2018 Commencement
2323 East Iliff Avenue Denver, CO 80210 www.iliff.edu
The 113th Annual Commencement of The Iliff School of Theology
St. Andrew United Methodist Church Highlands Ranch, Colorado June 7, 2018 10:00 a.m. “Iliff School of Theology has been established to promote Progress in Doctrine and experience. It is based on the best, that it may rise in future to some future better than the present best... In doctrine it fears no criticism, courts always an advance.” —Bishop Henry White Warren, 1895
Please silence your cell phone. You are welcome to take photographs, but please be aware of sightlines for others and avoid using flash.
*Please stand as you are able.
Prelude Mark Zwilling Director of Music & The Arts St. Andrew United Methodist Church
*Processional Improvisation on a Theme
Leading the Procession Rev. Dr. Carrie Doehring Faculty Marshal Clifford Baldridge Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling
Gianna Rendon Student Marshal
Welcome Rev. Dr. Thomas V. Wolfe President and Chief Executive Officer Bishop Henry White Warren Professor of Leadership and Ministry Praxis
*Hymn “Where Mountains Lift the Eye” Music on page 11
1 Responsive Prayer Kirt Hodges and Mina Nau Masters Students of the Year
Leader: O Source of every good and perfect gift, who has gathered us from many traditions and places, we remember all who, willingly or unwillingly, knowingly or unknowingly, have helped us make the journey to this time of celebration.
People: We give thanks for your spirit working through them.
Leader: Lover of all, who knows and remembers every single one, we remember all the ancestors and their descendants, whose land we now inhabit, we remember those who were dehumanized by forced labor to establish this state and nation, we join your eternal recognition of their humanity and gifts beyond our knowing.
People: We give thanks for your spirit working through them.
Leader: We remember those who prepared the way with us in mind, founders with a vision, faithful teachers and graduates of the past who left us a tradition of scholarship and ministry.
People: We give thanks for your spirit working through them.
Leader: We remember trustees, churches and donors who shouldered the burden of supporting and maintaining our school.
People: We give thanks for your spirit working through them.
Leader: We remember pastors and chaplains, congregations and individuals who shared their wisdom and gave us encouragement.
People: We give thanks for your spirit working through them.
Leader: We remember classmates and teachers, who challenged us and widened our vision of what life means and faith requires.
People: We give thanks for your spirit working through them.
2 Leader: We remember administrators and support staff, whose steady efforts made it possible for us to prepare for our future work.
People: We give thanks for your spirit working through them.
Leader: And we remember with special affection friends and family, partners and children, who bore with us through times of struggle, who helped us persist in reaching for our dream and claiming what we are called to be.
People: We give thanks for your spirit working through them. And with glad and grateful hearts we praise you saying, Alleluia, Amen!
Presentation by the Graduating Class
Solo “If I Can Help Somebody” Author: A. Bazel Androzzo Hazel Miller, soprano Arrangement: A. Leon Tredwell Dana Marsh, piano
Reading Dr. Jacob Kinnard Professor of Comparative Religions
Commencement Address “Resisting Disequilibrium” Dr. Tink Tinker Clifford Baldridge Emeritus Professor of American Indian Cultures and Religious Traditions
Prayer Rev. Dr. Jennifer Leath Assistant Professor of Religion and Social Justice
*Congregational Song “I Need You to Survive” Music on page 12
Conferring of Degrees
Authorization and Greetings Anita Sanborn Chair, Board of Trustees 2017-2019 Conferral of Degrees Rev. Dr. Thomas V. Wolfe Presentation of Candidates Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty Co-Dean, DU-Iliff Joint Doctoral Program in the Study of Religion Professor of Practical Theology
3 Presentation of Diplomas Rev. Dr. Thomas V. Wolfe Anita Sanborn Master of Arts Master of Arts in Pastoral and Spiritual Care Master of Arts in Social Justice and Ethics Master of Theological Studies Master of Divinity Doctor of Philosophy in Religious and Theological Studies Investiture with Insignia of the Degree Dr. Mark George Professor of Bible and Ancient Systems of Thought Assistant Director, University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology Joint Ph.D. in the Study of Religion
Rev. Dr. Rubén Arjona Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology and Care
Alumni/ae Association Welcome and Gift in memory of Marjorie Robinson from the Robert P. & Marjorie Robinson Scholarship Fund
Becca Boone, MASC ‘13 Representative of the Iliff Alumni Association Board
Rev. Thomas Barlow Director of Alumni and Community Education
Charge to the Graduates Dr. Theodore M. Vial, Jr. Harvey Potthoff Professor of Theology and Modern Western Religious Thought
Dr. Andriette Jordan-Fields Academic Advisor
Blessing of the Hands Rev. Dr. Carrie Doehring Carmen Baca Doster Registrar
*Congregational Song “Hands” Music on page 13 accompanied by Jenny LaJoye
*Benediction Dr. Amy Erickson Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible Director of the Master of Theological Studies Program
*Recessional Improvisation on a Theme
4 Join us in celebration. A reception honoring the graduates will be held immediately following the commencement ceremony in the Fellowship Hall of St. Andrew United Methodist Church.
