pra xis

News from Hartford Seminary • April 2004 • Vol.XVI • No.1

From Islamic Thought to Congregational Health, Books Offer Fresh Insights By David S. Barrett Director of Public and Institutional Affairs

Four members of Hartford Seminary’s faculty have newly published books that continue the seminary’s mission of serv- ing as a resource to the nation and the world. Ibrahim Abu-Rabi’, Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian Muslim-Relations, has pub- lished Contemporary Arab Thought: Studies in Post-1967 Arab Intellectual History (London: Pluto 2004), a work that took eight years to complete and is written for not only students and academicians but also journalists and policy- makers. Ian Markham, Dean of the Seminary and Professor of Theology and Ethics, has published A Theology of Engagement (Oxford: Faculty Blackwell 2003), which he hopes will reach out to Books those who are shaping the argument • Educating policymakers about between conser- the contemporary intellectual vative and liberal Protestants and persuade history of the Arab world them to recognize the open and • Demonstrating that generous nature of the Christianity has always interacted Christian tradition. with non-Christian traditions Jane I. Smith, Professor of Islamic Studies and • Providing comprehensive Christian-Muslim Relations, is a regional information about Muslim editor of the Encyclopedia women around the world of Women and Islamic Cultures (Leiden, The • Informing people in the pew Netherlands: Brill about what makes congregations Academic Publishers effective 2004), for which she con- Continued on page 4

Accreditation Affirmed Page 3 • New Ph.D. Program Page 3 • Spong Visits in June Page 2 Hartford Seminary Has Established The Value Right Rev. John Shelby Spong To Deliver Lecture for Seminary International Ph.D. Degree Program of Giving To Raise Scholarship Funds Your Annual Fund Gift at Work artford Seminary is This is an important new educational students applying to the Ph.D. pro- Did you know that your gift supports students adding a new degree initiative of Hartford Seminary. It gram will have completed their at Hartford Seminary? A typical Hartford Hartford Seminary will hold its to its educational reflects the Seminary’s understanding Master’s at the Seminary. Seminary student pays about $385 per credit to first annual President’s Reception offerings, starting in that the world is changing and the Each student in the program will be attend class. The actual cost of providing theo- on June 11 to raise money for the fall. In partner- insular approach to academic study is logical education is about $750 per credit. Your shipH with the University of Exeter in quickly becoming outmoded. The pro- required to take a yearlong course at scholarships for international the Seminary titled “Research financial support is used to directly support students. the United Kingdom, the Seminary gram recognizes the importance of instructional costs and to benefit individual has established an International Ph.D. international diversity and the need Methodology and Scholarly students; your gift directly affects the number Those attending will have the degree program. for higher education to engage with Development.” In addition to prepar- of students we can serve. opportunity to talk with the Rt. international perspectives. ing all students for advanced doctoral- Rev. John Shelby Spong, retired This unique program, while modeled level independent research, this This fiscal year (July 1, 2003 – June 30, 2004) Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese on English Ph.D. programs, combines The faculty, after discussion about the course will provide students with a the goal of the Annual Fund is $249,800, of Newark, N.J., and attend a lecture by Bishop Spong on both the U.S. and U.K. educational impact of the program on the overall cohort group for mutual support and which represents approximately 6% of the “The Tension between Respect for Other Religious Traditions systems. Students will work with advi- educational curriculum, endorsed it. peer criticism. total expenditures of the Seminary. Clearly, and Commitment to One’s Own.” sors from both Hartford Seminary and They said that a research-oriented fac- the Annual Fund is important to the life of the the University of Exeter. The ulty deserves the opportunity to work Other program requirements will be Seminary to sustain programs that provide The evening, which takes place at the Seminary, starts with University of Exeter will award the with students at the doctoral level. designed for each student through dis- excellent theological education. The Annual the reception at 6 p.m., followed by the lecture at 7 p.m. degree. cussions between the advisers and the Fund might be more descriptively called the The Seminary expects that, for most student. Bishop Spong has a popular website, “A New Christianity for a “Sustaining Fund,” as it is so essential to the In the first three years, the program students, there will be a transition New World.” He is the author of fifteen books, including Why To insure that students are exposed to ongoing work of the Seminary. will have a limit of 10 students in four year between completion of the Christianity Must Change or Die: A Bishop Speaks to Believers in areas of study: Islamic Studies, Master of Arts and start of the Ph.D., international perspectives, all students To date, $196,703 has been raised towards the Exile and New Christianity for a New World: Why Traditional Christian-Muslim Relations, during which the students will will be required to spend a three- $249,800 goal. That means we’re more than Faith Is Dying and How a New Faith Is Being Born. He served as Theology, and Ethics. become more expert in their field of month period at the University of halfway there, but we still need your help. rector of St. Joseph’s Church in Durham, N.C., from 1955 to study. The Seminary also expects that Exeter. Please keep in mind that new and increased 1957; rector of Calvary Parish, Tarboro, N.C., from 1957 to gifts are matched by an anonymous donor, who 1965; rector of St. John’s Church in Lynchburg, VA, from has encouraged and challenged others to make 1965 to 1969; and rector of St. Paul’s Church in Richmond, generous gifts. VA, from 1969 to 1976. He was consecrated bishop in 1976. Hartford Seminary draws students from around The donation for the reception and lecture is $100. This is a the world. We know there are many others special giving event sponsored by the Seminary to provide Seminary Retains Accreditation who would like to attend but cannot, due to scholarships for international students. It estimates that $80 of financial constraints. Please consider a gift so the ticket price will be allowable as a charitable contribution. that others can benefit from the unique experi- Following the event donors will receive an official receipt for The Association of Theological Schools and the New • The intentional efforts as embodied in retreats and ences available at Hartford Seminary. their tax-deductible gifts. England Association of Schools and Colleges have other formats that foster the discipline to address sig- voted to affirm the accreditation of Hartford nificant issues within the life of the community.” Bishop Spong will be at Hartford Seminary the week of June 7 Seminary for a period of 10 years. With this issue of Praxis, Christine Palm – 11, teaching a course during Summer Session. In the course, ATS also commended the Board of Trustees for their ends her tenure as editor. When she titled, “The Future of Christianity: The Need for Radical In October, an accrediting team visited the Seminary, selection of Heidi Hadsell as president. became editor of the Seminary’s alumni/ae Reformation,” students will be challenged to “think the and reported back to ATS and NEASC. The organiza- Hadsell thanked the ATS and NEASC for their votes publication in 1989, Palm renamed it unthinkable.” According to the course description, “This is a tions’ boards voted in February and March respective- Praxis and expanded its format. She is of confidence in the Seminary and praised everyone course for all those who are outside, on the edge, tempted to ly to accept the report of the accrediting team and leaving to concentrate on her own writing at the Seminary for their hard work to make the leave or struggling to change from within the Church of the affirm the Seminary’s accreditation. and teaching. Palm teaches journalism, review so successful. “This affirmation of Hartford 21st Century. At the end of the course students will be invited expository writing and poetry text analysis ATS, in a letter to President Heidi Hadsell, noted sev- Seminary is a credit to our faculty and our staff, who to think imaginatively about faith and their role in the future at the Greater Hartford Academy of the eral distinctive strengths of the Seminary: work so hard to help the Seminary serve its many con- of Christianity.” Arts. She would like to thank the readers of stituencies.” She thanked Ian Markham, dean of the • “The quality of the intellectual depth and national Praxis for their support, criticism and Those interested in attending the June 11 event should contact Seminary, for shepherding the process, including com- visibility and impact of the faculty astute readership throughout the years. Jennifer Schimmel, Director of the Annual Fund in the Institutional pletion of a self-study that will guide Seminary strate- Advancement Office, at (860) 509-9520 or by email at gic planning. Palm will be succeeded as editor by David • The new initiative in Institutional Advancement as [email protected]. S. Barrett, Hartford Seminary Director of expressed in the new hire of the director with the “I know that we have much work ahead to achieve all vision to seize the opportunities that the current Public and Institutional Affairs. Please Those interested in the Summer Session course should contact our objectives,” Hadsell said, “but I am excited at how strengths of the school provide direct all inquiries, comments and subscrip- Karen Rollins, Registrar, at (860) 509-9511 or by email at much we already are doing to meet our mission of tion changes to him at Hartford Seminary, [email protected]. • The tenacity and integrity of inclusiveness related to education, research, dialogue and public information.” 77 Sherman St., Hartford, CT 06105. Or women, ethnic diversity, and the interreligious dia- contact him at (860) 509-9519 and by ATS asked that the Seminary pay close attention to logue within the Seminary email at [email protected]. three areas: making sure its work to promote dialogue • The commitment to lay education and the public reaches new publics, ensuring it has adequate Correction: character of theological education resources for any new initiatives given the multiple Editor: Christine Palm • Designer: James Baker programs it has now, and undertaking financial plan- The following names were omitted from the 2003 Reprint and copy information: Articles may be reprinted if full credit is given to Hartford • The passion and commitment at every level -- admin- ning and rigorous prioritization to maximize overall Annual Report of donors to Hartford Seminary, Seminary and the author, if bylined in Praxis. For our records, please inform us if you plan to istration, faculty and staff -- to the mission of the effectiveness. which was published in the December 2003 issue reprint or photocopy any part of Praxis. Letters to the editor are welcomed. If you would like Seminary of Praxis: additional copies of this issue of Praxis or back issues, please contact Christine Palm, c/o Hartford Seminary, 77 Sherman Street, Hartford, CT 06105. For information about Praxis, Dr. Wayne G. Rollins and Mrs. Donnalou M. Rollins please call 860/586-8030, or by e-mail: [email protected]. For all other information concerning Dr. Ronald A. Lundeen and Mrs. Linda K. Lundeen Hartford Seminary, call 860/509-9519.

