sign in sign up
<<
Home , Harvard College, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Yard

fall 2010 volume 6 number 3

The Varieties of an HDS Experience Throughout the semester, members of the HDS community take advantage of numerous opportunities for enrichment.

n a sweltering late August evening, array of experiences to its members and Peter Machinist, Hancock Profes- to the broader public. Osor of Hebrew and Other Oriental MDiv candidate Zack Guiliano started Languages, delivered HDS’s Convocation the Daily Office at HDS, a service from Address, marking the start of the School’s the Book of Common Prayer held each 187th year. And what a year it has already weekday morning and evening in Divinity been. The newest faculty members, Aisha Hall as a new opportunity for the commu-

Beliso-De Jesús, Jonathan Walton, and nity to begin and end every day in prayer, rose lincoln/harvard staff photographer Mayra Rivera Rivera, are already making confession, meditation on scripture, and As part of the events surrounding HDS Convocation on August 31, faculty members gather on their mark on campus, and all faculty con- the singing of psalms and canticles. the steps of Andover Hall for the traditional faculty portrait. tinue to publish books and articles, deliver MTS candidates Tim Severyn and papers at national and international con- Grace Egbert, along with the rest of the versity Dining Services unveiled a pilot and features a collection of career-related ferences, receive awards and grants, and HDS Community Garden group, have program at the Rock Café called Commu- resources. contribute, more broadly, to theological been exceptionally active this past sum- nity Table, where people are encouraged The Office of Religious and Spiritual and around the globe. mer and into the semester, and on Octo- to sit together and share a family-style Life continues to provide religious and Read more about recent faculty activities ber 8, the group joined with Harvard’s meal. Community Table has garnered spiritual resources within and beyond and accomplishments in “Faculty and Food Literacy Project to host a harvest much attention around Harvard and is, as HDS, and this semester students have had Staff Notes,” beginning on page 4. party in the HDS garden. Members of the of now, offered twice weekly. the opportunity to volunteer in preparing Throughout this 2010 fall semester, community gathered crops, and Martin Student Services at HDS continues to and distributing a Saturday meal in Har- hardly a day passes without numerous Breslin, director for culinary operations host and sponsor activities to help stu- vard and Central squares on the fourth opportunities for the HDS community in Hospitality and Dining Services at Har- dents refine their professional skills and Saturday of each month as part of a collab- to be enriched—intellectually, physically, vard, used the vegetables for an outdoor to nourish their spiritual lives. The Offic- oration with the Outdoor Church. and spiritually. From large academic cooking demonstration. On October 18, es of Student Life and Career Services events like the annual best-selling author Molly Katzen gave provide writing and editing consultations Selected images of some of these events may Lecture, to intimate gatherings, such as another cooking demonstration in Rock and career planning workshops, and a be found on page 7. Also, you can stay on top Yoga Yog-aahhh, to the informal social Café using produce from the HDS Com- new Student Services Resource Center of what is happening at the School by visiting

Community Tea, the School offers a vast munity Garden. And, this semester, Uni- opened this semester in Divinity Hall www.hds.harvard.edu/news.

mailed from 01842 from mailed

0 5 2 . 0 n t i m r e p

d i a p

Cambridge, 02138-1911 Massachusetts Cambridge, u . s . p o s t a g e e g a t s o p . s . u

45 Francis Avenue Francis 45 n o i t a z i n a g r o

Harvard Divinity School Divinity Harvard t i f o r p - n o n What’s Inside

message from the dean 2 andover journal News From Around the School 3 message from the dean Faculty and Staff Notes 4

Recent Faculty Books 4 arvard Divinity School’s greatest resource has always been its people, and our fac- Hulty, staff, students, and alumni have risen to the challenge posed by the recession Seminar on Debates Over Religion and Sexuality 6 of the last two years to maintain and improve one of the world’s greatest programs in religious and theological studies. research in action As we embark on yet another journey this academic year—one of scholarly and aca- demic rigor and of spiritual, religious, and ethical inquiry—it is important to remind Diving In Headfirst 8 ourselves of the overarching mission that guides our work. To help in building a world in which people can live and work together across religious and alumni journal cultural divides, we strive to be a primary resource in religious and theological studies for the academy, for religious communities, and in the public sphere. Getting Involved as Alumni 9 These words constitute a portion of the HDS Mission and Vision statement, which, Providing Safe Haven 10 in addition to five long-standing goals, can be found on the HDS website. Looking ahead, I want to lift up several other objectives of renewal at HDS. First, we wish to Alumni News Highlights 12 increase significantly both the number of contributors of any amount and the dollar results of fundraising—particularly in leadership gifts—as both are important to posi- Obituaries 13 tion HDS well for a coming University campaign. Second, we are looking to establish Recent Alumni Books 13 long-term space and program requirements in order to complete planning for the reno- vation of Andover Hall and to evaluate the need for a future new building in the long run. Third, HDS has maintained its commitment to a financial aid policy that ensures calendar 16 that no student is unable to attend the School purely because of the cost of attendance. We will continue monitoring the goals of the financial aid program and planning for its expansion as resources allow. Fourth, since the renovation in 2008 of Rockefeller Hall, editor’s note: In order to reduce print costs as well as our impact on which is now one of the University’s most energy-efficient buildings, HDS is recog- the environment, Harvard Divinity Today is mailed only to HDS alumni nized in the University as a leader in sustainability efforts. We will continue a high level and affiliates, and to members of the Harvard community. If you are not of effort to meet School and University sustainability goals and to model innovations in a member of any of these groups but would like to receive a print copy, support of these goals. Fifth, we are preparing for reaccreditation with the Association please write to [email protected]. All interested readers may also of Theological Schools, which should culminate in a 10-year renewal of accreditation. enjoy Harvard Divinity Today online, at www.hds.harvard.edu/news. Sixth, we will continue to address the longer-term implications of constrained revenue, meeting annual operating budgets, and making annual adjustments as required and as part of multiyear planning. Last, we wish to enhance our students’ experience by engaging faculty and staff in ways that cultivate the strengths and interests of all three Harvard Divinity Today constituencies. As we move forward, the foundation laid during the last several years should serve Fall 2010 Volume 6 Number 3 us well. Religion permeates the lives of so many people around the world. At HDS, we have brought together a wealth of resources and talents to help advance the scholarly Published three times a year by the Office of Communications at Harvard understanding of how this happens, and which can also help communities outside Divinity School, 45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, for the Harvard better understand themselves and each other in pursuit of a better world. We alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends of HDS. Letters to the editor are welcome at that address, as are requests to be added to the mailing list. continue to keep this vision clearly before us as we go about our work at HDS.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Office of Communications, Harvard Divinity Today, 45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138