Dr. Tink Tinker
In November 2017, Dr. Tink Tinker (wazhazhe, Osage Nation), Iliff’s Professor of American Indian Cultures and Religious Traditions, retired after 32 years of service.
A member of the faculty since 1985, his publications include American Indian Liberation: A Theology of Sovereignty (2008); Spirit and Resistance: Political Theology and American Indian Liberation (2004); and Missionary Conquest: The Gospel and Native American Genocide (1993). He is co-editor of Native Voices: American Indian Identity and Resistance (2003), and Fortress Press’ Peoples’ Bible (2008).
Dr. Tinker regularly taught The History of Christianity and the Modern World, American Christianity and Indian Genocide, and Race, Gender, Class: Historical, Sociological and Scientific Analysis of Individual, Institutional, and Systemic Racism in the Modern World.
Dr. Tinker volunteered in the Indian community as (non–stipendiary) director of Four Winds American Indian Survival Project in Denver for 25 years. In that capacity he functioned in the urban Indian community as a traditional American Indian spiritual leader. His work with Four Winds also led to the Rocky Mountain Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America returning of land and establishing a relationship with the Native community at Four Winds.
Firmly committed to the ecumenical movement, Dr. Tinker is past president of the Native American Theological Association and is a member of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians. He has been active in volunteer capacities with several denominations at the national level and the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches. He served as an “Honorary Advisor” to IMADR, the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism; and he also serves locally on the Leadership Council of the American Indian Movement of Colorado. At Iliff, Dr. Tinker served as a key mentor to all students and particularly to students of color.
Hazel Miller and the Hazel Miller Band have been among the premier jazz, R&B, Blues ensembles in Colorado for the past 30 years. Ms. Miller has been featured in everything from Governor Hickenlooper’s inauguration to television audiences reaching 180 million viewers. You can learn more about her at www.hazelmiller.biz. The graduating class is honored to invite her to help us honor all this year’s anniversaries by performing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s beloved “If I Can Help Somebody.”
5 MASTER OF ARTS
Keely Autumn Hinshaw McCabe B.A., Hanover College with distinction J.D., Florida Coastal School of Law
MASTER OF ARTS IN PASTORAL AND SPIRITUAL CARE
Marcia Lynne Meier B.A., University of Northern Colorado M.S.S., University of Denver M.Div., Iliff School of Theology
Berry Daniel Wilson B.B.A., Kennesaw State University M.B.A., The University of Georgia
MASTER OF ARTS IN SOCIAL JUSTICE AND ETHICS
Quinton Raymond Bobb B.C.C.M., The King’s University
Emily Sepulveda Wheeland B.A., Oregon State University
Tessa Munson Wood B.A., Naropa University
MASTER OF THEOLOGICAL STUDIES
Aaron Edwards Brown B.A., Colorado College
Anna Elizabeth Burch B.S., Presbyterian College
María de Lourdes Calderón Universidad Bíblica Latinoamericana, Costa Rica
M. DeWitt Daggett III B.A., Macalester College with distinction M.S., University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
David Wayne DeWitt B.S., Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with distinction
Karin A. Dremel* B.A., Metropolitan State University
Stefanie Michelle Getteau B.A., University of Colorado at Boulder
Emilia Helen Glaes B.A., University of Dayton
Sarah Elinor Goodwin A.A., Tallahassee Community College B.A., Saint Leo University
6 Joshua Daniel Gutierrez B.S., Colorado Technical University
Lindsey Marie Hodel B.S., University of Kansas
Allison Ostrowski B.S., Ithaca College with distinction M.S., Cornell University Ph.D., University of Colorado at Boulder
Andrew Michael Sprain B.A., Pacific Lutheran University
MASTER OF DIVINITY
Jean-Paul Baudhuin B.A., University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Spencer Taylor Black* B.A., Emory & Henry College
Christopher Patrick Breen B.A., Lesley University
Carla J. Cain B.S., Northwest Missouri State University M.B.A., Iowa State University
Toni Chance B.A., Texas Tech University with distinction M.S.S.W., The University of Texas at Arlington
Christine Dance B.A., Wittenberg University
Jamielee Dolores Demske A.A., Cottey College with distinction B.A., Nebraska Wesleyan University
Ryan Duncan B.A., Guilford College
Brandon Thomas Erdmann A.S., Laramie County Community College with distinction B.S., Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Richard Albert Gianzero A.A., Ohio University B.A., Metropolitan State University of Denver
Annie Norton Groves B.A., Connecticut College with distinction
Etta Maria Hadnot A.A., Community College of Denver B.A., Chicago State University