2 P RAXIS A PRIL 2004 P RAXIS A PRIL 2004 3 Faculty Books continued from page one Faculty Books Continued from previous page

tributed coverage of Muslim women in the Americas and He also wrote the introduction for The Road to al-Qaeda and and Pat Robertson read the book and engaged in a dialogue Cynthia Woolever Western Europe – a subject still so new that not many acad- the preface for The Empire and the Crescent. about its thesis. “I do want the book to reach out to those who Woolever said that she and co-author emic studies have been done. The first volume was pub- are shaping the argument between conservatives and liberals Deborah Bruce wanted to write a book The Road to al-Qaeda was originally written in Arabic by the lished earlier this year. and persuade them to recognize the dynamic nature of the tra- for the people in the pew. “While Egyptian Islamist lawyer Montasser al-Zayyat on the life and dition,” he said. there is a great deal of good informa- Cynthia A. Woolever, Professor of Sociology of Religious thought of Ayman Zawahiri, founder of the Egyptian Jihad tion about what makes congregations Organizations, is co-author of A Field Guide to and the associate of Osama Bin Laden. Markham also recently published A Funeral Guide: Christian effective, little of it has reached the Congregations: Who’s Going Where And Why and Beyond the Hope, Christian Practice, with co-author Giles Legood. This is average person who really cares about Ordinary: 10 Strengths of U.S. Congregations (Louisville: In this book, al-Zayyat traces Zawahiri’s life from the day he an American edition of his British work The Funeral Handbook. their faith community,” she said. “We Westminster John Knox 2002 and 2004 respectively), was imprisoned in Egypt to his flight from the country to also wanted to paint a national picture which derive their information from the largest profile ever Afghanistan in 1987. “The book sheds significant light on Written for the general public, the book combines theology for and about congregations. Our taken of worshipers in the United States. The Field Guide the so-called jihad in Afghanistan and the formation of al- (“so I tell everyone what life after death is like,” Markham desire was for them to be able to see is in its 3rd printing. Qaeda in 1996 and speaks about the people who were says) with practical advice about how to organize a funeral. behind the tragic attacks on the United States in 2001,” themselves in perspective.” The four faculty members recently reflected on these publi- Abu-Rabi’ said. He wrote the book, Markham said, because “it is important Woolever and Bruce began planning the research in 1998 and cations, and others that they have completed: that we allow ourselves to think constructively about death. It The Empire and the Crescent consists of a number of essays comes to all of us and the Christian drama in particular speaks collected the data from congregations in 2001. More than 50 written by Western and Muslim scholars on the state of the with power about the nature of death and the hope that should faith groups participated and all 50 states were represented. world after September 11 and the U.S. role in world poli- shape our attitude to it.” Nearly 300,000 worshipers in more than 2,000 congregations Ibrahim Abu-Rabi’ tics. There are a number of essays about the condition of completed a survey where they described how they experienced Abu-Rabi’ said that he was the Muslim community in the United States and Europe. It their congregation. Jane Smith inspired to write Contemporary is important reading for those who want to come to grips Smith said Encyclopedia of Women The Field Guide portrays the average worshiper in the U.S. Arab Thought to explore the with Muslim views of the world after 9/11, Abu-Rabi’ said. importance and diversity of the and Islamic Cultures was initiated based on a random sample of congregations of all types. Beyond Arab intellectual world and the about five years ago to produce the Ordinary describes the ways congregations show extraordi- way it connects to the West. information about Muslim women nary effectiveness. Ian Markham around the world, in cultures that The first book, To complete the book, he lived in Markham said A Theology of have for most of their history been Woolever said, “was Syria, Egypt and Morocco and Engagement was five years in the Muslim, and those for whom more a description interviewed numerous scholars making. Muslims are fairly new citizens. and thinkers in those and other of what is ‘average;’ Arab countries. It was triggered, he said, “by a As an encyclopedia, it is intended to the second book sense that underlying the argu- provide accurate information as up focuses more on “The book deals with both North Africa and the Middle ments between liberals and con- to date as possible. When complete, it will have six volumes. what makes congre- East,” Abu-Rabi’ said. “It treats traditional Islamic trends of servatives is a shared view of the gations ‘above aver- thought and modern secular ones. It begins with 1967, Christian tradition, which is mis- “I do think this is a very important work, and has had the par- age.’” Now she and which has been a watershed in contemporary Arab history taken. Liberals see the tradition ticipation of a wide range of scholars, both Muslim and non- Bruce are working on and thought. The book is divided into two sections: the- as something we can no longer Muslim,” Smith said. a third book about matic and individual. In the thematic section, I deal with believe (because it was shaped in a Smith, co-director of the Seminary’s Macdonald Center for the how location or con- such issues as modernity, globalization, and capitalism and pre-modern setting, etc., etc.), while conservatives see the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, also is one of text affects congrega- their impact on contemporary Arab societies. And in the tradition as something we must simply continue affirming. three editors of Religion and Immigration: Christian, Jewish and tions. individual section, I deal with a number of distinguished The truth is that the tradition is not this static inflexible Muslim Experiences in the United States. Her co-editors are Arab thinkers who have written in both French and entity. If one wants to ”We want leaders and Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad and John L. Esposito. Arabic. Many of the authors I deal with have never been be true to the tradi- people of faith to have a discussed in the English language before.” tion, then in fact we basic understanding of are called to learn “I do think this is a very important church life and worshipers,” Woolever said. “For example, only Abu-Rabi’ hopes that readers will come to understand that from non-Christian half of all worshipers are involved in anything other than “in this day of U.S. involvement in the Arab world, we wisdom and use our work, and has had the participation of attending services. This places enormous pressure on the quali- cannot afford to be ignorant about this world and how it reason to shape our a wide range of scholars, both Muslim ty of the services if this is the only moment when the majority might affect us and the way American foreign policy is theology.” of people experience their faith community. Worshipers are drawn. It is important for the readers to be acquainted with and non-Muslim.” - Jane Smith more highly educated, more likely to vote, more involved in the contemporary intellectual history of the Arab world in The central thesis, their communities – in short, more fully engaged in public life order to have a better judgment of our policies there.” Markham said, “is that than the average citizen.” the Christian tradition This volume, she said, grew out of the Luce Forum in He said he was surprised to learn about the huge differences (as represented by She expects clergy, lay leaders and worshipers to be interested Abrahamic Religions, a joint project of the University of between North Africa and the Middle East. “There are Augustine of Hippo in the books, and was surprised at the interest that came from Hartford and Hartford Seminary. In the book, papers written almost two intellectuals histories of the Arab world: one is and St. Thomas the press. out of a conference look at Jews, Christians and Muslims as Middle Eastern and the other North African,” he said. Aquinas) has always new or not so new citizens in an America that is ever changing The press “is eager to have accurate statistics to cite in their been dynamically religiously. stories. For example, most are not aware that two out of three Abu-Rabi’, who also is co-director of the Seminary’s interacting with non- congregations have fewer than 125 in worship. Most of them Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian- Christian traditions. Aimed at an audience of students of religion and of American have been writing about mega-churches or unusual church set- Muslim Relations, has contributed to three others works in This ‘engagement’ takes one of three forms: assimilation, sociology, Religion and Immigration is intended to give informa- tings. After the release of the first book, some have actually addition to Contemporary Arab Thought. resistance, and overhearing. We need to continue to com- tion, not to offer a theoretical or theological framework. “It was committed to writing about a more ‘balanced’ and realistic pic- mit to this process as an act of fidelity to the tradition we He edited and wrote an introduction and chapter for Islam one of the first in what is now a growing field of studies of ture of the religious landscape,” Woolever said. at the Crossroads: On the Life and Thought of Bediuzzaman have inherited.” immigration,” Smith said, “and one of the few that looks specifically at the three Abrahamic religions.” Said Nursi. He went on, “The liberal and conservative battle is deeply This book deals with Said Nursi, a Turkish theologian who misguided. Both need to come and rediscover the riches of died in 1960. One of the few books on the subject, its major the Christian tradition. The truth is that to be true to our message is “that we need to know a lot about contemporary tradition one must be open and generous.” Islamic theology and issues of dialogue and tolerance,” Abu- Markham would be delighted if people like Jerry Falwell Rabi’ said. Continued on next page

