations

Giving 45

Donors Dr. haesuk Lee and Bishop Youngkag Kwon

CIN

DY

BR

OW

N 0

9T

LIS

A S

TON

E

YTI gives young people permission and space to explore theological questions

CIN

DY

BR

OW

N 0

9T

GivingGivingAsCandlerSchoolofTheology

salutesitscentennialclassof2015

andmovesforwardintoanew

century,studentscholarships

remainatoppriority.During

the2014-2015academicyear,

83percentofallstudentsand

93percentofMDivstudents

receivedascholarshipfrom

Candler.Yourongoinggenerosity

enablesustoofferscholarships

toanever-growingnumberof

studentswhowillshapethefuture

ofCandler,thechurch,andthe

world.Thankyou!

Strengthening International Ties Internationalstudentsfrom13countriescurrently

makeup8percentofCandler’senrollment,and

morethanthree-quartersofthesestudentsarefrom

SouthKorea.Thisfall,Candlerreceivedtwogifts

thatwillestablishthefirstscholarshipendowments

createdspecificallyforSouthKoreanstudentsatthe

school.TheBishopYoungkagKwonScholarship

andtheDr.HaesukLeeScholarshipwillbeawarded

beginninginthe2015-2016academicyear.

Thegiftsrecognizeabidingpersonalrelationships

betweenthebenefactorsandtwokeyfiguresat

Candler.ThegiftgivenbyBishopKwon,fatherof

CandlerAlumniBoardmemberGuhyunKwon06T,

honorsthefamily’srelationshipwithAssociatePro-


Class Notes 47

50s

Richard C. Looney 57T was named the 2014 Distinguished Evangelist of The United Meth-odist Church. The Foundation for Evangelism presents the award annually to an individual whose personal ministry in evangelism has been recognized throughout the denomina-tion. As a member of the Holston Annual Conference, Looney served in appointments in Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, pulpit exchanges in England and Australia, and mis-sion work in Peru, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. In July of 1988, he was elected the first bishop of the newly created South Georgia Episcopal Area, where he served 12 years before retiring. He then served as president and episcopal director of The Foundation for Evangelism in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, where he is now episcopal director emeritus.Charles E. Cox 56C 59T was a semifinalist in the Best First Novel category at the 50th An-nual Georgia Author of the Year Awards for his book The Ravenwood Trade.

70s

Jeffrey Jones 76T was appointed senior pastor at North Bethesda United Methodist Church in Bethesda, Maryland on July 1, 2014.George Hovaness Donigian, Sr. 77T has recently released his book, Three Prayers You’ll Want to Pray, which reintroduces familiar prayers in new and fresh ways.Gary R. Gunderson 78T recently married Dr. Teresa Cutts, an assistant research professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.Cecil Ernest Nivens 79T has recently released Baker’s Dozen: 13 Insights from Highly Successful Financial Advisors, a book that gives financial advice from a biblical perspective.

80s

[01] Gina Gilland Campbell 81T, canon precentor at the National Cathedral, on Janu-ary 25 became the first United Methodist to preside over Eucharist at the Cathedral, an act made possible by the recent Interim Eucha-ristic Sharing Agreement between The United Methodist Church and the Episcopal Church.

Tim Trent 81T has been appointed the new district superintendent for the Pensacola District of the Alabama-West Florida Confer-ence of the UMC. He has served a number of churches in the district, most recently as senior pastor of Andalusia First UMC. [02] Stephen M. Dodson 87T received the 2014 Malone Dodson Award from Wesley Woods Senior Living. This award is given annually to the clergy member of the North Georgia Conference who best exemplifies visionary and committed leadership with respect to older adults. Dodson is pastor of Peachtree City UMC and led the church to increase by 146% its giving to the annual Mother’s Day Offering that supports Wesley Woods. Sam Halverson 87T recently published One Body: Integrating Teenagers into the Life of Your Church, a resource for churches, church lead-ers, and youth ministry leaders. Halverson has served as a youth minister in churches for over 30 years and currently serves in the North Georgia Conference as an associate director of Connectional Ministries. This is his eighth book.John Thomas Maddox III 88T married Glen-dine Maddox on September 7, 2013. He has recently published the book Follow the Mist (Tate Publishing), about life-after-death experiences.Bonnie Joan Civitts 89T has released her new book, There’s a Little Mud Left on My Skirt, a book about healing and recovering from abuse and violence.Ezekiel Umo Ette 89T has been promoted to department chair and program director in the department of social work at Delaware State University. He also recently released a novel, Refuge in the Battlefield. Miles Herbert Flanders 89T recently pub-lished The Perfect Gift, a collection of his favorite Christmas articles.

