DIVINITY DUKE UNIVERSITY | Fall 2016 RENEWING LIFE How the Church Can Thrive in Unexpected Ways PREPARING LEADERS SEEING GOD IN PRISON TODAY FOR THE By Louis Threatt and Kaye B. Ward CHURCH OF TOMORROW THE ART OF TENTMAKING: CHRISTIANS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZING By Elaine A. Heath FALL 2016 | A By Luke Bretherton Brandon Hudson T’06, D’13 and Maranatha Wall D’13 Participate in EMPOWERMENT AND TRANSFORMATION through Divinity Annual Fund When Brandon Hudson decided to attend Duke Divinity School, he was looking for rigorous theological formation and a way to deepen connections with people and the place of Durham, N.C. He found all that, and more. Through his M.Div. and prison studies certificate, he developed a theological imagination rooted in the experience and revelation of God among the poor and marginalized. His field education experiences in Baltimore and Houston gave him a vision of empowerment for black and Latino youth. And he met his wife, Maranatha, through their study community group. Today Brandon serves as executive director for Urban Hope in the Walltown neighborhood in Durham. In this ministry, his theological and practical training now helps to empower young people through spiritual, economic, and education resources. Brandon and Maranatha also participate in transformation by giving financially to the Divinity Annual Fund. “We believe Duke has shaped us in profound ways and believe it can profoundly shape generations to come. We encourage our fellow alumni to participate in God's work at Duke Divinity School by intentionally investing in the institution so that it may continue.” LES TODD PHOTOGRAPHY JOIN US TODAY! For more information on how you can participate in empowering the next generation for ministry through the Divinity Annual Fund, call 919-660-3456. To give online, see divinity.duke.edu/give DIVINITY FEATURES 4 FALL 2016 22 Volume 16, Number 1 PREPARING LEADERS SEEING GOD IN PRISON TODAY FOR THE CHURCH Two perspectives on the OF TOMORROW theology of incarceration and PUBLISHER In order to thrive, church the ways that God breaks Elaine A. Heath leaders must embrace mission, through prison walls Dean and Professor of Missional community, and a focus on and Pastoral Theology By Louis Threatt and Kaye B. Ward loving their neighbors By Elaine A. Heath EDITOR Heather Moffitt 26 Associate Director of Communications BECOMING A PLACE OF 10 Produced by the Office of Communications, SAFETY AND SUPPORT: THE RADICAL POLITICS Duke Divinity School DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OF FELLOWSHIP Audrey Ward, Executive Director AND THE CHURCH Proofreading by Derek Keefe Christian hospitality offers the Churches and pastoral leaders hope of transformation through have a responsibility to recognize Design by B Design Studio, LLC seemingly simple acts such as www.bdesign-studio.com the problem of domestic violence eating together and learn how to respond Copyright © 2016 Duke Divinity School By Norman Wirzba By Dina Helderman All rights reserved. DIVINITY magazine publishes a Fall and Spring issue each year. The magazine 14 DEPARTMENTS represents the engagement of Duke WE ARE ONE IN THE SPIRIT... Divinity School with important topics OR ARE WE? 3 The Editor’s Perspective and invites friends, supporters, alumni, A personal story of church, and others in our community to participate 30 Programs & Events: in the story of what is happening here. sexual and gender diversity, Focus on Theology and the search for a sense of beyond Traditional Walls We’d like to hear from you! belonging to a community For comments or feedback on DIVINITY magazine, please write: By Janie Long 34 Faculty & Staff Notes Editor, DIVINITY magazine 37 Class Notes Duke Divinity School Box 90970 18 Durham, NC 27708-0970 THE ART OF TENTMAKING 38 Deaths Or email: [email protected] Christians can love their Reflections Please include a daytime phone number neighbors through community 40 and an email address. Letters to the editor organizing to transform Meditation may be edited for clarity or length. secular spaces in ways that 41 nurture everyone By Luke Bretherton ON THE COVER: A flower blooms through an ancient stone wall in St. Andrews, Scotland. Photo by Michelle Van Tine, www.michellevantinephotography.com WWW.DIVINITY.DUKE.EDU/MAGAZINE FALL 2016 | 1 CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE ELAINE A. HEATH is the dean NORMAN WIRZBA is professor JANIE LONG is the associate LUKE BRETHERTON is and professor of missional of theology, ecology, and dean and vice provost in professor of theological ethics and pastoral theology at Duke agrarian studies at Duke the Office of Undergraduate and senior fellow of the Kenan Divinity School. Her research Divinity School. His research Education at Duke University. Institute for Ethics at Duke focuses on evangelism and interests include theology, University. She is the former University. He has worked with spirituality, evangelism and philosophy, ecology, and director of the Center for a variety of faith-based NGOs, gender, new