Features

There is no disputing that the Church, as we know it, is in transition. From the disruptions of Covid-19 to the ever clanging death knell of low attendance and declining numbers, it is easy to focus on just the gloom and doom predictions of its demise. But is it really as dire as the polls and reports make it seem? The School of Theology reached out to several alumni to get their perspectives on what is really happening at the parish level, and what possibilities lie ahead for The Episcopal Church.

In the spring of 2021, the School of Theology announced that the name “DuBose” would be dropped from the annual alumni lectures. Learning of the name change, his namesake William Porcher DuBose III says, “It is what Christ would want.” The School of Theology contacted him concerning the name change and he offered to share his personal journey as he wrestles with a legendary figure in his own family history.

The debate about reparations goes back to 1865. Newly freed Black families would own their own land and the means of getting their produce to market. But in September of that year, just shy of the third anniversary of the writing of the Emancipation Proclamation, President Andrew Johnson shut it all down. "I didn’t really start talking about reparations until about 10 years ago, after I became bishop, explains Sutton. "It wasn’t that I was against it before. But guess what? I wasn’t educated on it. I was just doing my work as a pastor and priest."

Parishes have long been places for people of diverse perspectives and differences of opinions about contemporary issues. Education for Ministry (EfM) offers an environment for discussing and reflecting on diversity of opinion where the parish itself may not. "People learn how to move from certainty to faith. They move from holding their lives together with conviction to being able to know how to trust—trust themselves, trust God, trust others." Learn more about how EfM provides a pathway to meaningful dialogue across differences.

The Wabash Center helps theology and religion faculty reflect upon the goals and processes of teaching and student learning. Though the Center paints its goals with a large brush, specific symposia narrow the focus for applicants who wish to work with the program. The Rev. Dr. Deborah Jackson has been part of the symposium entitled “Becoming Anti-racist and Catalysts for Change” and is bringing some fresh perspectives to the ongoing conversation about racism and diversity at the School of Theology.

With this being Earth Month, the media has been saturated with articles about how climate change is affecting our planet. Sources range from the sciences to faith groups. The information can be overwhelming, yet the crisis is real. The question is—what does it really mean for you? Alumna Corey Stewart, T17, takes an in-depth look at the science, theology, and social justice aspects of climate change and reveals that everyone, yes everyone, can affect positive change.

Creation care can be viewed through many lenses. The Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton explains why when speaking of environmentalism with indigenous people, you need to take into account their traditions, cultures, systems, and institutions. Dr. Andrew Thompson sums it up as to why the work of the Church involves not only environmental stewardship, but also environmental justice and antiracism.

Education for Ministry (EfM) is happening in the Zoom world. As churches across the country began shuttering their doors and scrambling to upload services, EfM mentors turned to Zoom-inars. Yes, it has been awkward. Yes, participants get knocked offline, and yes, the screen freezes up. But after speaking with five mentors from across the country it is abundantly apparent that the ministry version of “Hollywood Squares” is a success.

The Rev. Dr. Matilda Eeleen Greene Dunn, one of the first two Black women to graduate from the School of Theology in 1994 and former lay chaplain for All Saints’ Chapel, died on Jan. 4, 2021, after an impressive and full life of service. Dunn’s influence on the Church, particularly for Sewanee and the Diocese of East Tennessee, was profound. We remember her and thank her for her many contributions during Women’s History Month.

At the beginning of the 2020 Advent term, newly appointed Dean of the School of Theology James F. Turrell sent an important announcement to all faculty, staff, and students: “For the past 20 years, the Chapel of the Apostles (COTA) has displayed a crucifix with the body of Christ as a white, European man. As a result of a community meeting on Aug. 3, the faculty recommended unanimously to take down the crucifix and convene a committee to discern a more inclusive replacement.

The Black Lives Matter movement steps into the realm of the Biblical prophets who speak of a world we have not known, one where lions lie down with lambs, where assault weapons become gardening spades, and where those who are hungry or thirsty can eat and drink their fill without having to worry. Black alumni from the School of Theology are leading the way in the parishes and local ministry contexts, in their dioceses, and Churchwide as they continue the work of our ancestors: the redemption of Christianity and the administration of self-care all along the journey.

