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A New Era at VDS James Hudnut-Beumler Dean and Anne Potter Wilson Distinguished Professor of American Religious History VOLUME 22, NUMBER 1 WINTER 2001 TheSPie Vanderbilt University Divinity School and Oberlin Graduate School of Theology TheSPie Volume 22 • Number 1 • Winter 2001 Features 9 The Spire is published biannually by Vander- bilt University Divinity School in cooperation Extended Conversations Vanderbilt University with the Office of Alumni Communications & The newly appointed dean exchanges his views on theological education and Publications from editorial and business the mission of the Divinity School. Divinity School offices located at University Plaza, 112 21st Announces the 2001 Avenue South, Suite 301, Nashville, Tennessee 37203 (Telephone: 615/322-3981). The editor Antoinette Brown Lecture welcomes letters and comments from readers regarding articles published in The Spire; 16 alumni/ae of the Divinity School, the Gradu- Domestic Intervention ate School’s Department of Religion, and the Oberlin Graduate School of Theology are Alumnae intercede in the lives of battered women. Engendering Christ encouraged to submit news items of their per- sonal and professional accomplishments. Readers may correspond by U.S. mail: The Spire 19 The Office of Alumni to be delivered by Communications & Publications Magic Bullet or Eugenics Revisited Kwok Pui-lan Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt doctoral candidate Christine Caron considers the Box 7703, Station B theological implications of the Human Genome Project. Nashville, TN 37235 The William F. Cole by e-mail: [email protected] Professor of Christian by facsimile: 615/343-8547 Theology and Spirituality Address corrections may be sent to: 22 The Office of Gift Records Episcopal Divinity School Vanderbilt University Traversing the Gray Border Cambridge, Massachusetts 201 Alumni Hall A Divinity School student examines the North America Free Trade Agreement Nashville, TN 37240 through hermeneutical lens. or updated electronically on the alumni home page at www.vanderbilt.edu/alumni 25 James Hudnut-Beumler, Dean The Anne Potter Wilson Witnesses Against Complicity Thursday, March 15, 7:30 P.M. Distinguished Professor Faculty, staff, and students from the University community protest Tennessee’s Benton Chapel of American Religious History death penalty law. Victor Judge, BS’77, MS’79, Editor Professor Kwok Pui-lan, the 27th Antoinette Brown lecturer, was Cathy H. Snyder, Director of Alumni/ae and graduated from Harvard University where she received the doctor- Development 30 ate of theology. A member of the Episcopal Divinity School faculty Christian Holihan, Designer since 1992, she is the author of Chinese Women and Christianity: The Road to Vanderbilt 1860–1927, Discovering the Bible in the Non-Biblical World, and Professor Jack M. Sasson charts his journey from Aleppo, Syria, Anthony J. Spence, E’75, Executive Director of to the Divinity School where he holds the Mary Jane Werthan Introducing Asian Feminist Theology. Alumni Communications and Publications Chair in Judaic and Biblical Studies. Wisteria and Bird Vanderbilt University is committed to the principles by Chou Ju-nan 19th-century Chinese hanging scroll of equal opportunity and affirmative action. Ch-ing Dynasty On the front cover: portrait of Dean James Hudnut-Beumler by photographer ink and slight color on silk 30” x 14” ©2001 Vanderbilt University Peyton Hoge of Franklin, Tennessee 1980.093 gift of Mr. and Mrs. Howard L. Boorman Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery Collection On the back cover: india ink and sandpaper etching by Nashville artist Kurt M. Lightner THE SPIRE Winter 2001 1 Around the’ From the Dean quadrAngle PEYTON HOGE Forrest E. Harris, Religion & the Process of Discernment Preeminent Preacher Named Distinguished Alumnus MDiv’83, DMin’91, Direc- “Is what you do important? I mean, I can Religion is powerful, and dangerous. and tragedies of human life. Religious tradi- “I have an Oberlin education and a Vander- segregationist beliefs endorsed by the Agrar- tor of the Kelly understand the need that religious organiza- Believing that God is on one’s side has tions are powerful because they are all- bilt certification, and I remain grateful to ians who advocated a South characterized by Miller Smith tions have for clerical leaders, but is that an enabled several of our finest movements for encompassing; they give an account of the both institutions,” proclaimed the Reverend a moral, social, and economic autonomy. Institute on important thing for the University to be liberation. The civil rights movement, the wholeness of things that can sustain and Doctor Gardner C. Taylor from the pulpit in “Their names should be uttered with a blister Black Church involved in?” This was one of the most anti-apartheid movement, and movements order our lives. On