4 P RAXIS A PRIL 2004 P RAXIS A PRIL 2004 5 Bearing Witness to the Light in the Darkness

Heidi Hadsell, President of Hartford Seminary, delivered this sermon on January 5, 2004, at the Seminary’s weekly chapel service held Monday mornings.

Bearing Witness Continued from previous page

This sermon is I am fond of this text in part because it so carefully points them the stories, sing them the songs, show them the ural and well balanced expression, would never express out that he who came to witness to the light, was not the the product of places that they taught and sang and showed their own itself in terms of the founder’s creed.” Pg 224 light… similarly, we are not the light, but mere witnesses children, thereby tragically raising a generation of histo- three things: the to it. We don’t own it or control it, we can’t define it in a ry-less youth. Thousands and thousands of kids deprived “ The letter killeth but the spirit giveth life. We believe final way, we can simply point to it, try to give words to it, that we can best honor the fathers, not by following the lectionary read- of the common stuff of culture… the stories, the songs, and experience it, and of course the simple pointing to it is the know-how, the beliefs, the meaning, because they are letter of their creed and thus endangering in our lives the ing for Sunday, in itself hard enough in a world that mostly seems to prefer deprived of the generation that was their parents, their things which they held most dear, but by re-expressing their spirit and following their method, doing for our time January 4; the its own darkness, and I suppose the activities it can carry aunts, their uncles, - the generation best placed, the gen- out under the cover of darkness. eration whose job it is to pass it all along. what they did for theirs through a creed which is as con- Christmas and temporary for us as theirs was for them.” Pg 225 From the holidays come a fresh sense of the relationship of So, two themes here – light and the witnessing to light in New Year’s continuity and change - in places familiar to us, which a dark world — and continuity and change…in tradi- “Any present day confession will in the course of time break we have both change and stay the same, in our families and friend- tions, family, familiar places, cultures. They are related – cease to be contemporary: and when the right time ships, in our own identities. Thus the hole-in-the -wall our children will learn to witness to light – to meaning comes, it is to be hoped that a future generation will do just finished; hotdog stand called Top Dog on Durant Avenue in and to faith, because we teach them to do so (just how just what we are doing, and amend Article 111.” Pg 225 Berkeley plays a role in my nephew’s life not unlike it did and personal they do so is for them to decide) and because we have This approach to the creed is classically Calvinist. It in mine when I was an undergraduate. It was then a institutions and practices that teach them to do so. views the creed as inevitably and even happily, a product reading on favorite for the 2 a.m. food runs, convenient for a snack Institutions and practices that I must say seem to be ever not forever, but a product of time and place, and thus a any time, cheap enough for the budget to bear and a place Hartford Seminary, particularly the histo- increasingly at risk in an age of materialism, cynicism, statement of faith, a document, open for revision now where one could expect to run into friends. It still is all individualism, militarism, and the privatization and con- and in the future, in the acknowledgment that God con- ry from 1834-1934 which was recently these things. He and I generally go there together when I centration of wealth. These “isms” that seem seriously to tinues to act in the world now and will in the future. Like am in Berkeley in a cross-generational pilgrimage that given to me by an alum, informed by the act in our social world like the AIDs virus in Africa, wip- the light in the darkness, the commitments, the truths solidifies our own relationship as it also both stays the same ing out the ability of one generation to pass on values and expressed in the past are things that today we can point fact that Hartford Seminary was founded and changes. practices and faith to the next. to in our time and place only in our own way, in a way exactly 170 years ago this month. In Berkeley, my ancestral home, if anything in California One of these institutions is of course Hartford Seminary. that makes sense to us. can actually fit that bill, I find myself pointing out to my Reading accounts of the Seminary one discovers its own We have just begun 2004. Hartford Seminary was foun- From the lectionary comes the famous kids the house my grandparents built and lived in when we manner or manners of being a witness to light in the ded this month 170 years ago. Today let’s quietly remem- happen to drive by it, or the ones my great grandparents beginning of the gospel of John: “In him darkness, and its habits of continuity and change. ber and celebrate our history, the energy, vision and hopes built and inhabited, the schools I attended and my parents Founded 170 years ago by the Pastoral Union – a group of of our founders and those who succeeded them across the was life, and the life was the light of men. and grandparents attended before me. My kids appropriate Calvinist pastors who thought Yale too progressive, today generations. Let us honor our history which is a history of family history like I did, but in their own ways, attending The light shines in the darkness, and the Hartford Seminary is clearly in the vanguard of Christian continuity and change in an on-going effort to be faithful to details and stories of their own choice, sifting the mate- theological education in the United States, and also to the gospels, to the God of Abraham, and to be in our darkness has not overcome it … He was rial, picking and choosing, like curators in their own his- beyond national boundaries. The road traveled these one way in this time and place a witness to the light in the torical collections. Somewhere I suppose I harbor the hope not the light but came to bear witness to hundred and seventy years is a road of innovation in con- darkness. the light.” that not only will these stories and places contribute to stant conversation with tradition. We don’t live in the shaping Nena and Martin, but that they will in some way past, but we are in part shaped by that past and its stories. also help shape the generation that they in turn will bring While it can be problematical, the One of the legacies of the past is precisely the manner in into the world some day. which Hartford Seminary has in the past dealt with its past. imagery of light and darkness, the picture Such is the role of memories across generation – places and of the light shining in the darkness that stories – that one of the greatest tragedies of AIDS in It is thus with special interest that I pay attention to the cannot overcome it, is powerful and pri- places where it has hit large percentages of whole genera- treatment of the past, the legacy from the past when I tions, as in some parts of Africa, is the way it has under- read histories of Hartford Seminary. One such moment mal. It is both confession – we are the mined the process of continuity and change across genera- came in 1912 as the seminary considered a new creed and darkness after all – and hope – that there tions. whether or not the old one should be revised. is a reality that is good and true that can- African grandmothers often end up taking care of the chil- “Nevertheless we do not believe that their creed is adapt- dren orphaned by their parents’ deaths. But I am told the ed to the use of this generation. It was largely shaped by not ultimately be extinguished, but rather grandmothers are often too weak and too poor, too worried the controversies of its time, by sharp differences over can be discerned in the midst of all the about the basics of survival, to teach their grandchildren minor doctrines, which only the professional theologian the normal skills of life such as farming, cooking, looking is now familiar with…. The faith of today, seeking a nat- darkness. after the animals. They are too tired, or too busy to tell Continued on next page

The road traveled these one hundred and seventy years is a road of innovation in constant conversation with tradition.