90s

Danny Andre Horne 91T has been appointed as the new director of chaplaincy services for the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. Lake Lambert III 91T will become the 16th president of Hanover College in Hanover,

Indiana, on July 1, 2015. Hanover College is a nationally ranked liberal arts institution that has core strengths in business, education and the sciences. Lambert currently serves as dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Mercer University in Macon.Ann Brookshire Sherer 91T was recently named as Mars Hill University’s 2014 Alumna of the Year. SooChul Ko 92T is now president of Knock-ing Central Co., an organization focused on suicide prevention.Edward Lee Boye 94T recently released Musings: A Reflection on Being, a book of thoughts, poetry, and short stories.Susan Laraine DeHoff 95T was ordained to pastoral counseling ministry as a minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on November 30, 2014.Cory Smith 95T, district superintendent of the Baypines District of the Alabama-West Florida Conference, will become the confer-ence’s director of Connectional Ministries following the retirement of Neil McDavid. Smith has served as the Baypines district superintendent since 2011 and previously served Woodland UMC in Montgomery and Epworth UMC in Phenix City, Alabama.Sue Haupert-Johnson 95T, district superin-tendent of the North Central District of the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church, was the featured preacher on “Day 1,” the nationally broadcast ecumenical ra-dio program, on November 23 and 30, 2014.Deborah E. Lewis 96T and Stacey Simpson Duke 96T both have essays featured in the book There’s a Woman in the Pulpit: Christian Clergywomen Share Their Hard Days, Holy Moments, and the Healing Power of Humor (Skylight Paths, 2015). Lewis is the director and campus minister for the Wesley Foundation at the University of Virginia. Duke is co-pastor of First Baptist Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and also serves as campus minis-ter for the University of Michigan’s American Baptist Campus Foundation.Stephen Elderbrock 97T became pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Burnsville, North Carolina, in January 2013.Scott D. Landes 97T is now an assistant pro-fessor at the University of North Florida.

John Robert Moeller, Jr. 97T was recently named to the inaugural board of directors of Georgia Balance of State Continuum of Care. The organization works to improve housing and service options that can lead families and individuals from homelessness to hous-ing stability in the 152 counties served by the Continuum.J. Dean Phelps 97T is now serving as the interim executive regional minister for the Central Rocky Mountain Region of the Chris-tian Church (Disciples of Christ).Anna Nicole Davis-Hutto 99T was appointed as the deputy director for the Southeast Re-gion of the United States Fund for UNICEF.Gordon David Van Namee 99T released Discovering Your True Worth: Awakening New Possibilities, on November 18, 2014. His book takes readers on a journey towards finding true worth, an enhanced personal identity, growth, and healing.

00s

Aimée Eyer-Delevett 01T is the priest at All Saints By-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Mon-tecito, California.Beth Sanders 02T, pastor of Second Avenue United Methodist Church in Rome, Georgia, was the featured preacher on “Day 1” on November 9, 2014. [03] William E. Flippin, Jr. 03T, pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Atlanta, was the featured preacher for “Day 1” on All Saints’ Sunday, November 2, 2014. Brita Reed 03T has worked for the Veteran’s Administration for several years, and credits her Candler education with preparing her to be effective with veterans who have experi-enced moral injury during deployment.Ki Jun Lee 04T is now a professor of theology at Berkeley Christian College & Seminary.Juan Huertas 05T was the featured preacher on “Day 1” on May 3, 2015.

Katharine Meacham Nintcheu 05T is now the director of children and family ministries at Old South Church in Boston, a United Church of Christ congregation that dates from 1669.Young Won Kim 07T is now a professor of theology at Berkeley Christian College & Seminary.Seung Woo Woo Lee 07T is now an adjunct professor in Christian ethics at Fuller Theo-logical Seminary. Linda Elizabeth Otero 07T and Michael D. Otero announce the birth of a baby girl, Magdalena Sophia, born on September 15, 2014.Cindy Brown 09T was ordained on April 25, 2015, at Oakhurst Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia.George C. Payne 09T recently founded Gandhi Earth Keepers International, an en-vironmental justice organization devoted to

active nonviolence, including opportunities for blogging, photojournalism, and social media-based activism.Theodore Thomas Turman 09T was ap-pointed as the senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Detroit on October 19, 2014.