monasticism, agrarian and environmental Sexual and Gender Diversity at mission agencies, and churches and emergence in church and studies, especially the recovery Duke and holds an affiliated around the world, particularly theological education. She is of the doctrine of creation and faculty position in women’s in Central and Eastern Europe. the co-founder of Missional a restatement of humanity in studies and sexuality studies. His recent research focused Wisdom Foundation, which terms of its creaturely life. He She is a faculty affiliate in on the intersections of provides opportunities for serves as the general editor a Bass Connections project Christianity, radical democracy, clergy and laity to learn how for the book series Culture through Duke Global Health globalization, responses to live in intentional, missional of the Land: A Series in New and a licensed family to poverty, and patterns of communities in diverse social Agrarianism, and his most therapist. She earned her interfaith relations, published in contexts. Her most recent recent book is The Way of Ph.D. from Virginia Tech and Resurrecting Democracy: Faith, book is God Unbound: Wisdom Love: Recovering the Heart of her M.R.E. degree from Duke Citizenship and the Politics of from Galatians for the Anxious Christianity (HarperOne). Divinity School. a Common Life (Cambridge Church (Upper Room). University Press). DINA HELDERMAN is LOUIS THREATT is the senior KAYE B. WARD retired from DAVE ODOM is the executive the director of the events pastor of Messiah Community the State of North Carolina director of Leadership management department Christian Church (Disciples and now works with the Education at Duke Divinity. at Duke Divinity School. She of Christ) in Winston-Salem, Interfaith Prison Ministry Previously he served as founder earned her M.Div. degree from N.C., and director of Project for Women in Raleigh, N.C. and president of the Center the McAfee School of Theology TURN, part of the School for While incarcerated at the for Congregational Health at Mercer University in 2000, Conversion based in Durham, honor grade unit of the North in Winston-Salem, N.C., and and she worked for the Durham N.C. His passion is to serve Carolina Correctional Center adjunct professor at Wake Crisis Response Center serving God and empower others, for Women in Raleigh, she Forest Divinity School. He survivors of domestic and especially those who are took six Duke Divinity School has also had a leadership sexual violence. She continues pushed to the margins of life classes, and she is now role in the Cooperative to facilitate training for pastors by race, economic status, or enrolled at the University Baptist Fellowship. He has and community leaders on how incarceration. He earned his of Mount Olive to train as a published numerous articles on to respond to domestic and M.Div. degree with a prison prison chaplain. She has been congregations, leadership, and sexual violence. studies certificate from Duke recommended for licensure as healthy institutions for Faith & Divinity School in 2011. a minister in the Original Free Leadership, available at www. Will Baptist Church. faithandleadership.com. 2 | DIVINITY THE EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE Renewal that Transcends Barriers IF YOU’VE READ anything about contemporary trends for The theme of renewal has permeated the work of our the North American church, you’ve seen dire predictions, new dean, Elaine A. Heath. Her scholarship and ministry alarming statistics, and grim warnings. The current narrative has been intent on discovering and unleashing the ways that could be summed up in one word: decline. Denominations the people of faith can draw on the traditions of the church are likely to be feuding and certain to be shrinking. Churches in order to participate in the fresh ways that God’s Spirit are graying, with the average age of membership rising each is working today. Dean Heath brings years of vital experi- year. Seminaries and divinity schools face increasing costs ence, from leading groups through a process of spiritual and decreasing enrollments. Millennials increasingly identify renewal to launching the Missional Wisdom Foundation to as “nones”—having no formal religious identification. teaching in churches and seminaries. She offers scriptural This narrative of decline is supported by top scholarship, insight, theological perspective, and practical wisdom to the such as the excellent research by our own Mark Chaves, endeavor of renewal for the church. professor of sociology, religious The question for us as a divinity school studies, and divinity, which examines is how we will participate in this work the National Congregations Study. May we be willing to offer of God. How will we train leaders for Across the spectrum of religious the church to participate in this work? congregations, the consistent thread the gifts of community How will we use our resources here at emerges: contraction, shrinking, and God’s love that will Duke Divinity School to promote prayer decline.