6 P RAXIS A PRIL 2004 P RAXIS A PRIL 2004 7 Reprinted from Hartford Business Journal, August 4, 2003 Q & A Business meets theology Longtime business leader teaches ethics at Hartford Seminary By Karen Cortés Business Meets Theology Continued from previous page

Corporate marauders, beware! The tide Ethics was not taught in the business that was written by Michael Rion Cement in Cleveland. It was from that of public opinion is swiftly changing. schools until the 1970s, when the ter- called The Responsible Manager, which company that I came to Dexter in Wise business students are examining a rible case of Japanese Prime Minister I’ve used in all the classes I’ve taught 1970. more enlightened approach to ethics Tanaka being bribed with a $1 million here at the Seminary. It always gets and accountability with Worth payment to order airplanes for the the highest rating by the class of any Dexter was sold off about three years Loomis, Professor of Faith & Public Japanese passenger fleet from of the six or seven books we use as ago. It got put into play by Sam Life at Hartford Seminary. Lockheed [came to light]. That result- texts. Heyman, a Waterbury man who spe- ed in the Foreign Corrupt Practices cializes in trying to buy companies A man of the cloth, Loomis is not. He Act that was passed by Congress in Do those questions lead to a lot of cheaply and then break them up and is the former CEO of a publicly traded 1977. That was when all the business whistle-blowing? make a lot of profit. He started that company, a WWII veteran, and sits on Resumé schools began to teach corporate On some occasions, they should lead process with Dexter. The trouble with the boards of a host of civic organiza- Name: Worth Loomis ethics. to whistle-blowing. But then you that is, once it starts, the only ques- Job Title: move into another set of problems. As tion is, what’s the final price going to tions and for-profit companies. Not a Professor of Faith person you might expect to see on the & Public Life, Hartford So there’s no particular point that you know from the Enron situation, be? It’s practically impossible to save faculty of one of the nation’s oldest Seminary you try to drive home? people who blow whistles do not, by the company. The good news was that Hometown: There are six questions for ethical and large, get rewarded by society. Sam didn’t get it. The directors sold it and most respected multi-faith theo- Hartford Education: decision making that people at all That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t in four different pieces. I think that logical institutions. B.S., Industrial Engineering, Yale times should be ready to ask them- blow the whistle, but it does mean the groups that bought them were Hartford Business Journal: With a University; M.B.A., School selves. First of all, if you have some- that it’s a complex matter for people people who knew a lot about what background in engineering and busi- of Business, New York thing you are worried about, the first to decide. they were doing. ness, how did you come to be an University question is, “Why is this bothering instructor at a theological institution? me?” Is it really an issue? Am I gener- Is corporate culture different from It kept jobs here? Loomis: I think it was a gradual transi- ally perplexed or am I afraid to do what it was 20 or 30 years ago, or Yes. I think they’ve even hired. There tion. I was retiring from Dexter time, it has brought down the ethical what I know is right? If it’s just a ques- has bad behavior simply been are more people on the payroll than tion of doing right, it’s simple. exposed? when the company was sold. I do feel Corporation here in Connecticut, standards of all the major accounting Do you think in If you look at the history of business very sad there is no longer a Dexter where I was CEO. The president of the firms, and some major law firms, to most cases where there have been If it’s something more complicated scandals, they do seem to run in Corporation. You may not know this: Hartford Graduate Center, which is what I would say is their lowest point accounting irregularities, that the than that, then you have to ask some cycles. This particular cycle we are in, Dexter was one of the oldest corpora- now known as Rensselaer Hartford, ever. CEO knows it? other questions. “Who else is what has happened in the last five to tions in America. It was founded on died of a heart attack rather suddenly. I I do. In fact, I think that there is a uni- involved? Who are the other stake- 10 years is the worst kind of business the banks of the Connecticut River in was asked to fill in, which I did. I was Did you ever experience any bad gov- versal bribery scheme that was open to holders? Is it something I’ve done activity since the 1930s, when the Windsor Locks before the Revolution president then of the Hartford ernance during your years at Dexter? CEOs and CFOs and the boards of that’s wrong or is it something some- SEC was made into law. It’s a very bad in 1767. Graduate Center for five years. While We did have some cases where divi- directors of every listed corporation. It one else has done?” period. there, I got to know Barbara Brown sions of the company would turn out was a bribery in a form of stock options Are you teaching at the seminary full Zikmund, who was the president of to have been using some accounting of such potentially enormous and There’s sort of a decision tree. If it’s What do you see in the future of time now? Hartford Seminary. As I was leaving practices that weren’t appropriate and short-term value, that a significant someone else’s [action], you move off a corporate governance? I’m here half time, but I do other that job, she asked if I wouldn’t come weren’t correct. It was never anything number of senior executives have been little bit to, “What is the ethical con- I think a lot of laws are in place to things. I’m head of the financial aid here. That’s how I made the transition. so large that we had to restate our induced to falsify their companies’ cern?” Is it a legal obligation? Is it a cause better behavior. It’s very well committee, and in charge of the earnings, but it was large enough that reported earnings, and to really bully question of fairness? A question of known, on the other hand, that you obtaining of visas for our foreign stu- How long have you been teaching we disciplined quite a few people who their associates and accountants and keeping a promise? Just a question of can’t legislate morality. But you can dents, which is increasingly a compli- your corporate accountability course? were involved. It wasn’t just a single lawyers to conspire or acquiesce in that honesty? Is it about doing good and punish unethical behavior to the cated process, given the homeland Since 1994. While I was at Rensselaer, person who decided to do it. It was a process. I think it’s been a terrible peri- avoiding harm? extent that boards and audit commit- security rules. I used to teach corporate strategy and group of people that decided to do it. od for the top layer of our business tees, and accountants and lawyers all advanced financial accounting. leadership. It doesn’t apply to all of It’s not a long or complicated list. It’s modify their behavior. That’s in Are you one of the few instructors Particularly in the corporate strategy I think that is part of what has been them, but it’s a significant number. course, there was a good deal of corp- happening in the last five to 10 years questions that I think everybody process right this moment. I think it’s with a more corporate versus theo- comes across in the normal part of liv- being done fairly well. I think of Bill logical background? Are you the only orate ethics. I’ve just finished this term in the business community, of listed How do you teach the students in ing. It’s important to ask, “What do Donaldson, who’s the new head of the one? teaching a course called corporations. I think particularly of your class to lead ethically? others think? Whom can I ask for SEC. I’ve followed his career since he Yes. That is true. You don’t want very Accountability: Business Ethics in a Enron and WorldCom and Global It’s a very good question. The trouble advice?” In other words, don’t keep was one of three upstarts who started a many in a theological school, but it’s World of Globalization. Crossing and Tyco. All are companies with it is that it’s such a complicated these problems secret. Air them, and new Wall Street firm named good to have at least one! One of the that are listed on one of the stock question. For example, some people see what other people think. Ask Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. He’s reasons I enjoy being here is that the What surprises you about the corpo- exchanges. The good news is that only hold that if [you haven’t] learned yourself, “If you see it in the Hartford just the right man for that job. influence of religious communities on rate ethics displayed over the last few about eight percent of the U.S. work- ethics at your mother’s knee, it’s too Business Journal, are you going to feel institutions and countries is very years? force works for Fortune 500 companies. late to learn it thereafter. I don’t agree upset about that?” If you’re upset You were CEO of Dexter for 13 important. It’s important to keep it What surprises me is how terrible it A much lesser percentage, perhaps not with that at all, [although] I appreciate about that, it means you have to worry years. Did you move up the ranks? alive and well. has been! It really is a travesty. I would more than five percent, of corporate the sense of it — that ethics need to about what you’re about to do. I came in as CFO. I’ve been a CFO of say that business community leadership executives work for those companies. be instilled early in a person’s life. has reduced its ethical standards, The vast majority of corporate man- two New York Stock Exchange com- All of these questions are in a book panies. The first was Medusa Portland which are never particularly high, to agers and executives in the U.S. have Business ethics today is such a mar- the lowest point since the creation of not been involved in these scandals. velously complex subject that it really the Securities and Exchange does require some kind of teaching. Commission in the 1930s. At the same Continued on next page

