ECF Fellows News: Spring 2016
Pamela Cooper-White (1995) presented a public lecture and six symposium lectures on her books Shared Wisdom and Many Voices, through the Faculty of Theology, Copenhagen University this past January. In February, she presented introductory remarks at "Mental Health Matters," a clergy and leadership workshop on mental health, which was held at Gracie Mansion and sponsored by Chirlane McCray, First Lady of the City of New York. On April 11 at Union Theological Seminary, Pamela hosted and moderated "The Widening Gyre: Spiritual and Pastoral Disaster Response," a public panel on psychology and religion with Storm Swain, Christine Tind Johannessen-Henry, Stephen Harding, and Willard Ashley, Sr. Later in April, she presented a paper on Paul Tillich's legacy in psychology at a 50th anniversary panel on Tillich at Union Theological Seminary with John Caputo, Robert Corrington, Catherine Keller, John Thathamanil, and Andrea White. Pamela has also become canonically resident in the Diocese of New York, and is now an "on call" assisting priest at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in addition to being the Christiane Brooks Johnson Professor of Psychology and Religion at Union Theological Seminary in New York, NY.
John Dally (1988) presented "Say What Again, Jesus?" to the clergy of the Diocese of Southern Ohio gathered at the Procter Center outside of Columbus, OH on Saturday, March 5. John described the program in this way: "The so-called 'hard sayings' of Jesus are really quite easy when we pray 'your kingdom come' and mean it. When we pray those words with our eyes and ears closed to the nearness of God’s reign, however, the 'hard sayings' become virtually impossible. Moving from institutional maintenance to welcoming the reign of God into our midst is simple, but so is a root canal. Are we ready for the pain, knowing greater health awaits us?" John serves as professor of theology and culture for Bexley Seabury and is a resident priest at Church of Our Saviour in Chicago.
Kelly Brown Douglas (1983) delivered the keynote lecture, entitled The Sin of "Stand Your Ground Culture,” as part of the annual celebration of the Feast of Absalom Jones in the Diocese of Chicago. A recording of her keynote has been posted online. In her remarks, she discussed the racist culture that makes public spaces white, by definition, and defines black bodies as a dangerous threat. Stand your ground laws, she says, manifest this culture. The Absalom Jones celebration was sponsored by the Union of Black Episcopalians Chicago Chapter. She was also a recent speaker at Trinity Institute’s 2016 gathering focused on racial justice held at Trinity Wall Street and broadcast live to participant sites throughout the United States and abroad. Kelly is professor of religion at Goucher College and Canon Theologian at Washington National Cathedral.
Joseph Duggan (2008) was part of a pilgrimage to Haiti along with Canon Stefani Schatz and Bishop Marc Andrus of the Diocese of California. At the conclusion of the trip, the three remained in Port-au-Prince to teach at the Episcopal Theological Seminary in Haiti. Joe taught on Anglican spirituality and plans to return with Bishop Andrus within the next year to teach there again. Joe is the founder of Postcolonial Networks and co-editor of the Palgrave series, Postcolonialism and Religions and rector of St. Francis' Episcopal Church in Fair Oaks, CA.
David Gortner (1998) has embraced his new role as Associate Dean for Church and Community Engagement at Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS). In partnership with the Diocese of Washington, David has led a team of students to work with St. Augustine’s Church in southwest DC to engage in a vigorous season of evangelism, invitation, bridge-building, and planning for the parish’s relaunch in a new building. Under his direction and with the energetic network-building of Bill Sachs, VTS is forging a partnership with the Darden School of Business at University of Virginia for leadership education of clergy-laity teams from congregations. He has launched interdenominational facilitated clergy peer groups across the metropolitan DC area and is launching facilitated peer groups for church planting and community organizing clergy. He is forging enduring partnerships with social service, advocacy, and action organizations across northern Virginia, to strengthen seminarian training and widen the Seminary’s regional impact. In addition to Associate Dean, David serves as the Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program and Professor of Evangelism and Congregational Leadership at Virginia Theological Seminary.
Gary Hall (1983) led his annual retreat that is held in April at Camp Stevens in Julian, CA, with the theme this year of "Listening for God in Nature, Scripture, and the Human Community.” The retreat included a selection of readings for reflection in four sessions with time leaving time for outdoor explorations and other activities. Gary recently retired as Dean of Washington National Cathedral, having also served as rector of Christ Church, Bloomfield Hills, MI, All Saints, Pasadena, CA, and dean of Bexley Seabury.
Edmund Harris (2013) will be installed as rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Parish, Seattle in a Celebration of New Ministry on May 17th. On May 24th, he will host an ECF webinar entitled “Storytelling as Evangelism” drawing on his experiences of leading a congregational storytelling project over the past year. Designed for lay leaders, clergy and anyone who is interested in thinking creatively about evangelism in 2016, this webinar will consider practices, tools, and resources for inviting and equipping congregations to share their stories of faith.
Charles Hefling (1977), having retired after thirty years as a professor of systematic theology at Boston College, is teaching at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge as an adjunct faculty member. Wipf & Stock has also republished his anthology Charles Williams: Essential Writings in Spirituality and Theology.
Cynthia Briggs Kittredge (1990) preached earlier this year at the Washington National Cathedral and at St. Bartholemew’s Episcopal Church in New York City. She also taught a workshop on Poetry and Scripture at the Consortium for Endowed Parishes (CEEP) Conference in Denver and presented a day for clergy in the Diocese of Western Louisiana. She is the coeditor with Ruthanna Hooke of the Spring issue of the Anglican Theological Review, Anglican Women at Prayer and blogs for Working Preacher and Sowing Holy Questions. She will be a speaker at the Pacific Lutheran University Summer Conference in Pastoral Theology and at Adelynrood Conference Center in September. Cynthia is Dean and President and Professor of New Testament at Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, TX.