Copyright © 2010 President and Fellows of Harvard William A. Graham

2 andover journal

Panel Discusses Religion audience inside Andover Hall on the News From Around the School HDS campus, explained how homophobic And Sexuality Christian discourses damage all queer youth, but they are especially damaging to queer youth in Christian homes and, Opening of CSWR Meditation Room arvard Divinity School hosted “Queer worse, for youth who believe. HYouth and Religious Debates Over “We have to get them better news about Sexuality,” a panel discussion held Octo- God,” he said. “We have to present them he Center for the Study ber 7 on queer youth in the United States with convincing pictures of their own Tof World Religions at and their relationship to religion and the queer futures as believers. We have to open church. Cheryl A. Giles, Peabody Profes- for them actual spaces in which they can dedicated its new nonde- sor of the Practice in Pastoral Care and be queer and religious. Exile from religion nominational meditation Counseling at HDS, moderated the con- cannot be the cost of admission to queer room in a ceremony on versation, which featured prominent gay life, especially for the young.” Monday, October 4. New rights activists and leaders from across Fellow panelist Harry Knox, director CSWR director Francis X. the country. of the Religion and Faith Program at the Clooney, S.J., presided over HDS professor Mark D. Jordan—a Human Rights Campaign, implored the the event, which drew a prolific author on how American churches audience, composed largely of students, to large audience from across debate over homosexuality around ado- pick up the vision of the older generation the larger University com- lescents—explained that, while much and to utilize resources available to them munity. has changed during the last half-century as the struggle for equality continues. HDS faculty members in church debate, one thing that has not Grace Sterling Stowell, executive direc- Janet Gyatso, Hershey Pro- hds photograph/jonathan changedbeasley is that queer youth are regularly tor of Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, From left, CSWR residents Matt Lyons, Rory Lindsay, and fessor of Buddhist Studies, talked about, but almost never allowed to Bisexual and Transgender Youth, has Michael Klinger perform a musical meditation piece during and Susan Abraham, Assis- speak for themselves. worked for gender justice for 30 years. the meditation room dedication. tant Professor of Ministry “Queer youth are at once featured and She called attention to the drastic need for Studies and CSWR managing erased, or displaced, by simplistic views of conversations about religion that include director, provided reflections on medita- After the musical reflections and the them, and the fights about them often try to transgender youth. Other participants tion and the spiritual and intellectual life. faculty remarks, Swami Tyagananda, a claim them for one camp or another—either included writer and activist Irene Monroe “For me, meditation is the practice of member of the Harvard chaplaincy and religious or queer, but rarely both,” Jordan and Pam Garramone, executive director ‘unselving,’ but not in a modern sense a Hindu monk (sannyasi) of the Rama- said. “So the debates keep cycling, powered of Greater Boston Parents, Families, and of self-flagellation,” said Abraham. “It is krishna Order, shepherded the crowd to by these unchallenged habits of speech.” Friends of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and the idea that I am but a speck in the uni- the entrance to the meditation room. As Jordan, speaking in front of a large Transgender People. verse—a divinely reflected speck—but not people gathered around him, he untied a the most important thing in the universe. decorative ribbon across the doorway and There is a role I have to play, and perhaps then led into the space as many people that role is to be a channel, to use a Fran- as could fit. After removing their shoes, ciscan metaphor, for a divine energy.” some participants on rugs while others Harvard graduate students and stood to listen to him deliver a Sanskrit CSWR residents Michael Klinger, Matt blessing. The meditation room, available Lyons, and Rory Lindsay performed two during normal business hours, is open to musical pieces. all members of the Harvard community.

On September 30, as a way of celebrating Harvard Divinity School’s ongoing initiative in Latino/a religious studies, HDS professor Davíd Carrasco sponsored and hosted “A Small Nation to Remember: Performance and Xicana Indígena Resistance,” an evening and creative encounter with the Chicana feminist poet, cul- tural theorist, and playwright Cherrié Moraga, also artist-in-residence at .

View this event online at www.hds.harvard.edu/ hds photograph/jonathan beasley news/events_online. From left, moderator and HDS professor Cheryl Giles, HDS professor Mark Jordan, Grace

hds photograph/jonathan beasley Sterling Stowell, Harry Knox, Irene Monroe, and Pam Garramone.

3 andover journal

Recent Faculty Books

Islamic and Comparative Religious Studies: Selected Writings From Roman to Early Christian Thessalonikē: Studies in Religion and by William A. Graham (Dean of the Faculty of Divinity, John Lord Archaeology O’Brian Professor of Divinity, and Murray A. Albertson Professor edited by Laura Nasrallah (Associate Professor of New of Middle Eastern Studies) Testament and Early Christianity), Charalambos Bakirtzis, Ashgate and Steven J. Friesen Harvard Theological Studies, Harvard Divinity School Graham’s work in the comparative history of religion has focused in particular on the “problem” of scripture as a cross-cultural religious In this interdisciplinary investigation, international scholars of religion, phenomenon that is more complex than simply “sacred text.” This col- archaeologists, and scholars of art and architectural history investi- lection gathers together writings in three sections: History and Interpre- gate social, political, and religious life in Roman and early Christian tation of Islamic Religion; The Qur’an as Scripture; and Scripture in the Thessalonikē, an important metropolis in the Hellenistic, Roman, and History of Religion. early Christian periods and beyond.

Dancing in Fetish Boots: Essays in Honour of Marcella Planetary Loves: Spivak, Postcoloniality, and Theology Althaus-Reid edited by Stephen D. Moore and Mayra Rivera Rivera (Assistant edited by Lisa Isherwood and Mark D. Jordan (Richard Reinhold Professor of Theology and Latina/o Studies Niebuhr Professor of Divinity) Fordham University Press Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd. No critic has been more emblematic of the challenging and contested This collection draws together a number of scholars and others who field of postcolonial theory than Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, and in this engage with the main themes of Marcella Althaus-Reid’s work in postco- volume theologians and biblical scholars engage with her thought in lonial queer liberation theology and show how the critical and controver- order to catalyze a diverse range of original theological and exegetical sial conversations which she began can and do continue. projects.