10s

Jay Daniel Cooper 12T was recently appoint-ed to serve as pastor of Bay Minette First United Methodist Church, effective February 1, 2015.[04] Susanna Haynes 12T has served as a missionary in South Korea and the Philippines.Mathew Hotho 14T is now the director of adult discipleship at Hyde Park United Meth-odist Church, Tampa, Florida.Dora Lynn Thomas 14T recently became associate pastor of First UMC of Oviedo, Florida.

Class Notes Submit Your Class Notes!Sharewhat’snewandnotableinyourlifewiththerestoftheCandlercommunity.WereportclassnotesinConnectionandinourmonthlye-newsletters.Sendusyourclassnotesandassociatedphotographsviaouronlineform: http://candler.emory.edu/alumni/stay-connected/update-information.cfm.

In MemoriamS. Allen Balch, Jr. 46T C. Douglas Mayo 47T A. Ray Adams 48T Edward Laney Davidson 48T Charles W. Hancock 48T Allen D. Montgomery 48T Donald G. Chandler 50T Virginia E. Proctor 50TCharles O. Butler 52T Omar R. Fink, Jr. 52T Jamie G. Houston, Jr. 52T Beth J. Conerly 53T Joseph Joel Jones 53T John Millsaps, Jr. 53T Ashland D. Shaw 53T Charles Hillis 51C 54T 67M William Hubert Hurdle, Sr. 54T George V. Puster 54T Roger L. Branan, Jr. 55T

Eddie F. Roberts 55T Chester Bolton, Jr. 56T Morris C. Gaskins 56T M. Gene Kirk 56T Max E. Barlow 57T Leo Burgess 57T Rudolph McKinley 57T M. Beecher Dunsmore 58T Sam E. Yearby, Jr. 59T David A. Lawrence 63T James W. Thurman, Jr. 63T 84TR. C. Warren 63T Dewey W. Griffin 64T James A. Starnes 64T W. James Cowell 65T Calvin Wayne Maas 66T Billy A. Glover 67T Joe E. Luther, Jr. 69T Thomas Leon Precise 69T C. Robert Allred 70T 73T

Kyle V. Overton 70T Harvey H. Walters 70T Julian Walton 70T James L. Britton 71TCharles J. Davis 73T Bill H. Lassiter 73T Guss J. Shelly 73T Wallace B. Draper 74T William Richard Burke 75T George E. Shehee 77T Jay R. Rogers 79T Marcus Dawson Antley 80T Robert W. Bresler 81T Hazel C. Hetzel 87T Jerry E. Sims 87T Ernest Richard Babel 89T Raymond C. Deese 90T R. Clinton Pittman 95T Christopher Edward Carlton 99T

01 03

02

04


“Listeningfor,treasuring,andproclaiming

God’smessage—thesearetheprophetictasks

ofthefaithful.”

BenedictionAccordingto1Samuel10,shortlyafterSaulis

anointedkingofIsrael,thespiritofGodovercomes

himandheiscaughtupinapropheticfrenzy.Justa

fewchapterslaterin1Samuel19,despitehissteady

declineinthefaceofDavid’ssteadyascent,Saul

againfallsintoapropheticfrenzy.Thistwice-told

eventledtothecoiningofaproverb:“IsSaul,too,

amongtheprophets?”

Theproverbappearstoregistersurpriseatanun-

usualphenomenon:Thepersoninquestion,Saul,

isnotaprophetbutisneverthelessactinglikeone.

Howcanthisbe?Isheotherthanwhatwethought

himtobe?Isheaprophet,too?

Theproverbialnatureofthequestionalsosuggests

thatitcouldbeappliedtoothers,notjustSaul.If

so,andinlightofCandler’scentennialtheme,“The

CentennialinStoryandProphecy,”perhapswe

mightaskifCandler,too,isamongtheprophets.

Itistemptingtorespondquicklywitharesounding

“yes!”LikeSaul,Candlermaynotbeaprophetinthe

moldofAmosorIsaiah,butsurelyCandlerhasacted

propheticallyatmanytimesandinvariousways

duringitsfirst100years.AndcertainlyCandlercon-

tinuestoaspiretotheprophetictasksofspeaking

God’struthtothoseinpowerandseekingGod’sjustice

andrighteousnessinaworlddeadsetagainstboth.

Butbeforeweansweraffirmatively,itpaystore-

memberthatbeingaprophetinancientIsraelwasa

dangerousoccupation.Accordingtothefirst-century

pseudepigraphicaltextThe Lives of the Prophets,most

oftheprophetssufferedcruelanduntimelydeaths

withnoonetocollectthelifeinsurance.Thedanger

involvedintheprophetictaskledmanyprophets

toobjecttotheircallings—totrytofindanescape

clauseevenbeforetheirmissionsbegan,àlaMoses.