At the School of Theology, the faculty and administration have been responding to seminary students who have called for several changes in the School's curricula, programs, and projects to increase non-white representation. Read how these changes are supporting the community's efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Rev. Dr. William Brosend, professor of New Testament at the School of Theology of the University of the South and newly appointed director of special projects, believes that the way forward involves new approaches to training ordained leaders in the Church, revitalizing lay ministry, and doing more to emphasize the work of the Gospel in the community. He argues that doing this requires a change in focus. Rather than “looking only internally and seeing those outside only as important to the extent that they could come in and contribute to the Church,” we must “more fully recognize that the Church is an important part of the wider community, and we must find richer, deeper ways to partner with and serve that community.”

The Rev. Dr. Benjamin King has been busy, not the least of that is accumulating titles—professor of Christian history, associate dean for academic affairs, director of the Advanced Degree Program, and most recently, a member of The Roberson Project working group. Features sat down with Professor King to learn more about the many aspects of his job— the curricular changes he has helped usher in, his involvement with the Roberson Project, and some of the highs and lows of providing a top-notch learning environment in the time of Covid-19.

The Rev. Joseph N. Green Jr., T’65, H’10, has the distinction of having earned a master of sacred theology (S.T.М.) from the School of Theology in 1965. In doing so, he made history as one of the first of two African American students to earn a degree from the University of the South. His cousin, William (Bill) Fletcher O’Neal also graduated in 1965 with an S.T.M. As the University launched a year-long celebration of “55 Years of Black Alumni” at the beginning of the academic year, Green’s life-long accomplishments stand as one of the hallmarks of the School of Theology’s history.

When the pandemic drastically impacted Americans in March 2020, the School of Theology had to consider alternative avenues of contextual education. Despite the limitations on travel and in-person practice, however, the pandemic created an opportunity for seminarians to engage with a broader region of the United States without traveling.

As you look at the student profiles of the 2019–2020 entering class at the School of Theology, one profile jumps out—Sister Elizabeth Carrillo, T’21, a Catholic nun pursuing her master of arts degree in religion and environment. That might seem surprising, but as Carrillo explains, she saw it as an “ecumenical opportunity.”

The inconvenience of the Gospel is that it requires us to dedicate our lives to God above all—above our family, our friends, and indeed above the empire and our politics. Yet, living above politics still requires us to share the good news with those whom Jesus sought, groups that are systematically debilitated by those in positions of political power. Thus, it becomes the job of the Church as the unified representative of Christ to not only share the Gospel with those who are marginalized, but also to remind those in power of their duty to the marginalized as well.

From the Mountain surveyed thousands of participants of Education for Ministry (EfM) and asked had any been elected or appointed to political office. We received responses from city council representatives, cabinet secretaries in state governments, state legislators, school board officials, and former White House officials. They were men and women, straight and LGBTQ+, and members of the Silent Generation, Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials.

RIP Medical Debt makes it easy for your parish to help your community. Running a fundraising campaign with RIP Medical Debt is simple, and the process can begin by filling out a form found on their website. Of course, it would be wonderful to build a society in which these kinds of initiatives weren’t needed—a society where necessary medical care wouldn’t bankrupt you and where medical debt wasn’t one of our nation’s largest contributors to poverty—but in the meantime this is one way that a church can help.

There is a a clear distinction between politics and partisanship, a distinction that is critical for preaching in today’s fractious, fragmented world: being political, that is, addressing the status quo among institutions of power, is not the same as being partisan, allowing bias and prejudice to negate the efforts and interests of others.

Kimberly (Kimi) Dement Dean, T’13, sometimes reflects on her unexpected path to faith and justice which began with a law and theology pilot partnership between the University of Tennessee (UT) Law School and the University of the South’s School of Theology in 2013. In Dean’s view, the promise of that pilot was worth considering, so that she might one day be the first of many law and theology students from Sewanee to enter public life in Tennessee.