Francis X. Clooney, S.J., Parkman Profes- Ethics in Health Care Chaplaincy at Dana the International Society for Religion, Lit- Faculty and Staff Notes sor of Divinity and Professor of Compara- Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and on erature and Culture Conference, Universi- tive Theology and director of the CSWR, October 7, she moderated the discussion ty of Oxford. Her article “Spiritual But Not was elected a corresponding (foreign) fel- “Queer Youth and Religious Debates Over Religious” appeared in the Winter/Spring Giovanni Bazzana, Assistant Professor of low of the British Academy in July. Corre- Sexuality” at HDS, with Mark D. Jordan, 2010 issue of Harvard Divinity Bulletin. , published “Cucurbita sponding Fellows are scholars outside the Richard Professor of Baber Johansen, Professor of Islamic Reli- super caput ionae: Translation and Theol- United Kingdom who have “attained high Divinity, as one of the panelists (see gious Studies, organized the workshop ogy in the Old Latin Tradition” in Vetus international standing in any of the page 3). Amy Hollywood, Monrad Profes- “Islamic Law in the National States in the Testamentum 60, no. 3 (2010). He present- branches of study which it is the object of sor of Christian Studies, presented Middle East and South East Asia,” in ed the paper “Be Good Moneychangers: the Academy to promote.” , “Thinking Experience” at Fordham Uni- March 2010 at , and The Role of an Agraphon in the Battle for Hollis Research Professor of Divinity, was versity in April; gave the Foley Family Lec- his review of the workshop appeared in the Canon of Scripture” at the colloquium inducted into the American Academy of ture, “Religiously Queer, Queer the Islamic Legal Studies Program’s “Invention, Rewriting, Usurpation: Dis- Arts and Sciences at an October 9 cere- Religiously,” at the University of Georgia; August 2010 newsletter. He participated cursive Fights over Religious Traditions in mony in Cambridge on welcoming the gave the keynote address “The Book of in the panel discussion “The Rise of Intel- Antiquity,” in Aahrus, Denmark, and 230th class of Fellows. He gave the Massa- Experience” at “The Beguines and the lectual Reform in ” in New York in “Apelles and the Pseudo-Clementine Doc- chusetts Bible Society’s 2010 Harrell F. Book” conference in July in Antwerp, Bel- April at the Graduate Center, CUNY, orga- trine of the False Pericopes: A Hypothesis Beck Lecture Series, titled “Coming to gium; and participated in the conference nized by the Great Issues Forum; the dis- of Religious-Historical Contextualization” Grips With the Bible.” The series consist- “From Rock Creek to Chartres: Henry cussion has been televised and can be at the annual meeting of the Association ed of five lectures in five locations across Adams and the Medievalism of Place” at viewed online at fora.tv/2010/04/20/The_ pour l’étude de la littérature apocryphe Massachusetts: Newton Centre, Stock- the New Chaucer Society in Siena, Italy, Rise_of_Intellectual_Reform_in_Islam. chrétienne, in Dole, France, at the end of bridge, Weston, Worcester, and Boston. also in July. She gave the keynote lectures Karen King, Hollis Professor of Divinity, June. Ann Braude, Senior Lecturer on Cheryl Giles, Peabody Professor of the “A is for Antigone: Reading Derida’s ‘Dif- published the article “Toward a Discus- American Religious History and director Practice in Pastoral Care and Counseling, férance’ Again” and “Jacques Derrida: hist- sion of the Category ‘Gnosis/’: of the Women’s Studies in Religion Pro- presented the paper “Beyond the Color ilidades y hospitalidades” at the Universidad The Case of the Epistle of Peter to Philip” in gram, was a Fulbright Distinguished Lec- Line: Practicing Cultural Competency in de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia, in Sep- Jesus in apokryphen Evangelienüberlieferun- turer in Morocco in May, where she Health Care Chaplaincy” on October 1, at tember, and gave the first again as a key- gen. Beiträge zu außerkanonischen Jesu- delivered a series of lectures on religion the International Conference on Medical note at the 2010 Biennial Conference of süberlieferungen aus verschiedenen Sprach- and women’s rights in American history.

4 andover journal und Kulturtraditionen, edited by Jörg Frey Christianity, and Elisabeth Schüssler Fio- religions, archaeology, and anthropology, Mayra Rivera Rivera, Assistant Professor and Jens Schröder. In August, Jon Leven- renza’s Prejudice and Christian Beginnings: funded by a Templeton Grant, to collabo- of Theology and Latina/o Studies, pub- son, List Professor of , gave Investigating Race, Gender, and Ethnicity in rate with the excavation and scientific lished “Ghostly Encounters: Spirits, Mem- a presentation and a discussion on cre- Early Christianity (Fortress Press) has been teams under the direction of Stanford ory, and the Holy Ghost” in her co-edited ation and redemption in a two-day semi- released in paperback. Kimberley C. Pat- University’s Ian Hodder on the religious volume, Planetary Loves: Spivak, Postcoloni- nar for college students, “Jewish Thought ton, Professor of the Comparative and and social interpretation of some of the ality, and Theology (see “Recent Faculty and Enduring Human Questions,” spon- Historical Study of Religion, received the most recent finds. Her publication project, Books”); and she also published “Unset- sored by the Tikva Project at Princeton 2010 AAR Book Award for Excellence in which she is undertaking with forensic tling Flesh” in the Journal of Feminist Stud- University. Peter Machinist, Hancock Pro- the Study of Religion in the Analytical- specialist Lori Hager at Berkeley, concerns ies in Religion 26, no. 2 (Fall 2010), and fessor of Hebrew and Other Oriental Lan- Descriptive category for her book Religion the ritually treated, headless burial of a “Corporeal Visions and Apparitions: The guages, gave the mini-course “Between the of the Gods: Ritual, Paradox, and Reflexivity woman who died in childbirth, discovered Narrative Strategies of an Indecent Theo- Ancient Near East and the Classical World: (Oxford University Press, 2009). In July, in 2006 in a so-called history house, a logian” in Dancing Theology in Fetish Boots: The Case of the Biblical Book of Ecclesias- she returned for the second of three sum- larger dwelling with multiple burials, Essays in Honour of Marcella Althaus-Reid, tes” at the 28th Annual Summer Institute mer research trips to the archaeological from around 7,000 bce. The seminar trav- edited by Lisa Isherwood and Mark D. of the Classical Association of New Eng- site at the Neolithic city of Çatalhöyük in eled afterwards to study the older sites of Jordan (see “Recent Faculty Books”). land at Dartmouth College in July, and central Anatolia, where she is working Aşıklı Höyük and Göbekli Tepe outside gave the faculty address at HDS’s Convo- with a group of scholars on the history of the city of Urfa, near Syria. continued on next page cation on August 31, titled “An Eleventh Commandment: Thou Shalt Defamiliar- ize” (view the address online at www.hds. Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies. harvard.edu/news/events_online). Kevin Johansen, Clooney Begin New Leadership Roles Clooney joined the HDS faculty in 2005, Madigan, Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical as the Parkman Professor of Divinity and History, won the 2009 Associated Church Professor of Comparative Theology, after Two members of the HDS faculty took on gaze” have played in Muslim religion and Press Award of Merit for a Theological or teaching at since 1984. He new leadership roles for two centers for culture in the development of gendered Scholarly Article for “The Redeemed Life,” served as acting director of the CSWR dur- research at Harvard this semester. concepts, rules applying to free women and which appeared in the February 2009 ing the 2008 spring term and began a long Baber Johansen, Professor of Islamic slaves, and distinctions between the private issue of Commonweal magazine. The arti- and active relationship with the Center even Religious Studies, is the new director of and the public spheres. cle is an excerpt from his and Jon Leven- before coming to HDS, participating in the Center for Middle Eastern Studies This fall term also marks Francis X. son’s book Resurrection: The Power of God many CSWR programs and events. (CMES). Johansen has also taught in the Clooney’s first semester as head of the for Christians and ( On October 20, Clooney marked his Department of Near Eastern Languages Center for the Study of World Religions Press, 2008)—which will be published in new appointment with the lecture “Study- and Civilizations since 2007, and from at HDS. Clooney was named the Center’s a Chinese translation. He also directed ing Our Religions in the Particular and 2006 to 2010, he was acting director of new director in January 2010, following Scott Michael Uva’s (ALM ’10) thesis, “The Meaning Something By It,” which can be the Islamic Legal Studies Program at Har- the announcement of Donald Swearer’s Genesis of the Holocaust and the Motiva- viewed online at www.hds.harvard.edu/ vard Law School and an affiliated profes- retirement after six years at HDS as tions of Its Perpetrators: Two Decades of news/events_online. sor at the Law School. CSWR director and Distinguished Creeping Radicalization,” which won the As director of the CMES for the next Dean’s Prize for Outstanding ALM Thesis three years, Johansen will continue to in the Social Sciences at the Harvard advance its mission of promoting the Extension School. Dan McKanan, Ralph study of the Middle East at Harvard. Waldo Emerson Unitarian Universalist The Center will support the creation of Association Senior Lecturer in Divinity, new courses, convene seminars and lec- published three articles during the sum- tures, invite guest speakers, host visiting mer: “Unless a Seed Falls: Cultivating Lib- researchers and faculty, and provide a hos- eral Institutions,” Harvard Theological pitable home base for graduate and under­ Review 10, no. 3 (July 2010); “The Dialogue graduate students. In the realm of new of Socialism,” Harvard Divinity Bulletin 38, activities at the CMES, Johansen will chair nos. 3-4 (Summer/Autumn 2010); and the project “The Protocol of the Gaze,” “The Implicit Religion of Radicalism: supported in part by the Center’s United Socialist Party Theology, 1900–1934,” Jour- States Department of Education Title VI nal of the American Academy of Religion 78, grant and jointly sponsored by Harvard’s no. 3 (October 2010). He was also part of a Committee on Degrees in Studies of team of theologians who participated in Women, Gender, and Sexuality. drafting the Unitarian Universalist Associ- Building on his previous work on the ation’s new Statement of Conscience on subject, the project will focus on the role Creating Peace. Laura Nasrallah, Associate justin knight pat westwater-jong that the ritual of purity and “protocol of the Professor of New Testament and Early Baber Johansen Francis X. Clooney