8 P RAXIS A PRIL 2004 P RAXIS A PRIL 2004 9 Faculty Notes February, and a five week Lenten Series Arthur Starr to deliver the keynote Faculty Notes Continued from previous page about “Accommodating Muslims on at Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford speech at an evening panel on Campus” at the annual meeting of the on “The Christian Life: Between Sin and “Abraham: Father of Three Faiths.” lished in The Blackwell Companion to Ingrid Mattson has been enjoying National Association of College and On December 10, Redemption.” He and his wife, Heidi Among the respondents were Rabbi Modern Theology. Among his public teaching her first on-line course this University Chaplains in Atlanta, GA. Ibrahim Abu-Rabi’ Gehman, also celebrate the birth of Starr and the imam of the local mosque, speaking engagements were: December: winter semester. “Introduction to Islamic Later that month Mattson spoke at the and Heidi Hadsell William Ernest Cobb on February 29. Sheikh Musab Abdul Hakeem. Both Radio participant on Voice of America Law” has students participating from United States Institute of Peace in traveled to Turkey Rabbi Starr and Imam Abdul Hakeem discussing “Seminary Education after various locations in the United States, Washington, and at the World Affairs to promote the Carl Dudley produced an 18-minute expressed a desire to participate in the September 11.” January: Interfaith as well as international students. In Council meeting in West Hartford. Seminary work in that videotape on faith-based organizing for June “Building Abrahamic Partnerships” Dialogue with Dr. Israr Ahmed in December, Mattson responded to the country. They met with the social change based on the October 30 program at Hartford Seminary. Landau Lahore, Pakistan; presentation on presentation made by Deborah Cynthia Woolever was interviewed by minister of education, the minis- assembly of the Greater Hartford also delivered the sermon at Follen “Christian Attitudes to War” at the Weissman on “Women as Peacemakers” various media outlets and reporters ter of religious affairs, and the president Interfaith Coalition for Equity and Community Church in Lexington, MA, Institute of Policy Studies in Islamabad, at Hartford Seminary. During December about her second book stemming from of Islamic affairs. Abu-Rabi’ and Hadsell Justice. In February, he did a church his- on “From Conflict to Peacebuilding— Pakistan. February: Course at St. James vacation Mattson traveled to California the U.S. Congregational Life Survey also gave talks in Istanbul and Ankara. tory and timeline with the Coral Gables, The Lessons from Open House,” then Episcopal Church, West Hartford, on where she spoke at the annual confer- project, Beyond the Ordinary: 10 In January, Abu-Rabi’ convened an FL, United Church of Christ. He helped facilitate a discussion over lunch. “An Open Orthodoxy”; participant at ence held by Zaytuna Institute Strengths of U.S. Congregations. Among international conference in Lahore, preached at the Universalist Church in New England Association of Schools (Hayward, CA), a center for traditional them were interviews with Time maga- Pakistan on the thought of the Pakistani West Hartford, CT, in January and December activity for Worth Loomis and Colleges’ Responsibility and Islamic education. In January, Mattson zine and radio interviews with Prime theologian Israr Ahmad. Fifteen scholars Bethel AME Church in Bloomfield, CT, included regular meetings of the Integrity Commissions Meeting. March: participated in a national dialogue of Time America and UNI Radio Network, from the U.S., England, Turkey and in February. Connecticut Quality Council, Moderate Lecture on “Religion, Identity, and faith leaders sponsored by the National which serves 200 stations around the Pakistan discussed Dr. Ahmad’s ideas and Voices for Progress, and the Kazanjian Toleration” at the University of Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice country. In January, she participated in then went to Islamabad, where they Heidi Hadsell traveled to Turkey in Foundation. Loomis joined Professor Bob Kentucky; lecture on the “Ethics of Said in Chicago. The same month she spoke an event on congregational strength at delivered talks at the Institute of Policy December with Ibrahim Abu-Rabi’ to Emiliani of Rensselaer - Hartford in a Nursi” in Bonn, Germany; preaching at an Avon Old Farms School vespers the Indianapolis Center for Studies. Abu-Rabi’ also went to Egypt to meet with educational officials in the joint presentation to HABE, the and adult education talks on “God, service and gave the invocation at the Congregations. In March, Woolever meet philosopher Foaud Zakariyya, Turkish government and leaders of the Hartford Area Business Economists, on Jesus, and Life after Death” at St. John’s West Hartford, CT, Martin Luther King delivered a lecture, titled “Beyond the whose book Fiction and Reality in the Said Nursi community. In January, she the subject of “Should Business Schools Episcopal Church, West Hartford. Day ceremony. In February, Mattson Ordinary,” to the Protestant Church- Contemporary Islamist Movement he has attended a Society of Christian Ethics get an “F” in Business Ethics?” which spoke at a “Master’s Tea” at Yale owned Press Association meeting in translated. meeting in Chicago and participated on they answered with a somewhat embar- University’s Trumbull House. In early Crystal City, VA. Efrain Agosto attended the Executive a panel on urban ministry at Trinity rassed “Yes.” During January Loomis and March, Mattson gave a presentation Committee meeting of the Association College, Hartford, in honor of the Rev. his wife Louise Loomis were part of a of Theological Schools in December. He Martin Luther King Jr. In February, Hartford Seminary delegation to two is the convener for the Leadership Hadsell moderated a debate on Zionism Muslim/Christian Interfaith dialogues in Education sub-committee of this group. at Central Connecticut State University Pakistan: one in Lahore with Dr. Israr In January, he was part of a consultation and in March she traveled to Hungary Ahmed and his school, and one in on Excellence in Ministry sponsored by for a Center of Theological Inquiry con- Islamabad with the Institute of Policy An Interfaith Journey the Fund for Theological Education held sultation, where she presented a paper Studies and the International Islamic at the Trinity Retreat Center in on public theology. Hadsell also partici- University of Pakistan. February includ- artford Seminary and the Hartford-based Christian Cornwall, CT. During much of February pated in a session of the working group ed a lunch with Heidi Hadsell and Dean Activities Council presented a program titled he hosted, along with the Hebrew Bible in global ethics of the Ecumenical Joseph Britton of the Yale Divinity "Retracing Slavery as an Interfaith Pilgrimage" on Search Committee which he chairs, four Institute in Geneva. She published an School where they talked about the February 3 to recognize Black History Month. The finalists for the position who came to article titled “Ecumenical Social Ethics: schools’ joint academic program. During Interfaith Pilgrimage of the Middle Passage was a twelve-monthH walk, beginning in May 1998,through the eastern Hartford for interviews. Upon complet- Questions for Today” in the December March, Loomis gave the Sunday Homily ing that task, Agosto flew to Claremont, issue of Voices from the Third World. at the Unitarian Church of New Britain, United States, the Caribbean, Brazil, West Africa, and South California on February 26-29 to attend a on “What’s Happened to Business Africa. It retraced the history of slavery by foot and continued by conference, “Theorizing Scriptures,” In December, Yehezkel Landau hosted Ethics?”, and was the luncheon speaker boat and other forms of transportation, reversing the direction of sponsored by the newly established Israeli scholar Dr. Deborah Weissman, on “Ethical Issues of Employee Benefits the Middle Passage. Hartford native Aleta Alston-Toure, below left, Institute for Signifying Scriptures at who presented an evening program with Plans” at the Annual Meeting of screened footage and lectured about this historically significant Claremont Graduate University. In Ingrid Mattson on “Women as Compensation Specialists at the event. In other photos, the audience listens to her presentation. March he traveled for the second year in Interreligious Peacebuilders,” and deliv- Connecticut Business and Industry a row to Cuba, this time as a co-leader, ered a presentation on “Jewish-Arab Association. He also met with with Robert Evans, of a Plowshares Peacemaking: A Grass-Roots Testimony” Macdonald Center faculty and the Rev. Institute travel seminar. to a Sunday brunch meeting at Beth El Nahad Tomeh, a leader of the Synagogue, West Hartford. Presbyterian Middle East Interfaith Landau spoke on Middle East peace Project, and with a Jordanian delegation Steven Blackburn once again finds him- issues to a group of Presbyterian clergy which included His Excellency Izzeddin self in the pulpit on a regular basis while and lay activists from the Newark K. Al Tamimi, Supreme Judge and his wife, the Rev. Susan E. Wyman, Presbytery at a weekend conference in Adviser to His Majesty the King, and pastor of the Second Congregational Orange, New Jersey in January and also Ms. Nuha Mahmoud Ma’ayta, President Church of Hartland, CT for the past six- led an adult forum on “Healing the Holy of the General Federation of Jordanian teen years, takes a sabbatical break. Land” after worship at the First Baptist Women and the second female member Blackburn also is Visiting Assistant Church, West Hartford, and spoke on “A elected to Jordan’s Parliament. Professor of Religion at Trinity College Jewish View of Marriage” to an interfaith this semester, where he is teaching a gathering in Newington, CT. In Ian Markham, with co-author Giles course on Islamic Mysticism. Closer to February, he conducted an adult forum Legood, published A Funeral Guide: home at the Seminary, he gave a visiting on “Healing the Holy Land” and partici- Christian Hope, Christian Practice delegation from Jordan a tour of the pated in the worship service at St. John’s (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson 2004), the library stacks as well as the Arabic man- Lutheran Church, Stamford, CT, and American edition of his Funeral uscript collection, which he inventoried delivered a lecture on peacemaking in Handbook. He also wrote an editorial on in the early 1990’s. the Middle East at the McAuley senior “Engaging with the Theology that Really citizen complex in West Hartford, CT. Sells” in Conversations in Religion and Kelton Cobb gave a presentation on a Later that month, he flew to St. Thomas, Theology and an article on “Christianity “Christian Understanding of Marriage” Virgin Islands, at the invitation of board and Other Religions” which was pub- to the Newington Clergy Association in member Trudy Prior and local rabbi Continued on next page