Janice Lynn Head B.S.N., University of Colorado at Boulder M.B.A., M.S., Northern Illinois University
7 Rhonda Henslee B.A., Austin College with distinction
Kirt Hodges B.A., University of Kentucky
Asa Andrew Holly B.S., Southern Polytechnic State University M.S., Arizona State University
Jane Louise Holtzclaw B.S., M.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln M.S.A., Central Michigan University
Kenneth Edward Jarrell B.S., Texas A&M University M.Ed., Tarleton State University
Susan Alexandra Jarvis Turlapati B.S.N., University of Phoenix
Lauretta Anne Lundquist B.A., University of Northern Colorado with distinction
Jason Michael Miller B.A., B.S.E., Case Western Reserve University M.A.Ed., University of Phoenix
Amy Hodges Morehous B.A., The University of Tennessee Knoxville with distinction
Wendy Lynn Musgrave B.F.A., Iowa State University
Mina Maria Nau B.S., Utah State University M.F.A., Utah State University
Jaime Lyn Nieves B.A., Huntingdon College
Kelly Warren Peavey B.A., Grand View University
David Matthew Petty B.A., California State University, Fullerton
David Austin Piper B.S.B.A., University of Arkansas with distinction
Bridget Suzette Preece B.A., M.A., The University of Texas at San Antonio M.Ed., Sul Ross State University
Dixil Lisbeth Rodriguez B.A., B.S., Washington Adventist University M.A., Bowie State University Ph.D., Texas Woman’s University
Carol Ann Schurr B.M., M.A., The Catholic University of America with distinction
8 Penelope Crews Seay B.S.Ed., M.S.Ed., University of Kansas with distinction Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin
Cheryl Suzanne Swing B.S.B.A., University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Melanie Laureen Tubbs B.A., M.L.A., Arkansas Tech University
Debria Lewis Upton B.S., University of Mobile
Carla Ann Vogel B.A., University of Kansas
Candise Charmane Woods A.A., Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center A.A.S., Air University - Community College of the Air Force B.A., University of Maryland University College
Alexandra Wright B.A., University of Kansas with distinction
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
John Michael Bechtold B.A., Southern Nazarene University M.A., Nazarene Theological Seminary Dissertation: “Tragic Creation/Hope for the Future: Moltmann’s Creative (Mis)Reading of Hegel’s Philosophy”
Donald Featherston B.A., University of North Texas M.A., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Dissertation: “Living through Terror and Terror through Living: The Biopolitical Dimensions of Religion, Security and Terrorism”
Michael Paul Hemenway** B.S., University of Puget Sound M.A., Denver Seminary Dissertation: “Bible as Interface”
Randolph Norton Herbst B.S., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University M.Div., Denver Seminary Dissertation: “A History of Nondenominational Churches in Denver and Beyond, 1945-2000”
Thad Horrell* B.A., M.A., University of Missouri-Columbia
Dissertation: “The Negotiation of Racial, Ethnic, and Religious Identifications in American Heathenry”
9 Cari Michelle Myers B.A., Pepperdine University M.S., Abilene Christian University M.T.S., Texas Christian University Dissertation: “‘How to Make It Here’: A Qualitative Study on Generational Narratives of Survival and Success Among Latino/a and White Evangelical Communities Along the US/Mexico Border”
Catherine R. Orsborn** B.A., Asbury University M.A., University of Denver Dissertation: “In a Material World: Analyzing Religious Peacebuilding in Lebanon and Bosnia-Herzegovina”
Benjamin Peters B.A., Bethany College M.A., Denver Seminary Dissertation: “Narrativizing Theory: The Role of Ambiguity in Religious Aesthetics”
Joshua Rey Ramos B.A., Criswell College M.A., Gordon College Dissertation: “A Critical Interpretation of Olivier Roy: On Globalization, the Cosmopolitan and Emerging Post-Secular Religiosities”
Ben Sanders III B.A., Hope College M.Div., Union Theological Seminary Dissertation: “Traditioning Blackness: a Theo-Ethical Analysis of Black Identity in Black Theological Discourse”
Jeffrey Satterwhite* B.A., Texas A&M University M.Div., Baylor University Dissertation: “Honor, Shame, and Redemption: Explicating the American Evangelical Right’s Moral Worldview Regarding Same-Sex Marriage and Abortion”
Patrick Geza Stefan B.S., Liberty University M.Div., Reformed Theological Seminary Dissertation: “The Power of Resurrection: Early Christian Resistance through the Rise of Disciplinary Power”
Arthur Leon Tredwell** B.A., Concordia College M.A., United Theological Seminary Dissertation: “Black, Queer and Blessed: Toward a Biblically Based Black, Queer Theology”
*Graduated, August 2017; **Graduated, November 2017
10 Where Mountains Lift the Eye
11 I Need You to Survive Hands
I need you, you need me, A Song for Orlando we’re all a part of God’s body. by Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter Stand with me, disagree with me, we’re all a part of God’s body.