5 andover journal

Religions, has been featured extensively Notes on CNN and in other media outlets, writ- HDS Announces the New ‘Seminar on Debates Over ing and commenting on the controversy continued from previous page surrounding Atlanta-based minister Eddie Religion and Sexuality,’ Directed by Mark D. Jordan In May, Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Long, and his article “The Preachers’ Professor of Divinity, Blues: Religious Race Records and Claims participated in three panel discussions at of Authority on Wax” appeared in Religion rom June 6 to 15, 2011, Harvard Divin- the Ökumenischer Kirchentag in Munich, and American Culture: A Journal of Inter- ity School will host the Seminar on gave a lecture at the University of Reykja- pretation 20, no. 2 (Summer 2010). F Debates Over Religion and Sexuality. This vik, and took part in a two-day workshop seminar, for advanced doctoral students, in Skalholt, Iceland. In June, she chaired recent recipients of the , and the “International Colloquium on Femi- writers working outside the academy who nist Biblical Interpretation in the 20th are hoping to change the terms of current Century” in Oslo, Norway, and presented Zary Amirhosseini, disability services debates about religion and sexuality, aims the four-day workshop “Die Würde von coordinator, left HDS in July to become to help participants write their first large Frauen” in Mainz, and in August, she the disability program manager at Mas- project (such as a dissertation or a book) gave four lectures in Guatemala City and sachusetts General Hospital. Carol Benoit, while encouraging them to collaborate the keynote address at the celebration of student services administrative manager, with others in the field. the 90th birthday of Catharina Halkes left HDS in June. Al Janik, MTS ’86, a The seminar understands both “reli- in Nijmegen. Her chapter “A of member of the Andover-Harvard Theo- gion” and “sexuality” broadly. Though its Inquiry” appeared in in the New logical Library community since his start staff will have done specialized work most- Millennium: Handbook of Rhetoric, edited as a student worker in 1982 while com- steve gilbert ly in “Western” religious traditions and by James and David Hester (Continuum pleting his MTS degree, left HDS in late Mark D. Jordan expressions of sexuality, participants’ proj- Publishers). Charles Stang, Assistant Pro- June. Angela Counts, assistant director of ects may cover a wide range of religions participants’ writing in workshop format. fessor of Early Christian Thought, traveled admissions, left HDS in August to follow and sexual cultures. The seminar wel- The Seminar on Debates Over Religion to Kerala, India, in May on a research trip her passion for the arts, by beginning comes various methods in religious stud- and Sexuality is limited to 12 participants. funded by a CSWR faculty grant, where a one-year postbaccalaureate studio art ies and theology, from the most focused HDS will pay for their travel to Cambridge he met with representatives of several program at the School of the Museum ethnography or local history to the grandest and their lodging and meals during the branches of the Mar Thoma Christian of Fine Arts in Boston, and Lad L. Dell normative proposal. It is also interested seminar. Applicants to the seminar should community, and, also in May, he pre- joined the Office of Admissions as admis- in projects about media communication, be working on a dissertation, a first book, sented the paper “Apophatic Angelology sions officer, coming to HDS with more public policy, and religious advocacy. It or a similar large-scale writing project that and the Ontology of ‘Dissimilar Similari- than seven years of college admissions especially seeks the participation of writers is centrally concerned with religion and ties’ in Pseudo-Dionysius” and convened experience at both private and public from outside the United States. sexuality. and chaired a book panel on Jason David institutions, including Tufts University The seminar will be directed by The application deadline is February 1, BeDuhn’s Augustine’s Manichaean Dilem- and Occidental College. Elizabeth Pfahler Mark D. Jordan, Richard Reinhold 2011. Applications must be received by that ma, vol. 1 (2009) at the North American joined HDS in June as the new student Niebuhr Professor of Divinity, Harvard date or they will not be considered. Invita- Patristics Society’s annual meeting in services systems officer, coming from Divinity School. Faculty from Harvard tions to the seminar will be issued by Feb- Chicago. He has recently been named Caturano and Company, where she was University and other institutions or orga- ruary 15. Questions may be directed to a faculty affiliate of the Weatherhead senior consultant and project manager. nizations will lead sessions in their areas [email protected]. Visit www. Center for International Affairs at Har- Drew Daly, network and systems manager, of expertise. Large portions of the semi- hds.harvard.edu/rsseminar for more infor- vard. Andrew Teeter, Assistant Professor left Harvard in June to consult, coach soc- nar’s time will be devoted to discussing mation or to download the application. of /, par- cer, and spend more time with his kids. ticipated in the joint congresses of the Hicham Hassan and Ben Rota, MTS ’98, international organizations for: the Study took on new roles within Harvard’s Uni- Washington University in Washington, tions. She has previously held positions of Old Testament (IOSOT), for Qumran versity Information Systems organization, D.C., and Jacob Rhoads, MTS ’07, is the at Habitat for Humanity International Studies (IOQS), for Targum Studies Ben in the Business Operations Group new WSRP coordinator, returning to HDS and Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Jennifer (IOTS), and for Septuagint and Cognate and Hicham in the Server Operations after completing a postbaccalaureate cer- TumSuden left her position as assistant Studies (IOSCS), in Helsinki, Finland, in Center. Kimberly O’Hagan, MTS ’09, tificate in studio art at the School of the director of donor relations in August to August, as well as the International SBL joined the HDS staff on June 14 as the Museum of Fine Arts. Carol Luongo is become director of annual giving at the meeting in Tartu, Estonia, in July. He is new faculty and events assistant, coming the new part-time receptionist/assistant Walnut Hill School for the Arts, in Natick, spending the 2010–11 academic year as from the Pluralism Project at Harvard, in the Office of Ministry Studies, coming Massachusetts. Ginny Wise, HDS associ- Hugo-Greßmann-Fellow in the Theologi- where she worked for three years as a from Harvard’s Graduate School of Educa- ate dean for development and external cal Faculty of the Humboldt-Universität senior research associate. Elizabeth Sut- tion, where she worked for over 30 years relations, left HDS in July and returned to zu Berlin, Germany. Jonathan Walton, ton left her position as coordinator of the in the Academic Appointments Office. her hometown, New Orleans, to become Assistant Professor of African American Women’s Studies in Religion Program in Deirdre Joyce is the new coordinator for vice president, leadership giving at Tulane August to assume a new role at George development operations and donor rela- University.