10 P RAXIS A PRIL 2004 P RAXIS A PRIL 2004 11 his post in Tehran even through part of the Alumni/ae Notes Council, Los Angeles; Jay Rock, Interfaith Relations of the In Memoriam Iranian revolution. He and his wife were Presbyterian Church USA (formerly NCCC); Marsha The Hartford Seminary community lost the following among six Presbyterian missionaries expelled Seminary Hosts National Snulligan-Haney, Interdenominational Center in Atlanta; beloved members recently. Our thoughts and prayers go from the country after the overthrow of the Liyakat Takim, Professor of Religion, University of Denver; out to their friends and families. Shah. Ted Seto, Rev. Seto’s son said, “For Symposia on Christian- Harold Vogelaar, Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago. him, creation of a world in which all could Mrs. Janet Craw of Madison, Connecticut, Muslim Dialogue feel included and cared for was what the M.A. ’34, died February 2, 2004. Throughout The presentations and ensuing conversations among partici- church was about, and his life and ministry her life, Mrs. Craw was associated with many pants, audience and class members raised a number of interest- reflected that.” activities within her communities and the By Jane I. Smith ing and sometimes even contentious issues. Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations United Church of Christ for which she The Rev. Dr. Melvin G. Williams of For many years discussions of theological issues have domin- served on the National Board for Homeland Compiled by Nancy Aker, Wilbraham, Massachusetts (’84 D. Min.) ated the conversations between Christians and Muslims, and Ministries, wrote educational curriculum, Associate Director of Development died March 6, 2004 at 66. Dr. Williams was in many contemporary dialogues (such as the NCCB-spon- published articles for the Family Life Professor of English and Chairman of the sored talks between Roman Catholic priests and Muslim Commission and was President of the New Teddy Hedges (Thelma Prince English Department at American imams) continue to do so. Some felt that while conversation Hampshire Conference of the United Hedges), ’52 SRE, writes: “I look for- International College in Springfield, MA. He should not be limited to theology, it remains of crucial impor- Church of Christ. She was also an integral ward to Praxis as well as news on the was a faculty member 43 years, taught more tance, while others are persuaded that such engagement while part of the ministries of her husband, the late net. I would love to hear from for- than 10,000 students, and published several perhaps still enlightening is better replaced with action in the Rev. Harold E. Craw (B.D. ’34) whom she mer HSRE friends. I am presently books and more than 500 scholarly articles pursuit of common and recognizable goals. met at Hartford Seminary. Her daughter retired and enjoy my four grandchil- on five continents. He also was an ordained Katrinka Greger wrote, “they shared a life- dren, Isabel (4), William (5), Noelle Some argued that the book has not been closed on theology, minister in the United Church of Christ and time of love and service. Missed by so many (9), and Thomas (nearly 14.) My while others see the dialogue process as an evolution from served as senior interim pastor at churches people but left us a shining legacy of love email is [email protected].” theology to action. The tension between the goals of evange- throughout western Massachusetts and and service to God.” lization and da‘wa for the purposes of conversion on the one northern Connecticut. He was a Certified Alden (’53 B.D.) and Betty Hebard hand, and the assumption that such goals only distract from Christian Educator and served as a sponsor Miss Olaf Hanson, 91, of Zanesville, Ohio write: “Betty and I moved into a better mutual understanding on the other, was well explored. and mentor to men and women pursuing led a very vibrant and full life up to the time retirement facility two years ago, and ministry as a career. Throughout his life, Dr. Jane I. Smith, Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations, Considerable discussion was held on the issue of whether or of her death February 10, 2004. Miss Hanson stay very involved with volunteer Hartford Seminary and John Borelli, Secretariat for Ecumenical and Williams was active in community affairs. He not to dwell on past injustices perpetuated by both Christians received her M.A. degree at Hartford activities. I am at the Iowa Interreligious Affairs, National Council of Catholic Bishops spoke regularly to school children, took part and Muslims against each other, and whether or not the harsh Seminary in 1938. She was employed as the Conference office two days a week, in public programming on radio and TV, par- realities of conflicts between Muslims and Christians in other National Director of Children’s Work for 14 answering phones and doing mail- On October 22 and December 3, 2003, Hartford Seminary ticipated in his town’s historical society, parts of the world today should be part of the dialogue in the years by the Friends United Meeting ings and other assignments. provided the venue for conversations among Muslim and spoke to community organizations about his- American context. Some participants expressed the hope that (Quakers) and traveled all over the United Meanwhile, Betty works with hard Christian scholars and religious practitioners on the topic of tory and early New England graveyards, and America may serve as a model for the possibility of better States and England doing religious education of hearing groups and returns to the Christian-Muslim dialogue in North America. On the basis of was consulted by the media for expert opin- interfaith relations elsewhere. for them. In 1958 she wrote a book for health center where she worked to ion on education, communication, and the their own interfaith encounters, participants were asked to teacher training entitled “Jesus Showed do activities as a volunteer. She also Bible. reflect on a series of questions: The issue of female participation in the dialogue was touched God’s Love.” She came to Zanesville and has a number of hobbies and crafts on, with the acknowledgement that some Muslim women find worked for the YWCA and as an elementary that occupy her times.” • What has been your experience in Christian-Muslim dia- The Rev. Dr. C. Umhau Wolf, 89, of it difficult to speak in the presence of imams or other male school reading teacher until she retired in logue and how has it affected you personally? Ottawa Hills, Ohio, died February 5, 2004. leaders. Conversations that take place strictly between women, 1977. She was a world traveler having ridden “Know Me, Hold Me, Sing to Me: Dr. Wolf received his Ph.D. from Hartford • What do you see as prerequisites for successful conversations which are taking place quite often in America, may have par- a camel in Egypt, joined an African Safari What My Grandchild Taught Me Seminary in 1942. Dr. Wolf followed in the between Muslims and Christians? ticular merit. Participants touched on, but did not necessarily and toured Israel, Russia, Japan, China, About God” is a recently published footsteps of his father and grandfather in all agree on, concerns related to dialogue in terms of racial- Hong Kong, Bali, Australia, the Panama book by Sorin Books written by • If you do classroom teaching, what kinds of opportunities joining the clergy. He served at Zion ethnic and sectarian (intra-faith) issues. Canal, and most of Europe and the United Hartford Seminary alumna Kathleen does this context afford for dialogue? Lutheran Church in Jelloway, Ohio, and at States. Miss Hanson was a member of First Chesto (’87 D.Min.). The book While the presentations were geared to reflection on Ascension Lutheran and Washington Community Church of Columbus, Ohio, and explores the image of God as a • If you are a religious professional, what, if any, are the reser- Christian-Muslim dialogue, several participants noted the churches, both in Toledo. After World War also attended Trinity United Presbyterian grandparent, a personal God who vations expressed by the members of your congregation to importance of including Jews as “Abrahamic” partners in at II, Dr. Wolf became a professor, teaching at Church in Zanesville. loves us and delights in us without interfaith dialogue? least some of our interfaith exchanges. Note was also made of Chicago Lutheran Seminary in Maywood, expectation. Kathleen Chesto shares the fact that America is becoming increasingly multi-faith, and Illinois, for a year before he was asked to be • Is “theological” engagement in itself fruitful or must we now The Rev. Dr. Marietta Mansfield of the freedom and wisdom she discov- that sooner or later interfaith must extend beyond the partners interim pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church move toward working together on common projects? Louisville, Kentucky, a student at the ered in the relationship between a of the Abrahamic conversation. in downtown Toledo. He held that post for a Kennedy School of Missions in 1943-44, grandparent and a grandchild. And • How can we move beyond “politeness” to serious issues of year, and then returned to Chicago Lutheran While not all participants discussed the issue directly, there died on December 22, 2003. She was an she invites us all to consider that interfaith understanding? Seminary. In 1953, the church asked Dr. was general agreement that if we do not succeed in engaging a ordained Methodist minister for 30 years. A relationship as a model for our per- Wolf to come back to Toledo full time. At These symposia, open to the public, were structured in the new generation of young people in the Christian-Muslim con- published author, Dr. Mansfield began her sonal relationship with the divine. St. Paul’s, Dr. Wolf created the Ecumenical context of the course “Christian-Muslim Dialogue in North versation our efforts will have been largely wasted. ministry as a missionary in India. The Institute, which brought together Protestant America.” Students and community members had an opportu- United Methodist Women honored Dr. Many benefits of the dialogue were cited, the most common and Roman Catholic theologians, and nity to hear from a wide range of participants, seven Muslims Marietta with the establishment of the being that true interfaith engagement seems to have the bene- helped organize local theological dialogues and six Christians, all of whom have had significant experi- Mansfield Fellowship Circle. She was the fit of giving both Christians and Muslims a better understand- across denominational lines. In 1966, he ence in a wide range of forms of dialogue. They were male and first woman who pioneered in the pastoral ing of their commitment to their own religious faith and tradi- became the first director of the Lutheran female, Sunni and Shi‘ite, Roman Catholic and Protestant, ministry of the former Louisville Annual tion – “making Christians better Christians and Muslims bet- Institute for Religious Studies at Texas and represented a range of racial-ethnic identities. Their pre- Conference of the Methodist Church. In ter Muslims,” as several put it. Lutheran College in Seguin, Texas. He sentations will be expanded into full essays that will appear as 1961, she was ordained an elder, the highest returned to the Toledo area again, and in a special issue of The Muslim World journal this summer. order of clergy in the Methodist Church. These symposia, and the issues raised by participants, reflect 1974 became pastor of Hope Lutheran. He the commitment of the President and the Dean of Hartford retired in 1979. After retiring, Dr. Wolf was The participants were, in alphabetical order: Mahmoud Ayoub, The Rev. Paul S. Seto, a pioneer in Muslim- Seminary to making dialogue a major part of the continuing inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall Professor of Religion, Temple University; John Borelli, Christian dialogue was 85 when he died educational program of Hartford Seminary. The students in the of Fame in 1983. Dr. Wolf’s interest and ded- Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, National February 21, 2004 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. class of which the presentations were a major segment ication to interfaith relations was demon- Council of Catholic Bishops; Patrice Brodeur, Professor of Rev. Seto received his M.A. at Hartford expressed their great appreciation to the school for hosting strated by the fact that he was the first Religious Studies, Connecticut College; Yeyha Hendi, Muslim Seminary in 1965 and found his calling in these scholars and practitioners. Protestant pastor invited to preach at a regu- Chaplain, Georgetown University; Marcia Hermansen, the mission field, devoting his life to crossing lar synagogue service in Baltimore. He was a Professor of Islamic Studies, Loyola University; Amir al-Islam, Dialogue is an absolute necessity in our world, the members of racial, political and cultural barriers to create special lecturer at the dedication of the Professor of Islamic Studies, Medgar Evans College; Charles the class agreed, and it must be a dialogue that is honest, fair community where there was none. He was National Islamic Center in Washington and Kimball, Chair, Department of Religion, Wake Forest and inclusive. “Nobody can fix our history,” reflected sympathetic to people of other faiths and a frequent speaker at the Islamic Center of University; Aminah McCloud, Professor of Religious Studies, Indonesian pastor Tony Tampake, “but together we can create facilitated Christian-Muslim dialogue with- Greater Toledo. DePaul University; Salam al-Mariati, Muslim Public Affairs our future.” out compromising his own faith. Rev. Seto served in the Middle East and remained at

