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JOURNAL OF UNIFICATION STUDIES VOLUME VIII 2007 An Interfaith Movement and Its Seminary Tyler Hendricks Problems and Possibilities of Church Growth: Towards a Unification Critique Clinton Bennett The Milingo Affair: Re-thinking the Unification Position on Clerical Celibacy and Ecumenism Michael L. Mickler Public Opinion of the Unification Movement in Korea: 1990-2006 In Chan Park The ACLC Social Action Program: Social Action or Social Inertia? Leander W. Hardaway World War One and Its Providential Significance for Korea Mark Callahan What is the Spirit? Some Physics of Spiritual Existence David Burton The Yin and Yang of Prime Numbers: Finding Evidence of Unification Thought's Teachings on the Dual Characteristics in Prime Number Reciprocals Adri de Groot Editor: Andrew Wilson Editorial Board: Tyler O. Hendricks Michael L. Mickler Andrew Wilson Production: Andrew Wilson The Journal of Unification Studies, a journal of the Unification Theological Seminary, is a forum for committed engagement with Unification theology and practice, addressing concerns of the theological community and the professional ministry. To clarify foundational issues in Unification theology, the Journal oj Unification Studies welcomes commentary and critical studies of texts and doctrines, as well as historical studies of the Unification Church and the life of its founder. To promote dialogue and understanding, it invites papers from diverse viewpoints which engage Unificationist themes, as well as papers which build bridges to other communities of faith. To foster living spirituality, it welcomes essays discussing the relationship between theology and practice. To address contemporary social, cultural, political, scientific and economic issues from a Unificationist perspective, the journal solicits social commentaries and reviews of current books, films, and media. The Journal of Unification Studies is published annually or semi-annually by the Unification Theological Seminary, 30 Seminary Drive, Barrytown, New York, 12507 Subscription rates are $17.50 per issue in the United States, $22.50 for institutions and overseas; discounts are available for multiple issues. Make checks payable to the Unification Theological Seminary. To order call 845-752-3000 x226. Submissions and inquiries may be sent to the editor by mail at the above address, by fax to 845- 752-3014, or by e-mail at [email protected]. ISSN: 1097-1769 2007 Unification Theological Seminary Journal of Unification Studies Vol. VIII 2007 An Interfaith Movement and Its Seminary Tyler Hendricks 1 Problems and Possibilities of Church Growth: Towards a Unification Critique Clinton Bennett 25 The Milingo Affair: Re-thinking the Unification Position on Clerical Celibacy and Ecumenism Michael L. Mickler 41 Public Opinion of the Unification Movement in Korea: 1990-2006 In Chan Park 6 1 The ACLC Social Action Program: Social Action or Social Inertia? Leander W. Hardaway 7 1 World War One and Its Providential Significance for Korea Mark Callahan 79 What is the Spirit? Some Physics of Spiritual Existence David Burton 107 The Yin and Yang of Prime Numbers: Finding Evidence of Unification Thought's Teachings on the Dual Characteristics in Prime Number Reciprocals Adri de Groot 125 AN INTERFAITH MOVEMENT AND ITS SEMINARY Tyler Hendricks At its October 8, 2006, Retreat, the Board of Trustees of UTS stated with one voice that the primary mission of the school is inter religious peace building. "UTS's founding vision was to bring about harmony," inter-religious said Trustee Allen Ostroff. "This vision is a rich ago." and unaccomplished dream that is as relevant today as it was 30 years Karen Smith elaborated, "UTS could be the place where people are trained to issues." be on intervention teams that go in and address critical Dr. Hugh Spurgin spoke in the same vein: "We think of our graduates as bringing peace on every level based on theological understanding and religious exper ience," he said, "peace in families, peace in schools, peace in neighborhoods, peace in offices, whether of government or business, peace in the broadcast ing industry, peace in music... Our graduates are peace ambassadors with people."1 theological training for how to bring about peace among diverse By this, the Trustees took the school back to its founding statement of purpose (1975): The Seminary seeks to promote interfaith, interracial and international unity not only through the formal course work, but also through the diversity of the student body and faculty, which stimulates interfaith dialogue and intercultural-interracial understanding... [Graduates] will be able to dialogue with believers and non-believers, and to design and conduct educational programs and conferences using learning theory, group process and administrative procedure. A professor's reminiscences reveal how this purpose took shape: "One day, a me," student came to see recounts Dr. Warren Lewis, then-professor of Church History, "a student I knew to have been Reverend Moon's chauffeur. Dr. Tyler Hendricks is President