6 andover journal Images From Fall 2010 hds photograph/jonathan beasley heratch ekmekjian Clockwise from above, award-winning poet Elizabeth Robinson gave a poetry reading and a talk on the craft of poetry at HDS on September 30 as part of the year-long project, “A Poetics of steve gilbert Difficulty: Attention and Engagement in Contemporary American Poetry,” led by professor Amy Hollywood and sponsored by the CSWR; Linda Simon, center, and Dean William A. Graham speak after Simon gave the William James Lecture on October 27; students working in the HDS Community Garden during the Harvest Party on October 8; an outdoor cooking demonstration during the Harvest Party; Albert Raboteau delivers the 2010 Ingersoll Lecture on Immortality on November 4; MDiv candidate Jack Davidson playing the tabla during Convocation; Professor Peter Machinist delivers the 2010 Convocation address. steve gilbert hds photograph/jonathan beasley hds photograph/jonathan beasley hds photograph/jonathan beasley

7 research in action

shops aimed at peacebuilding in diverse guiding factor of life. These articles also the center for the study of world religions communities, taught a postgraduate diplo- incorporate messages from multiple reli- ma program in conflict transformation, and gions, showing the readiness and ability worked on future programs based on incor- to envelop different teachings in the goal porating creative arts with peace. of bettering the heart and mind. I spent Not Knowing What to Expect, and HMI works with communities going the summer at a Christian interfaith insti- through diverse conflicts: political, eco- tute, but the presence of diverse religions Diving in Headfirst nomic, religious, tribal, and caste-based. in the country is alive and palpable. My first week I helped run a workshop for The plethora of roadside temples and Indian Mennonite Christian pastors and mosques, the presence of images of gurus community leaders who came to learn plastered over slums, religious messages dialogue, mediation, and negotiation skills. in neon paint on the back of auto rick- Some of our participants were not able to shaws, the presence of religious figures The Center for the Study of World Religions onsoon season hits India around make it because the areas they were com- in store names, and the diversity and con- awarded two Greeley International Intern- Mthe middle of June, just about the ing from were under curfew due to politi- stant appearance of religious garments are ships to HDS students for the 2010 summer. time I arrived in Hyderabad, located in cal unrest. Most of the participants traveled the mark of a truly spiritual country. Adam Ortman, an MTS candidate, spent the central India, where it is said that “North for at least 24 hours by train, bus, or both, Much of my work during the summer summer with Sarvodoya, an organization in meets South.” The heavy rains would in order to come, which gave me an entire- and my theological reflections revolved Sri Lanka with an interfaith perspective that come and go, providing lush greenery ly different conception of time and travel. I around the idea of safe space. How do we works for peace and in community building. and muddy, torn-up roads that were peri- was confronted by my own privilege of hav- go about creating safe space? How does Maytal Saltiel, an MDiv student, worked at odically impassable by rickshaw or car. I ing easy access to travel—the thought of this differ in varying contexts and cultures? the Henry Martyn Institute, International was spending my summer in Hyderabad spending 24 or 36 hours on a train would In a country where there is much reli- Center for Research, Interfaith Relations and working at the Henry Martyn Institute not have occurred to me at home. gious violence, how can these safe spaces Reconciliation, in Hyderabad, India. Here, (HMI): International Centre for Research, Throughout the summer I would joke be created? Somewhere in this dichoto- Maytal recounts her experience living and Interfaith Relations and Reconciliation. I with my American friend that we are very my between religious violence and plural- working in India this past summer. had been fortunate enough to be named bad at India—there was some kind of ism, people find the ability to experience an international intern by the secret code we just were not in tune with. and truly learn from their neighbor. I am Center for the Study of World Everything seemed to be so much more still unclear about how exactly this magic Religions and provided a grant difficult than it needed to be: riding an happens, but I felt it—both in my work that made my travel and work auto-rickshaw into the city, walking down and walking around the city. in India possible. I was to work the street, buying anything, going to the I spent a lot of time thinking about with the Conflict Transforma- ATM—things I always take for granted issues of identity. How do we create our tion Team, helping to run in the United States. The Internet gods own identities, and does this affect where activities and to develop pro- seemed determined to teach me a lesson we find safe spaces? The term “my place” is grams and curriculum for their in impermanence and equanimity. I could often used in India to describe someone’s workshops in different conflict- never be sure when the electricity would home town. This ownership of the place affected regions around India. work and when we would be forced to wan- creates a strong identity with where one is I arrived in India not know- der around by candlelight. These moments located in the world. People are closely con- ing what to expect, having only made me reflect on my own assumptions nected to their own regions and states, as a vague idea of the cultural con- and reevaluate how communities function Indian culture and customs are incredibly text, the work I would be doing, and find comfort. While spending long diverse. Often at HMI, I found people nego- and what my community would nights with friends in the hostel engrossed tiating multiple identities in order to exist look like. I dove headfirst into in conversations and candlelit board both in this space and in their place. Maybe the work; being busy helped the games, necessities like electricity or hot this idea of simultaneous transience and adjustment go faster. There were water no longer felt so necessary. groundedness aids in the creation of safe seven other members on the After a year of divinity school, living space and an intrinsic quality of wanting to team, from diverse parts of India in Hyderabad provided ample opportu- learn from the other and share important and abroad, with many inter- nity to reflect on the religious diversity of parts of their inner selves. esting stories and reasons for India and how large a role religion plays My time in India provided me space to doing this work. Some had been in society in a much different sense than experience a land saturated with the reli- victims of armed conflict, some in the United States. Every day in the gious and spiritual, a space to practice had been fueled by religious op-ed section of the newspaper there was ideas of conflict transformation and inter- convictions, and others came an article about spirituality or something faith work beyond academia, the space to from work in rural development. that religion has to teach. The articles learn and reflect, and the ability to allow courtesy maytal saltiel Team members traveled to work- were diverse and insightful. Religion is these impressions to shape “my place” as Maytal Saltiel on a train on the way to Aurangabad. not presented in a negative light, but as a I have come back home.