SpeakingGod’struthtothoseinpower,orproclaim-

ingGod’sjusticeandrighteousnessinaworlddead

setagainstboth,isnolightaffair.Thoseinpower

oftenhavepoweroverlifeanddeath:Theycantake

awaylifeanddealoutdeath.Andiftheworldtruly

isdeadsetagainstGod’sjusticeandrighteousness,

thenitmayverywellmeteoutdeathbeforetaking

thoseotheroptions.

Theseharshrealitiesoftheprophets’liveswarrant

cautionwhenconsideringCandler’sprophetic

status.Foronething,thepropheticcallisnot

somethingtoruntoward,buttorunfrom!For

another,prophetstypicallydon’tlastlongenough

tocelebratecentennials!

Evenso,theproverb’ssurpriseoverSaul,whoisn’t

aprophet,suddenlyfittingthebillsuggeststhat

Candler,too,mightalsobeprophetic.No,Candler

doesn’trunawayfromitsvocation—quitetothecon-

trary,Candlerresolutelycontinuesinitsmission“to

educatefaithfulandcreativeleadersforthechurch’s

ministriesthroughouttheworld.”And,yes,Candler

hasenjoyedaverylonglife(atleastinprophet-years).

ButCandler,likeSaul,attimeshasbeenovercome

byGod’sSpiritsoastoactinpropheticways.

Thatlastdetailisfundamental.Accordingto1

Samuel,itisGod’s Spirit thatenablesSaultojoin

thepropheticranks,evenifonlyforabriefstint.It

isonlyGodandGod’spowerthatpermitthosewho

aren’tprophetspersetoactthepart.Soatthose

timesandinthoseplacesthatCandlerhasbeen

prophetic,itisnodoubtduetoGod’sempowering

Spirit.ItisGod,then,whodeservesthecreditfor

Candler’spropheticmoments.AnditisGodwho

deservesthecreditforsustainingCandlerandits

momentsofpropheticfrenzyformorethan100years.

Onefinalremark:Therewerebigprophetsinan-

cientIsrael,likeAmosandIsaiah,butalsocountless

lesser-knownones,suchasthosewhomadeupthe

“bandofprophets”alongsidewhomSaulproph-

esied.Thesepropheticguilds—“groupies”or“road-

ies”asitwere—accompaniedthesuperstarprophets

andpreservedtheirwordsforposterity.Andthey

playedacrucialrole.IttookgutstosaywhatAmos

said,butitalsotookgutsforagroupofpeopleto

hearwhathesaid,preserveitcarefully,andpassit

alongfaithfullyformillennia.Thisisonemoreway

thatCandlerhasbeenandcontinuestobecounted

amongtheprophets:bylisteningtotheprophetic

wordofGodinScriptureandtheworld,preserv-

ingitcarefully,andpassingitalongfaithfully.That

maynotbethesameasbeingAmosorIsaiah,but

itisnosmallmatter,becausewithoutthiskindof

faithfulreceptionandtransmissionthereisnoAmos

orIsaiahatall—theirwordswouldhavebeenlost

forever.Listeningfor,treasuring,andproclaiming

God’smessage—thesearetheprophetictasksofthe

faithful.ThesearethetasksCandlerfaceseveryday.

MayGodcontinuetosustainandenlivenCandler

SchoolofTheologywithGod’sSpiritforanother

century!ThenCandler,too,willcontinuetobe

countedamongGod’sservants,theprophets.

Is Candler, Too, Among the Prophets? Brent A. Strawn, Professor of Old Testament and Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program


WORSHIP: CINDY BROWN 09T; KALEIDOSCOPE: H. PELLIKKA/CREATIVE COMMONS; ALL OTHERS: ISTOCK.


Candler Empowers Real International Engagement.

Emory University

Candler School of Theology

1531 Dickey Drive

Atlanta, GA 30322

Candler School of Theology’s internationalized curriculum prepares students

to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. This spring, students

traveled to South America to observe pastoral care in the Brazilian context

at the Universidade Metodista de São Paulo. One of the group’s first stops:

the Tree of Wonder in the middle of campus, where they offered up thanks

to God for bringing them together in that moment. The tree’s roots are as

deep and wide as the branches above, reflective of the deeply rooted bonds

the students formed with each other and the people of São Paulo.

CA

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NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDATLANTA, GA

PERMIT No. 3604

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