the other hand, when one Benton Chapel upon receiving the Divinity on the tongue for speaking lies to history,” he Studies and pres- unusual questions I had to field during my for the total inclusion of all people in the person’s or group’s sense of wholeness con- School’s distinguished alumnus award for contends. ident of Ameri- first month as dean of the Divinity School. leadership and service of churches all come flicts with another’s, religion is often the 2000. Taylor also encouraged the audience to can Baptist The questioner was a new professor who had out of this conviction of holy purpose. The source of great conflict. Pastor emeritus of Concord Baptist remember, “At the height and depth of life is College, congrat- taught in the sciences in a variety of major idea that the divine suffers with creation has So how do we sort out good religion from Church of Christ in Brooklyn, Gardner, Ober- a mystery, and we must remain engaged in ulates the universities, but never one with a divinity helped millions cope with the contingencies bad religion? How do we discern the beliefs lin BD’40, accepted the award from James L. this mystery. The Bible is not a nice, conven- Revered Doctor Gardner C. Taylor, Oberlin, school. and practices that are warranted by received Smalley, BD’67, pastor of First United tional book, and if we look at the Cross BD’40, (right) recipient of Vanderbilt Univer- Is what we do important? That’s a ques- tradition from those that are not? We work at Church, UCC, in Nashville and past presi- through rose-colored glasses and expect the sity Divinity School’s distinguished alumnus tion that faces not only the dean of a divinity the process of discernment at the Divinity dent of the alumni/ae association. Presented Cross to be rose-odored, then Christianity award for 2000. Hailed by Time magazine as school, but also, I suspect, most of you School by doing what universities do well: during the Fall Convocation on September 1, becomes crossless.” “the dean of America’s black preachers” and by reading this column. If we look at the we read and evaluate texts; we assess the citation on the award stated, “By virtue of Among the gestures of congratulations Christian Century magazine as “the poet lau- images presented to us on televi- moral arguments; we send students his preeminence as preacher, teacher, and the distinguished alumnus received at con- reate of American Protestantism, Taylor was sion and in the movies of reli- out into churches, agencies, and pastor, Reverend Taylor has brought honor to vocation was a telegram from alumni/ae chosen by the alumni/ae association for his min- gious leaders, scholars, and classrooms to learn how their his profession and to Vanderbilt University.” Vice President Al Gore, L’77, and Tipper, istry as preacher, teacher, pastor, and prophet to even religiously motivated own theologies measure up to In his convocation address, titled “A MA’76. the church and society. people, we are apt not to the issues they encounter. I Benediction for Us All,” Taylor discussed the be encouraged by what wager that many of you do we see. To the popular something very similar in media, religious leaders the work of your lives. are too often nice and Promoting a critical and Pondering An Enigmatic Trinity pious but quite beside wise appropriation of the the point. faith is difficult work in When 46 contemporary literary artists from what southern literature actually is, and it Looking at the part because accepting a the southern school of letters convened at was important for the Divinity School to Sherry Willis pages of the news sec- simplistic faith is often so Vanderbilt University in April for the Millen- serve as part of the setting for the Millennial has assumed tions, one gets quite a much easier. nial Gathering of Writers of the New South, Gathering because of the institution’s com- the responsi- different view of reli- Is what we do impor- the Divinity School Refectory was the setting mitments to diversity and social justice.” bilities of gion. Ethnic conflicts tant? I think that the for two panel discussions. (Poems from the canons of Jarman and activities often take on a religious work of this Divinity Mark Jarman, poet and professor of Eng- Daniels are reprinted on page 43 of this issue coordinator dimension. As I write, School and its graduates lish at Vanderbilt, was among the partici- of The Spire.) for the Divin- there are people in the is among the most impor- pants who explored the enigmatic trinity of ity School’s PEYTON HOGE Indian subcontinent and tant work that can be done race, gender, and class in “The Church of Humorist and nov- Office of in the Middle East killing in a world characterized both Christ Without Christ: Conversations on elist Roy Blount Jr., Alumni/ae one another in the name of by great religious devotion Faith” while Walter Sullivan, BA’47, novelist BA’63, responds to and Develop- their faiths.