8 alumni journal Through Outreach, A Call for Alumni Engagement Alumni Briefs

The programs of alumni relations and annual giving at HDS seek to connect graduates with one another and with the School in mutually Dear HDS alumni, beneficial ways. We focus our efforts in three key areas: • Leadership: We work with elected alumni leaders of the HDS As president of the HDS Alumni/ae Alumni/ae Council. Council, I am inviting our members (who • Networking: We build informal alumni networks in various regions of are the elected representatives of the the country and bridges to the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA). alumni body) to engage in an examination • Philanthropy: We aim to increase support for The HDS Fund. of the motivations and values each brings to the Council and how the expression of these values supports our mission and activities. This introspection and its function as a guide for action are consistent Get involved today! with the reexamination many in society are undertaking due to the serious economic and social upheaval at home and globally. HDS Fall Gatherings The standing committees of the Council Fall gatherings were held in several cities November 1–10, 2010. If will be working this year on outreach and you are interested in getting involved with local alumni efforts, or if programming to the alumni community you are willing to host a regional event in your area, please contact us that reflect these values and encourage at [email protected]. dialogue.

All HDS alumni can help provide leadership in this time if we remain Nominations for the Alumni/ae Council—Coming Soon! grounded in core values that really matter courtesy ruth purtilo The HDS Alumni/ae Council will soon begin online nominations and long have sustained the best of for several open seats. If you are interested in joining this elected Harvard Divinity School’s mission. group of volunteer leaders, please consider nominating yourself. If you know of ideal candidates, please encourage them to apply. Watch Council members come from many walks of life, but several themes have emerged your email for further details. related to why they want to be involved. Almost all expressed the desire to be of service—to the larger community, fellow alumni, and students—and saw Council membership as one vehicle. Many felt gratitude for their educational preparation and now want to give back to HDS, using their acquired skills and experience. Another The HDS Fund person responded: “to build bridges and turn diversity into productive synergy.” The School’s annual fundraising drive is underway, and Dean Several also emphasized the privilege to be advocates for an institution that provides William A. Graham has made financial aid the priority for this year’s intellectual acumen and a wide array of experiences in preparation for ministry. HDS Fund. Please support our students and make your gift today by visiting www.hds.harvard.edu/gifts. These are just a few of the motivations that our members bring to our work. I look forward to learning about yours. Can we reach you? HDS is increasingly “keeping it green” by communicating with Warm regards, our alumni via email. If you are not currently receiving email messages from HDS, please send your updated email address to [email protected].

Ruth B. Purtilo, MTS ’75, PhD ’79 President, HDS Alumni/ae Council

9 alumni journal

HDS came from her field education While at Drew, Hunter worked as a court In Troubled Times, Offering Safe Haven requirement at HarborMe—now called advocate at a battered women’s shelter, HarborCOV—a domestic violence shelter where she began to see problems with the in Chelsea, Massachusetts. legal system and its handling of cases deal- “Back then, I would go to the shelter and ing with domestic violence. She thought By Jonathan Beasley hear things like: ‘I turned the other cheek that more training for court personnel and and turned the other cheek until I ran out judges was needed on matters of domestic of faces.’ Or, ‘I told my priest 27 years ago abuse, so she came back to Boston in the about this abuse and he told me to pray early 1990s, hoping to start an agency that he statistics are nearly too jarring to be three decades of her life researching harder. Now my husband still hits me, and I provided that type of training. true: globally, one-third of women report issues around domestic violence and T have calluses on my knees from praying.’ ” “Instead, I realized that the people being physically or sexually abused by an helping victims and survivors by building At HDS, Hunter focused her senior who were not being trained at all were intimate partner, according to the United bridges between faith communities and project on domestic violence and faith. members of the faith community,” she States Department of Justice. Another one- domestic violence service providers to end She created a survey and sent it off to explained. “So, I had to admit that it was third of all female homicide victims are violence in the home. United Methodist clergy members in New my own community that was further killed by their intimate partners. The data The founder and director of Safe Mexico, where she is from. The survey behind everyone else on understanding on domestic violence and its impact reveals Havens, a Boston-based, interfaith part- asked such questions as: “Have you ever domestic violence.” these and other horrifying truths about nership against domestic violence, Hunt- been trained on domestic violence? Has Hunter, who was ordained as a deacon in abuse within relationships. er’s passion for helping abuse victims anyone ever reached out to you for help? the in 1985 after And, in the face of such traumatic began its steady crescendo when she was If so, what did you do?” her second year at HDS, was also doing events, each year more victims, perpetra- a student at HDS in the mid-1980s. Hunter received a positive response parish ministry in Saugus, Massachusetts, tors, and family members seek help— She recalls enrolling in every course rate and a few things, she says, became when she founded Safe Havens in 1991. though not always from law enforcement she could that Diana Eck, Professor of clear from the survey: There was a group of “I think the reason I was able to start officials or even from a violence prevention Comparative Religion and Indian Stud- church leaders who said that domestic vio- Safe Havens was because I was so igno- shelter. Instead, people seek help from cler- ies, taught, and the classes she took lence was happening somewhere, but not in rant and didn’t realize that this was going gy and religious leaders more than from all on women and religion and on world their congregation. There were a few leaders to be so hard,” she explained from Safe other helping professionals combined. religions have been, she says, especially who had some training around domestic Havens’ offices in downtown Boston. It is no wonder, then, that Anne Marie helpful in her work. Yet, one of the most abuse. And, consistent in all the responses “We decided we were going to start talk- Hunter, MDiv ’86, has devoted nearly formative experiences of her time at was their distancing from the issue. ing about faith and domestic violence, “They thought because at that time nobody talked about that abusers could it. So, I listened to people talk about Harvard Divinity School not possibly look what was going on, and one of the things like us,” she said. I noticed again and again was finger- Educates students to teach, serve, lead, teach. serve. lead. give. “So when we started pointing among the various conservative, and make a better world. Safe Havens, we liberal, and orthodox congregations.” Help make a meaningful difference in the lives of students and in the lives they touch. were overcoming all Hunter’s passion for these issues of that denial and comes from personal experience, having distancing.” been a victim and survivor of domestic After graduating violence. Yet, even as she was becoming from HDS in 1986, an important resource for a growing num- Hunter followed ber of voiceless victims and survivors of Karen McCarthy domestic abuse, she was battling her own Brown, who was doubts about whether she could continue then a visiting schol- to shepherd Safe Havens. She was not ar at HDS and Pro- simply the director of a growing nonprof- fessor of Sociology it; she was also the leader of a parish and and Anthropology mother to two young children. of Religion at Drew “I thought, ‘I simply don’t have time University, to New for this.’ And every time I went to speak Jersey for her PhD or preach about domestic abuse, I thought PHoto: tony Rinaldo in sociology and that it would be the end, but what kept religion. It was there me going were the victims and survivors Support The HDS Fund. The Outdoor Church in Cambridge ministers to chronically homeless men and Visit www.hds.harvard.edu/gifts or contact that Hunter began who would catch or call me afterward. I Anissa Potvin, annual giving coordinator, women. Emma Crossen, MDiv ’10, serves as executive director and the Reverend to look even closer even got letters from people who would at 617.495.5084 or [email protected]. Jedediah Mannis, MDiv ’04, is the founder and a minister of the church. at violence against say, ‘The whole time you were talking, I women. wanted to stand up on my chair and say,

