Popular Searches
Members of the faculty have written a statement of theological conviction in response to current political events.
February 24, 2017(signers to this statement do not represent the Seminary or the faculty as a whole)
We, the undersigned, believe that because God is sovereign over all creation and becauseall human beings are embraced by God’s all encompassing grace, the god of DonaldTrump’s “America first” nationalism is not the God revealed in our scriptures. Regardlessof our specific political persuasions we agree that the attitudes fostered by thisnationalism are inconsistent with Christian values of welcoming the stranger as if wewere welcoming Christ, of seeking to distinguish truth from deception and conceit, and ofbelieving that no institution or government can demand the kind of loyalty that belongsonly to God.
We also believe that the policies and approach embraced by the Trump administrationrun counter to democratic values, as executive orders and members of the newadministration’s cabinet often seek to demonize Islam, foster white supremacy,compromise the rule of law and intimidate judges, undermine the empowerment ofwomen, ignore the destruction of the environment, promote homophobia, unleashunfounded fears of crime that worsen the “law and order” abuses of police and securityforces. We reject the pervasive aim of placing the monetary gain of wealthy classes overthe welfare of its citizenry by undermining education, quality employment, and healthcare. We believe that Christian faith and US democracy are not the same thing; hence, westand against the notion of a “Christian nation.” But as Christians who are also citizens orresidents of the US, we stand against the attitudes and policies that are being fostered inthis present political climate.
As we look at the role of the US in promoting war and repression abroad and divisionamong its own peoples at home, however, we confess our own complicity in the sinfulentanglements that have created this political and social crisis. Not all of us have taken afirm and vocal enough stance against what Martin Luther King, Jr. called the “gianttriplets” of violence in the United States: “racism, extreme materialism, and militarism.”We have often embraced academic elitism that overlooks the needs of the unemployed orthe value of jobs that do not require higher education. We recognize a legacy of failurethat marks past presidential administrations, and so harbor no nostalgia for the politics ofthe past. But we do not believe that Trump is a remedy for that legacy of failure. InTrump’s values and policies we see no public witness consistent with the Gospel or withthe values of those who are believers in Jesus Christ and members of Christ’s church.
We not only reject Trump’s values and policies, we also renew our commitment to afuture where both the church and the academy will foster attitudes and actions so thathuman beings and the whole of creation can thrive. We join our hearts, our minds, ourvoices, and our actions with those of religious believers–Christians, Jews, Muslims, andpeople of all faiths, as well as with secular people of good conscience, to resist thepresent destructive politics in our country and to seek reversal of their destructiveconsequences here and around the world.
Afe Adogame, Maxwell M. Upson Professor of Christianity and SocietyEric D. Barreto, Frederick and Margaret L. Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of NewTestamentRaimundo Barreto, Assistant Professor of World ChristianityClifton Black, Otto A. Piper Professor of Biblical TheologyLisa Bowens, Assistant Professor of New TestamentJohn Bowlin, Robert L. Stuart Associate Professor of Philosophy and Christian EthicsMichael Brothers, Associate Professor of Speech Communication in MinistrySally A. Brown, Elizabeth M. Engle Associate Professor of Preaching and WorshipEllen Charry, Margaret W. Harmon Professor of Systematic TheologyKenda Creasy Dean, Mary D. Synnott Professor of Youth, Church, and CultureJames C. Deming, Associate Professor of Modern European Church HistoryHeath Dewrell, Assistant Professor of Old TestamentF. W. Dobbs-Allsopp, Professor of Old TestamentNancy J. Duff, Stephen Colwell Associate Professor of Theological EthicsGordon Graham, Henry Luce III Professor of Philosophy and the ArtsWilliam Stacy Johnson, Arthur M. Adams Professor of TheologyJacqueline Lapsley, Associate Professor of Old Testament and Director of the Center forTheology, Women, and GenderCleophus J. LaRue, Francis Landey Patton Professor of HomileticsBo Karen Lee, Associate Professor of Spiritual Theology and Christian FormationGerald Liu, Assistant Professor of Worship and PreachingBruce McCormack, Charles Hodge Professor of Systematic Theology, and Director ofthe Center for Barth StudiesElsie McKee, Archibald Alexander Professor of Reformation Studies and the History ofWorshipKathleen McVey, Joseph Ross Stevenson Professor of Church HistoryGordon Mikoski, Associate Professor of Christian EducationJames H. Moorhead, Mary McIntosh Bridge Professor of American Church HistoryDennis Olson, Professor of Old TestamentRichard Osmer, Ralph B. and Helen S. Ashenfelter Professor of Mission and EvangelismBrian Rainey, Assistant Professor of Old TestamentPaul Rorem, Benjamin B. Warfield Professor of Medieval Church HistoryMark S. Smith, Helena Professor of Old Testament Literature and ExegesisMark Lewis Taylor, Maxwell M. Upson Professor of Theology and CultureSonia Waters, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology Richard Fox Young, Elmer K. and Ethel R. Timby Associate Professor of the History ofReligions
Richard S. Armstrong, Helen S. Ashenfelter Professor Emeritus of Ministry and EvangelismAbigail Rian Evans, Professor Emerita of Practical TheologyRichard Fenn, Maxwell Upson Professor Emeritus of Christianity and SocietyBeverly Roberts Gaventa, Helen H. P. Manson Professor Emerita of New TestamentExegesisDarrell L. Guder, Henry Winters Luce Professor Emeritus of Missional and EcumenicalTheologyGeddes W. Hanson, Professor Emeritus of Congregational MinistryDaniel L. Migliore, Professor Emeritus of Systematic TheologyPatrick D. Miller, Charles T. Haley Professor Emeritus of Old Testament TheologyPeter J. Paris, Elmer G. Homrighausen Professor Emeritus of Christian Social EthicsLuis N. Rivera-Pagán, Henry Winters Luce Professor Emeritus of EcumenicsKatharine Doob Sakenfeld, Eisenberger Professor Emerita of Old TestamentJ. Wentzel van Huyssteen, James I. McCord Professor Emeritus of Theology and ScienceCharles Converse West, Stephen Colwell Professor Emeritus of Christian Ethics
Elizabeth Bloch-Smith, Old TestamentJohn Joon-Young Huh, Pasoral CounselingRichard Lischer, PreachingMichael Dean Morgan, Speech Communication in MinistryDarryl W. Stephens, United Methodist StudiesJoyce MacKichan Walker, Presbyterian PolityRuth Workman, Spiritual Direction
