Dr. Eric D. Barreto ’04
Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament
I devoured books as a child and developed a love for story as a way to narrate what God is doing in the world through us. But it was also my experience as a Latino growing up both in Puerto Rico and in various parts of the U.S. that sharpened my understanding of how stories can shape and reshape us.
How will your classes prepare
students to be Christian leaders?
It may be easier to see how someone
preaching every week is drawing
upon what they learned in my
classes. But my hope is that all
students, no matter what kind of
calling they pursue, will hear the
echoes of Scripture in their everyday
encounters. I hope they will hear
God’s voice sharpened by the stories
of Scripture as they encounter the
needs of the world.
If you could teach your students one thing, what would it be?
I see a need for deep wisdom and discernment in all kinds of ministry. In this digital age, it can be hard to discern which information to trust, and which sources are reliable. That is the kind of wisdom that I hope to nurture in my students and the kind of wisdom that an engaged reading of Scripture nurtures—to be both generous and critical readers.
What is a resource that you
recommend to students and alumni?
I would point students and alumni
to websites like workingpreacher.org
and onscripture.org. Everyone should own The Women’s Bible
Commentary (Westminster John
Knox Press, 2012), edited by Carol
Newsom, Sharon Ringe, and
Jacqueline Lapsley.
I have learned so much from Matthew Skinner’s Intrusive God, Disruptive Gospel (Baker Publishing Group, 2015) and Brian Blount’s Invasion of the Dead (Westminster John Knox Press, 2014). I am eager to read Beverly Roberts Gaventa’s When in Romans (Baker Publishing Group, 2016) and Willie Jennings’s Acts commentary in the Belief series (Westminster John Knox Press, 2016).
View Dr. Barreto’s faculty profile
Dr. Gerald Liu
Assistant Professor of Worship and Preaching
I was born in Mississippi to culturally Buddhist immigrants from Taiwan. My travels have taken me to more than forty countries across five continents. I bring the perspective of a Chinese/Taiwanese southern journeyman ready to embolden students from all kinds of backgrounds who are pursuing ministry and theological education.
How will your classes prepare
students to be Christian leaders?
In my worship courses, I emphasize design. The
traditions of Christianity offer many
resources assembling together for
the love of neighbor and glory of God.
But the cinematic violence, relentless
discrimination, and religious
confusion we see today also requires
regular and skillful use of liturgical
imagination and invention.
If you could teach your students one
thing, what would it be?
If I could, I would teach students
how to love. It sounds trite to say
that, but so much of the curriculum
in theological education attempts to transmit lessons intended
to deepen the love of God and
neighbor. Learning how to love with
theological sophistication requires
not only an excellent curriculum,
but a lot more. I hope that some
of what happens in the classroom
strengthens the incandescence of
the students as they shine a light on
divine love and grace in the world.
What is one book that you
recommend to students and alumni?
One title worth knowing is Southern
Cross the Dog by Bill Cheng
(HarperCollins, 2010). Cheng is a
Chinese American author who writes
a gothic novel set in Mississippi with
an African American protagonist.
This book models how it is possible
to imagine yourself in the shoes
and lands of others and produce
accessible beauty of the highest order.
View Dr. Liu’s faculty profile
Dr. Margarita Mooney
Associate Professor of Congregational Studies
I am a scholar, educator, mentor, and author who is interested in how interdisciplinary work in social sciences, philosophy, and theology can contribute both to a scientific understanding of the world and generate practical knowledge about the art of everyday living.
How will your classes prepare
students to be Christian leaders?
I’ve always had a commitment
to engaged scholarship—that is,
working with community leaders
and pastors to reflect on social
issues and propose new pathways
forward. As a faculty member, I plan
to teach courses like Congregational Studies, Religion and Social Theory,
Philosophy of Social Science, and
Religion and Resilience. I’ve always
enjoyed mentoring my students in
their vocational journeys, and I look
forward to sharing my intellectual
and spiritual journey with them.
If you could teach your students one
thing, what would it be?
Your work is God’s work. If
something doesn’t work out, put your
trust in God and keep moving.
What is one book that you
recommend to students and alumni?
I recently read Esther de Waal’s
Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict
(The Liturgical Press, April 2001). It
reminded me that holiness is about
seeking God in all things, even
the smallest daily tasks. I was also
reminded that we can grow from the
tensions in fulfilling our many roles.
We are children of God and can find
rest in the awareness of God’s mercy
and grace.
View Dr. Mooney’s faculty profile
Dr. Mark S. Smith
Helena Professor of Old Testament Literature and Exegesis
Perhaps my sense of human commonality and cultural difference between various religious communities and their members. My experience combines a lifelong commitment as a Roman Catholic Christian, an active engagement in Jewish ritual and tradition for more than three decades, and successive and substantial interactions with Reformation Christianity.
How will your classes prepare students to be Christian leaders?
I hope to practice models for critical, cooperative, and active learning and engagement that apply widely to professional life.
If you could teach your students one
thing, what would it be?
What you know most deeply about
yourself or about anyone else or
about the world, will change. A lot.
So, for now, embrace who and what
you newly encounter and try to
understand (and enjoy) the limits of what is known. And practice
forgiveness, kindness, and mercy.
What is one book that you
recommend to students and alumni?
I’d suggest Mother Nature: A History
of Mothers, Infants, and Natural
Selection (Pantheon Books, 1999)
by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy. It offers a
long and thoughtful look at mothers,
fathers, and children through the
lens of anthropology, primatology,
and evolutionary theory.