10 alumni journal

of Public Safety, which provided the orga- ties about domestic violence. nization with key operating funds. At one According to Katzman, breaking the point, Safe Havens had six staff members, silence is one of the best ways that faith but today, on the heels of the economic leaders can help victims of domestic collapse, there are just two: Hunter and abuse, but they also need to understand Alyson Katzman, director of the organiza- the importance of confidentiality and tion’s Family Violence Prevention Project. safety for victims. Hunter and Katzman have weathered “Preaching about domestic violence is these rough times, however, and are look- great, but if you do not understand some ing toward a bright future. They are still of the issues around safety and confiden- doing outreach and training, and the Fam- tiality, then the victim could be in terrible ily Violence Prevention Project has trans- danger,” she said. formed its extended training into a shorter, Faith leaders can sometimes find it diffi- nine-hour session for faith congregations. cult to go beyond the walls of their congre- Safe Havens is now receiving most gation for help, and reaching out to service of its funds on a national level, having providers can be, according to Hunter, a secured two major contracts with the tough but necessary step. Another chal- United States Department of Justice. One lenge for ministers is to be nondirec- will look at faith and elder abuse, and tive—to avoid telling someone what to do. Hunter and Katzman have been work- This can be especially difficulty because,

hds photograph/jonathan beasley ing for a couple of years on resources for when a victim approaches a faith leader, service providers, as well as for faith com- she often wants to understand decisions in that it’s right here; it’s happening to me!’ ” such as a sexual assault response center or munities, around this issue. Safe Havens terms of her faith, and is seeking guidance. The organization received initial seed a domestic violence shelter. has also been partnering with the National But, Hunter says, “It’s all about laying out money from the United Methodist Church “What we are trying to do is help faith Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life and options and resources and helping victims and from the Coolidge Foundation, whose community leaders and members and to the Office on Violence Against Women, and survivors decide for themselves.” funding allowed Hunter to relinquish her be that bridge between victims and help- which have been major funders for coali- Another issue for faith communities is post at her congregation and to become ful services. This is one of the best proac- tions and local services to address violence how to deal with the abusers. the full-time director of Safe Havens. tive services—to get a victim or survivor to against women. “Say it is safe, somehow, to talk to the “It was a very difficult decision, because an advocate somehow,” Hunter explained. Working with the National Clearing- abusers. How do I help them connect to I loved parish ministry,” she said. “I went Since conducting the training associ- house on Abuse in Later Life, Safe Havens their own spiritual roots and to their own to my bishop for help with the decision ated with the Family Violence Prevention conducted focus groups across the coun- faith in God at the same time that I hold making. In the Methodist church, you are Project, the organization has been noticed try and met with service providers and them accountable for the abuse and make appointed by your bishop to do whatever it on a national level and has been asked to faith leaders and survivors and asked what sure they know this has to change?” Hunt- is you are doing. So I am now appointed to provide technical assistance to chaplains resources each needed and how they are er asks. “What could separate you more direct Safe Havens as my ministry.” at family justice centers around the coun- connecting. Hunter is getting ready to from God than abusing your partner?” The first few years at Safe Havens were try. Even though family justice centers launch this initiative with a webinar. She When she arrived at Harvard Divinity about raising awareness and fostering often have chaplains, those ministers, will then send out resource materials, School and then began working at Har- relationships with congregations. When Hunter says, may have little knowledge such as a special bookmark, booklet, and borMe, Hunter kept hearing the same Safe Havens staff decided that more in- about how to respond to domestic vio- checklist, to people nationally. stories of how a person’s faith was being depth training was needed, they developed lence. As a result, Safe Havens has devel- “Say you are a domestic violence advo- misconstrued to hold her in an abusive the Family Violence Prevention Project, oped protocols for faith-based persons cate and you need to reach out to your relationship. Nearly 25 years later, she is which was, in its original form, a 22-hour, who are in that role. faith community but you have no idea still motivated to help victims and survi- interfaith training program that incorpo- “A large part of that is figuring out what where to start. This checklist will help vors of abuse. rated a team approach for each congrega- we should say to victims and survivors you figure out what to do. What are the “I have always said that I started doing tion that participated. Each team consisted of domestic violence,” Hunter said. “We sacred texts of a particular religion called? this work for me. I’ve continued doing it of at least one clergy member or senior cannot preach that sermon anymore that What are its basic beliefs? It would help, for all the people I have met at my congre- staff member and lay people. broad forgiveness is a wonderful thing, for example, when I’m talking to a victim gation and at shelters, and now I’m doing At the beginning, Safe Havens mostly because we now know that forgiveness can or survivor if I know that she’s Catholic, it for my daughter—for the next genera- served churches, but it quickly began to hook someone into a domestic violence because often Roman Catholics have a tion. It’s not just abusers who need to branch out to include synagogues and, relationship that just goes on and on.” hard time encompassing divorce.” know what a healthy relationship is or recently, mosques. One of Safe Havens’ As the organization’s impact has risen, In addition to its work with the elderly, what resources are out there; everyone beliefs is that the faith community can so have its challenges. In recent years, Safe Havens is also engaged in a project needs to know. Any of us can be victims; address the spiritual and faith issues local funding has dried up. Safe Havens that has taken the staff out to rural areas abuse is equal opportunity. But as our slo- around domestic violence, but often, vic- is no longer supported by the Department in Massachusetts, where they have been gan reads: No one should have to choose tims and survivors need service providers, of Public Health and the Executive Office able to help by talking to faith communi- between faith and safety.”

11 alumni journal Alumni News Highlights Alumnus Joins Resource Center Dallas esource Center Dallas, one of the pri- Rmary LGBT and HIV/AIDS service organizations in north , has hired Grace Cathedral Names Lee Taft, MDiv ’99, as associate executive Jane Alison Shaw as Its director of LGBT programs and strategic partnerships. Eighth Dean In the position, Taft will be directly responsible for creating and maintain- ing programs at one of the largest LGBT n November 6, the Rev. Canon Dr. Jane community centers in the United States. OAlison Shaw, MDiv ’88, was installed as He will also research emerging and ongo- the eighth dean of Grace Cathedral Episco- ing gaps in community services, identify pal Church in San Francisco. opportunities for fundable and sustainable Shaw joins Grace Cathedral from the