12 P RAXIS A PRIL 2004 P RAXIS A PRIL 2004 13 S U M M E R S E S S I O N 2 0 0 4

Summer Session 2004 Continued from previous page

Hartford Seminary’s Summer Session ARTS OF MINISTRY important areas of Islamic ritual law. Emphasis is on practical only for Muslims? These are the questions we will explore in will run from Sunday, June 6 through application of the law and much of the course is taught in our readings of classical and pre-modern theologians, including Tuesday, June 29 with three excep- Practical Stewardship and Fundraising for Religious Leaders workshop format. Muhammad Nur Abdullah, Adjunct Professor of al-Ash`ari, al-Maturidi, al-Ghazali, Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn Abd al- tions: a travel seminar to China that Monday, June 14 – Friday, June 18, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Islamic Studies and Director of Religious Affairs and Imam of the Wahhab, and modern theologians including Fazlur Rahman begins Monday, May 24, an evening Religious leaders operate “gift-driven” charities. Often frustrat- Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis and Sayyed Hossein Nasr. Ingrid Mattson, Professor of Islamic course that begins on Tuesday, May 25, ed because they don’t know how to raise money for outreach, Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations and a travel seminar to Barcelona, social ministry projects, budgets and buildings, these leaders The Art of Spiritual Direction Spain that begins Monday, July 5. turn to outside fundraising companies and flash-in-the-pan Class will meet from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on May 25 and 27 and Learning from Others: Sorting Out Your Theology in an Most classes will be held from 9 a.m. campaigns to meet pressing financial needs. Meanwhile their June 1, 3, 8, 10, 15 and 17 and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Interfaith Environment to 4 p.m. the weeks of June 7-11, June secular peers in other charities are literally raising billions each Saturday, June 5 Monday, June 21 – Friday, June 25, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 14-18 or June 21-25. The Seminary’s courses are open to mem- year. This course will teach basic annual fund, major gifts, This course explores the ministry and dynamics of spiritual The vast majority of religious people draw upon one religious bers of the public on a space-available basis and carry three foundation grants, capital campaigns and planned gift fundrais- direction. Topics include the history and scope of spiritual tradition to shape their beliefs about life and practice. Yet theo- graduate level credits. Individuals who do not wish to take ing, essential skills for any religious not-for-profit leader. direction, especially within the Christian tradition, the theo- retically many people believe that there is much insight and courses for credit may apply to take courses as an auditor. Students will differentiate philanthropy, development, and bib- logical foundations, and the variety of expressions of spiritual wisdom in other religious traditions. In this course, we attempt Many classes fill up quickly, so participants are urged to register lical stewardship as they review sacred texts and current direction within the personal, interpersonal, and social con- to construct our theology consciously in conversation with early to ensure a place in their courses of choice. For those resources. Attention will be given to practical stewardship texts. Cathleen Murtha, Adjunct Professor in Arts of Ministry and other religious traditions. Four major areas are explored: revela- enrolled in a three-credit course, the cost is $1,150. The non- methodologies used today in North American Judaism, Director, Spiritual Life Center, Bloomfield, CT tion, human nature, creation, and society. In each case we will credit audit fee is $575. A special audit fee of $385 for those Christianity and Islam. This course fulfills an instructional struggle with major thinkers in each tradition, looking with who are age 62 and older also is available. requirement of the Association of Fund Raising Professionals care at the underlying structure of belief, the differences and (AFP) for CFRE certification. Ronald Lundeen, Faculty RELIGION AND SOCIETY similarities across traditions, and whether or not this or that To register, please contact the Registrar’s Office at (860) Associate in Practical Theology and Executive Director of insight can be accommodated into our own personal theologi- Contemporary Issues in the Modern Muslim World 509-9511. Her e-mail is [email protected]. To see Institutional Advancement cal project. Keith Ward, Adjunct Professor of Interfaith Theology Monday, June 7 – Friday, June 11, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. specific course syllabi prior to the semester or learn more and Regis Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford, England The focus of this course is international, with particular atten- about Hartford Seminary and its faculty, visit our website: Congregational Studies Institute and Ian Markham, Professor of Theology and Ethics and Dean of tion being given to the Middle East, Indonesia, and Turkey. www.hartsem.edu. Thursday, June 24 – Tuesday, June 29 Hartford Seminary More than ever before, understanding congregational life is During the course, students will have a good sense of the debates and controversies in the Muslim World. Ibrahim Abu- Due to the intensive format of summer courses, some courses vital to those who care about the future of congregations - cler- The Future of Christianity: The Need for Radical Rabi’, Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations have required pre-reading; check the course website gy, lay leaders, denominational and regional staff, theologians, Transformation (John Shelby Spong) – See Special Offerings and Co-Director, Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and (www.hartsem.edu) for further information. Those without sociologists, and others. Hartford Seminary’s religion research Christian-Muslim Relations access to the Internet should contact the Registrar at (860) faculty offer a unique educational event combining hands-on exploration in congregations and current research in an inten- 509-9511. SPECIAL TRAVEL SEMINARS sive six-day program. A stimulating mix of teachers and partic- ipants from different social, cultural, and religious perspectives SACRED SCRIPTURE Interreligious Dialogue: The Parliament of World Religions allows field groups to compare the dynamics of several congre- in Barcelona PECIAL PPORTUNITIES Psalms and the Negro Spiritual S O Monday, July 5 - Tuesday, July 13 gations. Learning and reflection is enriched by the group’s Monday, June 21 – Friday, June 25, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Future of Christianity: This course will approach the history and dynamics of the con- diversity and by conversations about current research, plenary The dynamics of lament and praise in the Psalter will be exam- The Need for Radical Reformation temporary, multi-faceted international dialogue of the world’s sessions, and web resources. Also included will be participatory ined in conjunction with the expression of despair and hope in Monday, June 7 – Friday, June 11, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. religions through focusing on one organization that is involved study of local congregations and interviews in their local com- the American Negro Spiritual. Judy Fentress-Williams, Adjunct Under the guidance of Bishop John Shelby Spong, students – the Parliament of World Religions. The first part of the munities. Enrollment is limited, so act quickly. Director: Carl S. Professor of Hebrew Scriptures and Assistant Professor of Old will be challenged to “think the unthinkable.” We live in a course will study the themes, discussions and debates that have Dudley, Professor Emeritus of Church and Community Testament at Virginia Theological Seminary world vastly different from the one that gave birth to our emerged in the Parliament of World Religions over the last