Robert Leopold (2015) and his wife, Lisa, are preparing for a year of intense travel as the Mission Field Trip (#missionfieldtrip) phase of the Innovative Leadership Rounds begins, after having been in conversation with leaders at many missional communities around the Episcopal Church to schedule visits. A highlight for Bob of this past season was presenting at Missional Voices, “a conversation about innovative ministries and missional communities in the Episcopal Church,” held at Virginia Theological Seminary this past April. On May 6th, Bob received a Doctor of Ministry from the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. His thesis reflected Southside Abbey's ability to develop leaders for a new church context and the community's ability to work with whomever the Holy Spirit sends. Bob is missioner at Southside Abbey in Chattanooga, TN, a non-traditional worshipping community in the Episcopal tradition.
Robert MacSwain (2004) has co-edited a collection of essays by David Brown, Emeritus Professor of Theology, Aesthetics, and Culture at the University of St. Andrews, titled God in a Single Vision: Integrating Philosophy and Theology (Routledge, 2016). In bridging the fields of Western philosophy and Christian theology, this book covers key topics in philosophical theology, including the created order, experience and revelation, incarnation and redemption, and heaven and our communal destiny. A companion volume, A Generous God: Theology Through Symbol, the Arts and Architecture (Routledge, 2017), is forthcoming. Robert is Associate Professor of Theology at the School of Theology of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.
David Mason’s (1970) latest book, God of Love and God of Reason, Homilies, Lectures, and Essays on God and Religion, was published earlier this year. The book features a collection of homilies, lectures, and essays that vigorously champion David’s conviction that it is reasonable to believe in a God of “pure unbounded love” and, also, that the best religion is a reasonable religion. David is Professor Emeritus of Theology and Religious Studies at John Carroll University in Cleveland. He was also, for forty years, priest associate at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
Sarah Nolan (2012) was profiled and interviewed by the University of California (UC) Food Observer which features news on food policy, nutrition, agriculture and more, curated by the University of California as part of its UC Global Food Initiative. The interview covers Sarah’s background with The Abundant Table, the latest in her work with farming and food justice, and the work she has been doing with the two year Environmental Stewardship Fellowship that she was awarded in 2014. Sarah is the Director of Programs and Community Partnerships for The Abundant Table in Santa Paula, CA.
Titus Presler (1988) had several articles published including “A Toll on the Soul: Costs of Persecution among Pakistan’s Christians,” which appeared in the April 2015 issue of International Bulletin of Missionary Research, “Why has Pakistan become so Intolerant?,” which was in the August 30, 2015 edition of The Daily Beast, and “Education, Religion, and Risk in Peshawar: A Missional Self-Examination,” which appeared in the April 2016 issue of Missiology: An International Review. Titus has had numerous speaking engagements including an address to the Presbyterian World Mission staff in Louisville, KY in November. Then in January and February, Titus was Theologian-in-Residence at Christ Church, Ponte Vedra, FL, during which he delivered the annual Bridge Institute Lecture, “Headwinds: Challenges and Opportunities in Christian-Muslim Relations in the 21st Century,” and gave an interview about religious freedom on the Jacksonville NPR station, WJCT. In March he delivered an address, “Reconciliation: Theological and International Dimensions,” to the conference on reconciliation organized in Lahore by the Church of Pakistan. Then in April Titus keynoted the Global Mission Summit of the Diocese of Massachusetts with the address, “Reconciliation: Radical Vision and Test of Christian Mission”; preached at St. Peter’s Church in Cambridge, MA, and delivered the address, “Theological and Analytical Issues in Christian-Muslim Issues Today” as the Annual Lecture on World Religions and Interreligious Dialogue of the Theological Consortium of Greater Columbus. Finally, this May he spoke at Grace Church, New York City, on Pakistani Christians’ response of reconciliation after the Easter Sunday bombing in Lahore. Titus is currently based in Vermont, where he serves St. Matthew’s Church in Enosburg Falls, and continues as Principal-in-exile of Edwardes College in Peshawar at the request of Bishop Humphrey Sarfaraz Peters.
Christopher Seitz’s (1982) latest book, Joel: International Theological Commentary (Bloomsbury/T.T. Clark, 2016), was published in March. Christopher has been appointed Priest-in-Charge of St Luke's Fontainebleau, France (Church of England) and will be installed by Bishop Robert Innes in service on May 29. In addition to his ministry at St. Luke’s, Christopher is Senior Research Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, in Toronto, Ontario.
Charles Stang (2002) was promoted to Professor of Early Christian Thought at Harvard Divinity School in the summer of 2015. His second book, Our Divine Double, was published by Harvard University Press in March 2016. The book, “traces the rise of this ancient idea that each person has a divine counterpart, twin, or alter-ego, and the eventual eclipse of this idea with the rise of Christian conciliar orthodoxy.” His plenary lecture for the Ecclesiastical History Society at the University of London in January, 2015, entitled "Doubt, our modern crown of thorns," will soon appear in Studies in Church History.
Malcolm Young (1999) has written articles for the San Francisco Examiner that began with “Death of spirituality in San Francisco is greatly exaggerated,” followed by “Cathedrals still inspire worshippers and controversy” and “What do Christians believe?,” and then most recently “SFMOMA promises chance for spiritual awakening.” This coming November he will be presenting a paper at the Pacific Coast Theological Society. Malcolm is Dean of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, CA.