programming and services, and identify courtesy lee taft in England, where and develop opportunities for collabora- she has served as the dean of divinity and robert taylor tion between health and LGBT programs. Dallas, a former board member for Lamb- a fellow of New College, Oxford. In addi- With others, Taft led the first federal da Legal, and co-chair of the Leadership tion, she has taught history and theology ing to inclusion, and she has served as challenge to the Texas sodomy statute in Lambda Seminar Series. at the university. theological consultant to the Church of 1982, as a board member and chair of the Taft also received a bachelor’s degree Serving with distinction as a priest, England House of Bishops. Shaw is canon Texas Human Rights Foundation. He is with honors from Michigan State Univer- academic theologian, and historian, Shaw theologian at Salisbury Cathedral and an also a former board member and chair of sity and a law degree from St. Mary’s Uni- brings powerful preaching and deep honorary canon of Christ Church Cathe- AIDS Interfaith Network, a former board versity School of Law, San Antonio, Texas. expertise in liturgy, management and dral, Oxford. member of the Gay and Lesbian Fund for He lives in Dallas. administration, program development, In addition to the MDiv degree from teaching, community building, and fund- HDS, she holds a PhD in history from raising to Grace Cathedral. She is known the University of California at Berkeley. internationally for her exceptional talents In 2006, she was awarded an honorary Obama Appoints S. Alan Ray to Key Post in the communication of Christianity in doctorate from Episcopal Divinity School. the public sphere. In Great Britain, she She has been a visiting professor at Berke- resident Barack Obama has appointed has been successful in bridging differ- ley, Emory University, and Florida Atlantic PElmhurst College President S. Alan ences in governance and policies pertain- University. Ray, MTS ’80, to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education. He was one of four individuals named to serve on the Council, which advises and makes Kurt Hoelting Speaks at HDS recommendations to the U.S. Department of Education on federal issues, services, urt Hoelting, MDiv ’77, commercial and programs relating to the education of Kfisherman, wilderness guide, medita- Native American children and adults. tion teacher, and founder of Inside Pas- Ray has served since 2008 as presi- courtesy elmhurst college sages (a sea-kayaking outfitter and guide dent of Elmhurst College. He is a citizen business in Alaska), spoke at HDS on of the Cherokee Nation, and serves on American studies, religious studies, and October 14 as part of the Praying Our the Tribe’s Cherokee language immer- federal Indian law, Ray has taught at Lives series, sponsored by the Office of sion school advisory board. An attorney, Boston College, HDS, and Harvard Law Religious and Spiritual Life. teacher, and scholar, Ray previously held School, as well as at the University of New During the hour-long presentation, the position of senior vice provost for the Hampshire and Elmhurst College. Kurt spoke about the connections between University of New Hampshire. Prior to He is a 1978 graduate of St. Thomas the ecology of the planet and the ecology that, Ray was associate dean for academic in Denver, earned a of the soul, and he read passages from affairs at Harvard Law School, in charge of theological studies degree from HDS his new book, The Circumference of Home, of administering faculty hiring and cur- in 1980, and went on to earn an MA which was published in April by Da Capo riculum planning, and also served in a and a PhD in the study of religion from Press and named a “notable book” by variety of leadership roles in the Harvard Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and IndieBound, the independent booksellers University Native American Program. Sciences and a JD from the University of association. hds photograph/jonathan Workingbeasley at the intersection of Native California, Hastings College of the Law.

12 alumni journal

HDS Welcomes HDS Alumni/ae Council Annual Fall Meeting

Hannah Peters as New The HDS Alumni/ae Council gathered in Cambridge on October 22 for its fall business Development Dean meeting. Members of the Council met with and greeted students, staff, and faculty at different points during the day, including at a special Community Table lunch in Rock Café. The Council is a group of elected alumni volunteer leaders, which oversees tra- annah Peters joined HDS as associate ditional initiatives like the alumni awards process, new programs (such as a series of Hdean for development and external regional gatherings for alumni that took place this November), and partnership initia- relations on September 8. Hannah is a tives with the Harvard Alumni Association. well-established member of the Harvard community, most recently having served as Back row, from left: Craig Phillips, MDiv associate dean for external relations at Har- ’79; Josh Thomas, MTS ’02; Samuel Nixon, vard’s Graduate School of Design, where Jr., MDiv ’91, SLI ’01. Middle Row: Diane she directed and established the strategy Miller, MDiv ’76; Rebecca L. Neumann, MTS for the School’s development and outreach ’05; Sheila F. Winborne, MTS ’93, PhD ’05; efforts. In her new role, Hannah will be Michael Goetz, associate director of development, working at HDS for 80 percent of the time, annual giving and alumni relations. Front: Den- while also serving as director, schools nis R. Koehn, MDiv ’78; Rosemary Lloyd, MDiv development, for the University Develop- ’03; Richie L. Butler, MTS ’96; Ruth B. Purtilo, MTS ’75, PhD ’79; Anissa Potvin, ALM ’10, ment Office for the remaining 20 percent hds photograph/jonathan beasley of her time. This dual appointment will Hannah Peters annual giving and alumni relations coordinator. hds photograph/jonathan beasley allow HDS to continue to benefit from being more closely tied to Harvard-wide fundraising plans, initiatives, and best Recent Alumni Books practices. After serving for three years as director of corporate and foundation rela- tions at Medical Center in The Word of God for the People of God: An Entryway to Valley of the Dead: The Truth Behind Dante’s Inferno Boston, she entered into university devel- the Theological Interpretation of Scripture by Kim Paffenroth (MTS ’90) J. Todd Billings (ThD ’05) Permuted Press opment and fundraising, where she has Eerdmans progressively advanced over the course of the past 16 years. In 1999 she joined Har- Missionaries in Hawai’i: The Lives of Peter and Fanny vard Business School as director of corpo- Holistic Healing in Byzantium Gulick, 1797–1883 rate and donor relations where she worked edited by John T. Chirban (ThM ’76, ThD ’80) by Clifford Putney (MDiv ’98) to develop strategies and engagement Holy Cross Orthodox Press University of Massachusetts Press opportunities to reflect the changing reali- ties of philanthropy. Hannah has a BS from Georgetown University and a mas- The Circumference of Home: One Man’s Yearlong Quest in America ter’s degree in international affairs from for a Radically Local Life by Roger G. Robins (MDiv ’84) . by Kurt Hoelting (MDiv ’77) Praeger Da Capo Press

Share Your News The Surprising Election and Confirmation of King An Introduction to Jewish-Christian Relations David Harvard Divinity Today publishes class by Edward Kessler (MTS ’87) by J. Randall Short (MTS ’00, ThD ’06) notes and notices of alumni publications Cambridge University Press Harvard Theological Studies in each issue. Due to the overwhelming number of requests we receive, we can only print announcements that are sent via Hidden Mark: Exploring Christianity’s Heretical Gospel Searching for God in the Sixties email to [email protected] (books by John Killinger (BD ’59) by David R. Williams (MTS ’75) can be shipped to Harvard Divinity School Mercer University Press University of Delaware Press Office of Alumni Relations, 45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138). Harvard Divinity Today reserves the right to edit Revelation of the Magi: The Lost Tale of the Wise Men’s Capitalism as Religion? A Study of ’s items and, because of space limitations, to Journey to Bethlehem Interpretation of Modernity delay the appearance of some notices. Brent Landau (MDiv ’01, ThD ’08) by Francis Ching-Wah Yip (ThD ’04) HarperOne Harvard Theological Studies

13

November 30 6:15 pm Seasons of Light Calendar Andover Chapel

December 2 December 2 5:30pm The Alphabet: Its Origins and Early History Last day of fall classes Peter Machinist, Hancock Professor of Hebrew and Other Oriental Languages at Harvard Divinity School, is the featured speaker.

Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street

December 13 December 22 8 pm 101st Annual Christmas Carol Services Winter recess

The Memorial Church,

January 24 February 17 4:15 pm Spring semester Dudleian Lecture begins Scott Appleby

Braun Room, Andover Hall

March 7 4 pm Plumbing The Heart of Thorny Shrubs: Women, Religion, and Cultural Nationalism in Republican China

Zhange Ni

Common Room, Center for the Study of World Religions, 42 Francis Avenue

March 12–20 date date ForTime the most up-to-date informationTime on all Spring recess HarvardEvent Description Divinity School events,Event please Description check the Public Events Calendar at www.hds.harvard.edu. Location Location