The Rev. Dr. Robert MacSwain, associate professor of theology at the School of Theology, has embarked upon a fascinating research project this year, underwritten by a generous grant from the Templeton Religious Trust. "Features" caught up with MacSwain to get the details about his research to write "An Argument for the Existence of God."

The Rt. Rev. Jacob W. Owensby, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana offers his fourth book, A Resurrection Shaped Life: Dying and Rising on Planet Earth, as an introspection into our ordinary lives. Owensby presupposes that the resurrection of Jesus occurred as God’s definitive act of love. This “good news” is not just a static moment in time to be evangelized as an answer to what happens after we die, but rather an example of God’s love being poured into our day to day

The Rev. Danáe Ashley, T’08, loves dancing “with wild abandon to Celtic music and serious karaoke” as well as being a priest and a practicing, licensed marriage and family counselor. An emerging breed of “free-range” priests, she does not, however, consider herself bi-vocational. “Two pieces of work, one vocation,” she states.

Many think we can plan the details of our lives, but God has different objectives. Sometimes we need reminding that wrong turns can lead to unique and beautiful destinations we never thought we would experience. Such is the case of two remarkable individuals who are all too familiar with the ways of the Holy Spirit. Enter the Rev. Stuart Higginbotham, T'17, and Kate Eaton, who will lead a workshop, "Engaging Ministry; Practices of Prayer, Worship, and Community," on the campus of the University of the South Jan. 30–Feb 1.

Dr. Paul Holloway is the University Professor of Classics and Ancient Christianity, teaching at both the college for the past three years and the seminary for the past 10. An internationally recognized Pauline scholar, we sat down with Holloway to get a little insight into the man, his scholarship, and life on his family's mini-farm.

On Oct. 13, John Henry Newman became the first canonized English saint since 1970, and the first canonized non-martyr in more than 600 years. The Rev. Dr. Benjamin King of the School of Theology was invited to attend the canonization and speak during a conference on Newman held at the Vatican. We asked King to reflect on the importance of Newman's theology to Anglicans. "He was a bridge between communions, transferring a Catholic vision to worldwide Anglicanism and then bringing some of his Anglicanism with him when he became a Catholic."

The Rev. Warren Swenson, T'18, says that one of the greatest things about Sewanee is that he doesn’t feel pigeonholed; he can work as a priest in local parishes while simultaneously studying for his master of sacred theology degree and teaching undergraduates. “Even though the course I teach, public speaking, is a secular course, a big part of my ministry is the passing on of knowledge. We have this idea that the Church’s only ministry is feeding the hungry and clothing the naked, etc. I think it’s the teaching and sharing of knowledge that is the true ministry of the Church.”

When he spoke recently at the “Launching of a New Year” service in All Saints’ Chapel, Gray Hodsdon, T’20, had a unifying message for members of the University community—undergraduates, seminarians, faculty, staff, and others: “We are all Sewanee.” As the president of the St. Luke’s Community student body, Hodsdon was invited to speak during the annual service along with undergraduate student leaders and the vice-chancellor.

Although the first evangelists were women, there are only a few places worldwide where women are approaching parity in ministry. One School of Theology-trained priest, the Rev. Jean Mweningoma, is working to encourage the shift toward equal church leadership in his corner of the world—the Diocese of Buye in the Republic of Burundi in East/Central Africa.

Paul Marcuson of Williamsburg, Virginia, received many glowing remarks as the winner of the 2019 SUMMA Award at SUMMA Theological Debate Camp, held July 16–25, at the School of Theology. All campers and adult leaders vote anonymously at the end of SUMMA Camp for the youth they believe best exemplifies “speaking the truth in love,” a standard that is upheld throughout camp.

Bartholomew Segu, T’16, travels around Tanzania with a gospel message and a ceramic insulating rocket stove design. While much of the world has transitioned to gas and electric stoves, half the earth’s population continues to burn solid fuels like wood, coal, and biomass. In Tanzania, most cooking takes place indoors where some households have a metal charcoal stove and ventilation is often poor or non-existent. As a result, acute respiratory infections have been named as the leading cause of the deaths of four to five million children every year.