of the Unification Theological Seminary. He served as president of the Unification Church of America from 1995 to 2000. His books include Family, Church, Community, Kingdom: Building a Witnessing Church for Working Families (2000). _ ._,, c^,,_t^, vill, 2007 1 2 JOURNAL OF UNIFICATION STUDIES and in The student told me that he had been talking to the Reverend, so Reverend Moon's eyes, I must have a lot of free time as a professor, why religions?" don't I use my free time to unite the world's some of his Responding to the Founder's suggestion, Dr. Lewis invited friends and colleagues to an all-expenses paid weekend at the seminary to discuss theology with the seminarians. The scholars were stimulated by student interest in fundamental questions of creation, fall and redemption, society.3 and their idealism for fulfilling an ideal This gave rise to a series of conferences that grew into the New Ecumenical Research Association (New ERA). The seminary housed this inter-religious mission for several years through New ERA's lineal descendents, incorporated as the International Religious Foundation (IRF). These included the Conference on God: The Contemporary Discussion (a.k.a. the God Conference), the Interdenomina tional Conferences for Clergy, the Council for the World's Religions, the Youth Seminar on the World's Religions, and the Assembly of the World's Religions. The crucial point here is that the interfaith mission did not integrate with the life of the school. The student body did not diversify, despite the intention indicated in the statement of the school's purpose, and an interfaith mission did not combine easily with the esprit of a religiously homogeneous seminary. The Founder's call to Professor Lewis, after all, had to do with the professor's hours when he was not doing his seminary tasks. At the end of 1985, IRF moved out and the seminary adopted a denom inational set of purposes in its charter. The purposes majored in leadership in the Unification Church, promotion of the Unification worldview and creating a community reflecting Unification thought and life, with a call to inter Unificationism." religious work, albeit "in the spirit of This change of direc tion did not result from State Education Department pressure that UTS look like a more conventional seminary, according to then-Vice President Edwin Ang. Rather, it was an internal decision based on a consensus as to what the Unification Church wanted (or needed). The school curtailed the frequent hosting of guest speakers from other schools. Newly minted Unificationist Ph.D.s replaced the professors from other faiths. The seminary planted churches in seven cities in the mid-Hudson area. The second president made obedience to Father Moon's placement the sine qua non of graduation- worthiness. Three non-Unificationist participants in the Religious Youth Service matriculated at Barrytown in the early 1990s; none of them graduat ed. So the question arises: if the seminary could not create an interfaith program acceptable to people of diverse faiths then, what must change in order to accomplish it now? Hendricks: An Interfaith Movement and Its Seminary 3 A Seminaryfor an Interfaith Movement When I arrived as the third President in 2000, I viewed the school's mission indeed to produce Unification Church leaders, but with a twist that opened the door to developing a diverse student body. The twist was that the pastoral skills that are necessary for excellence as a Unification Church leader are the same as for the leader of any church. In terms of skills, all pastors, rabbis, imams and priests belong to the same profession and UTS can teach anyone those skills. This philosophy, backed by generous scholarship support, has enabled the seminary to attract a diverse student body at its Extension Center. On that foundation, the school now is considering a return to the original vision of creating at Barrytown a religiously pluralistic community of teach ing, learning, serving and spiritual formation. This has always been an inspiring vision, but before reveling in it one must take into account that a seminary, like any school, is part of a larger environment. Seminaries in particular are embedded within a network of spiritual communities. One thing these communities, or congregations, do is hire seminary graduates to be their leaders. A seminary can expand only as far as its sponsoring religious community can expand. Therefore the creation of a viable interfaith seminary cannot happen except within a movement of vision.4 healthy spiritual communities dedicated to an interfaith A seminary aligned with a society of authentic interreligious communities would be an Seminary," interfaith school. Call it "Interfaith Unification Theological or "iUTS." If the Unification movement could generate successful local interfaith communities that grow and multiply, then an iUTS could prepare the leadership for them. At the same time, an iUTS could pro-actively initiate the process by creating leaders who would establish such communities.
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