creeds: Christianity will not survive if we simply repeat the slo- decade. The second part of the course will be participation in The Gospel According to John and Johnannine Literature gans of the past. Christianity needs to come to terms with the the July 5-13 meeting of the Parliament of World Religions in INTERFAITH RELATIONS Monday, June 21 – Friday, June 25, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. challenge of science, the discoveries of feminism, and the criti- Barcelona, Spain. The group will travel to Spain and partici- A general introduction to the Gospel of John, I-II-III John, cal reading of the Bible. This is a course for all those who are Building Abrahamic Partnerships pate in the conference, coming together for special conversa- and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of contempo- outside, on the edge, tempted to leave or struggling to change Sunday, June 6 – Sunday, June 13 tions, lectures and group discussions on a regular basis through- rary Biblical scholarship, with special emphasis on the history, from within the Church of the 21st Century. At the end of the This course will build on Hartford Seminary’s strengths as an out the time the conference meets. Heidi Hadsell, Professor of theology, Christology, and spirituality of Johannine Literature course students will be invited to think imaginatively about interfaith, dialogical school of practical theology. It will pro- Social Ethics and President of Hartford Seminary. and its relevance today. Wayne Rollins, Adjunct Professor of faith and their role in the future of Christianity. John Shelby vide resources for Jews, Christians, and Muslims who seek a Biblical Studies Spong, Adjunct Professor of Theology and Ecclesiology and retired solid foundation in interfaith ministry. The course will educate Transition and Crisis: Human Rights, Economics and the Episcopal Bishop of Newark, New Jersey participants about the beliefs and practices of all three faith Role of the Church in China Jesus and the Christian Life Today (Marcus Borg) – See traditions and help them acquire pastoral skills for interfaith Monday, May 24 – Monday, June 7 Special Offerings Jesus and the Christian Life Today ministry. It will be an eight-day intensive experience, starting Plowshares Institute, Hartford Seminary, and Leadership Monday, June 14 – Friday, June 18, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a dinner at 6 p.m. on June 6, continuing with 9 a.m. to 4 Greater Hartford are co-sponsoring this travel seminar to Hong This course combines compact lectures with structured conver- p.m. classes during the week and closing with worship and din- Kong and the People’s Republic of China. The seminar will THEOLOGY sations about a historical-metaphorical approach to Jesus and ner on June 13. Yehezkel Landau, Faculty Associate in Interfaith examine the effects in China of the recent dramatic economic Christian origins and his significance for the Christian life Relations and Co-founder, Open House, Ramle, Israel The Attributes of God and the Purpose of Creation: change in post-SARS Asia. We also will consider issues of today. Topics include the gospels as history and metaphor; the Readings in Islamic Theology human rights and the role of religion in China. Participants distinction between the pre-Easter and post-Easter Jesus; Jesus Monday, June 14 – Friday, June 18, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. will have opportunities to hear Chinese leaders, especially and “the way”(personal transformation); Jesus and “the king- LITURGY, WORSHIP AND SPIRITUALITY In this class we will examine the essential questions of theology those in urban centers, share insights and experiences of work- dom”(social transformation); Jesus and empire; the death and Rituals and Responsibilities of Muslim Leaders in America through the eyes of Muslim scholars over the centuries. How ing in a nation in dramatic transition. The cost for the trip resurrection of Jesus; Christology and the Trinity. Marcus Borg, Monday, June 21 – Friday, June 25, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. does one understand the attributes of God without falling into (visas, room, board, and airfare) is $3,800 if audited, and an nationally known Jesus scholar and Hundere Distinguished This course is designed for Muslim leaders, including imams anthropomorphism? What is the role of reason in interpreting additional $575 for three academic credits. Robert A. Evans, Professor of Religion and Culture in the Philosophy Department at and chaplains, who are serving American Muslim communi- revelation? Are humans truly free to choose their own destiny? Executive Director of Plowshares Institute and Adjunct Faculty of Oregon State University ties. The course examines Muslim leaders’ role and responsibil- In what way can we understand the Qur’an to be “God’s Theology and Ethics, will lead the travel seminar. ities as well as the proper application and performance of some speech” without undermining God’s transcendence? Is paradise Continued on next page

14 P RAXIS A PRIL 2004 P RAXIS A PRIL 2004 15 Congregational Studies Project and the relationships David Roozen and Largest Study of Black Carl Dudley nurtured with the ITC Congregations Planned group for a number of years.” Roozen and Dudley, who are on the faculty at Hartford Seminary, led the The U.S. Congregational Life Chapman, Adjunct Professor of CCSP project, known as Faith Survey has entered into a partner- Sociology of Religion at ITC, are Communities Today, which surveyed ship to help the Interdenominational project directors. faith communities across the United Theological Center of Atlanta sur- States to produce reports on religion vey 50,000 worshipers in 500 histori- The U.S. Congregational Life and interfaith relations in the cally black denomination churches Survey is a project of Cynthia United States. and faith communities. Woolever, Professor of Sociology of Religious Organizations at Hartford The new survey of African- The project will provide a represen- Seminary, and Deborah Bruce of the American congregations will survey tative profile of African-American Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 500 faith communities, including worshipers and their congregations. Research Services Office. 200 Baptist congregations, 80 It will examine four building blocks Church of God in Christ congrega- of congregational vitality identified Woolever said, “I’m so excited about tions, 40 AME congregations, 20 by the U.S. Congregational Life what we can potentially learn about AME Zion congregations, 20 CME Survey: Spiritual Connections to black congregations and the ways we congregations, 12 United Methodist spotlight how worship and faith are can help them be more effective in congregations, five Presbyterian con- expressed, Inside Connections to ministry. Steve and Christine have gregations and 50 each of Catholic describe worshipers’ activities within recruited more than 50 ITC students parishes and Muslim masjids. and alumni to help them deliver the the faith community, Outside The survey work will take place Connections to reveal how congre- surveys to each congregation in the project. They’re planning a national through the end of this year, fol- gations reach out and serve persons lowed by compilation of the data in in the community, and Identity summit for all the congregations in the study in 2005 that will include time for presentation to the national Connections to help congregations summit in February. understand who their worshipers are speakers, workshops, etc. based on and how members see the faith com- the findings. I’m also pleased that munity’s future. Lilly Endowment chose to fund this effort.” Stephen Rasor, Professor of Sociology of Religion at the She went on to say, “This project Interdenominational Theological would not have been conceived Center (ITC), and Christine without the Cooperative

Hartford Seminary Non-profit 77 Sherman Street U.S. Postage Hartford, CT, USA 06105-2260 PAID Web/http://www.hartsem.edu Permit No. 1381 Address Service Requested Hartford, CT