It is God’s will that ev’ry need be supplied. You are important to me. I need you to survive. You are important to me. I need you to survive.
I pray for you, you pray for me, I love you, I need you to survive. I won’t harm you with words from my mouth, I love you, I need you to survive.
Words and music: David Frazier (adapted) © God’s Music, Inc.
12 I Need You to Survive Hands
I need you, you need me, A Song for Orlando we’re all a part of God’s body. by Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter Stand with me, disagree with me, we’re all a part of God’s body. Can hold a gun and hold your heart Can put out fires and make ‘em start Skin and bones and flesh and blood It is God’s will that ev’ry need be supplied. With all this nerve how did we get this numb? You are important to me. I need you to survive. You are important to me. I need you to survive. They can hurt, they can heal They can give back or they can steal They can break the world, or they can change it too I pray for you, you pray for me, I love you, I need you to survive. Hands, Hands, Hands, Hands I won’t harm you with words from my mouth, They can love, or they can take I love you, I need you to survive. They can fight up until they save They can break the world, or they can change it too
Doesn’t matter who you love, all that matters is your love I’ve been watching news seeing all this hate tell me is it wrong to want a little change?
If a million hands can build a wall a million hands can break it down
All that matters is your love
Words and music: David Frazier (adapted) © God’s Music, Inc.
13 Acknowledgements
“Where Mountains Lift the Eye” Words: Thomas H. Troeger ©1991 Oxford University Press; Music: John Kuzma © 1991. Used by permission.
“If I Can Help Somebody” Words and Music: A. Bazel Androzzo Arrangement: A. Leon Tredwell
“I Need You To Survive” Words and Music: David Frazier (adapted) © God’s Music, Inc.
“Hands— A Song for Orlando” Words and Music: Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter
Readings from: Anne McClintock, Imperial Leather, 6, 16. Barbara Mann, Iroquoian Women, 60, 111f. Vine Deloria, Jr., Chapter 4 in his Spirit and Reason, 50f, 55.
Assisting in the distribution of diplomas is
Carmen Baca Doster Registrar
Thank you to the St. Andrew United Methodist Women for providing our reception.
With Distinction: Please see the Master’s Student Handbook for details about distinction.
14 Special thanks to the staff and faculty members with roles in preparing for Commencement
Alisha Eno Executive Assistant to the President
Carmen Baca Doster Registrar
Mary Ball Administrative Director, University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology Joint Doctoral Program
Dr. Elizabeth Coody Communications Coordinator Director of the Iliff Writing Lab
Rev. Dr. Cathie Kelsey Dean of the Chapel and Spiritual Formation
Caran Ware Joseph Director of Human Resources and Title IX Administrator who has involved all our staff in this ceremony (those not listed elsewhere in this program are):
Admissions and Student Services Facilities and Housing Peggy Blocker Jesús Almada Laura Ralston Donna Frey Vince Tango Dr. Jared Nieft (with his daughter Akira) Academic Information and Technology Andy Rieder Dr. Justin Barber Office of the Dean Maeve Leslie Dr. Jeremy Garber Business Office Betsy Lay Sandy Harkovich Office of Institutional Advancement Suzanne Mueller Kelsey Cochrane Campus Safety Marsena Holsopple Kyle Monroe Dr. Soon Beng Yeap Ira J. Taylor Library Office of Professional Formation Alice Runis Camilla Belfon Dr. Jason Whitehead
15 Iliff School of Theology 2323 East Iliff Avenue • Denver, CO 80210 • www.iliff.edu 303-744-1287 • 1-800-678-3360
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2018 Commencement
2323 East Iliff Avenue Denver, CO 80210
www.iliff.edu