Spring 2013 Newsletter - Andover Newton Theological School

News from the Hill
Annual Report 2013
seasons of change
a broader mission
Table of Contents
Message from the President Message from the Trustee Chair A Word from Institutional Advancement CIRCLE Border Crossing to Middle East Greetings from Admissions Hsu-Tan Scholarship Alumni/ae Board BPSI and Colby Hall Costas Lecture and Ministries Program Spring Convocation Events Calendar News From the Faculty Staff Updates Alumni/ae News “You Send Me” Gala Border Crossing to China Border Crossing Opportunities Spirit of the Hill 2013 Sabbath Hour Harvey Cox Returns to The Hill Heritage Society Doctor of Ministry Program Unitarian Universalist Curriculum Student Profile/In Memoriam Sustained Giving Societies
The Parrish Society
The President’s Council
The Bingham Society
The 1807 Society
The Luther Rice Society
The Colby Society
The Century Club Friends Jonathan Going Society Adoniram Judson Society Partner Churches Directed Student Support/Special Gifts Honorary Walkway/Gala 3
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Revenue
2012-2013
Expenditures
2012-2013
Message from the President
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Andover Newton President Nick Carter
Andover Newton family and friends:
What a remarkable year! As you will see in this report, 2012-13
was one of the busiest and most successful years in over a
generation at Andover Newton. The School is in the midst of
reinventing itself for the 21st century, and in so doing we sustain
what may be our most enduring tradition: innovation. We hold
our values close, but we are not afraid to adapt to new realities
and the ever-present call to nurture leaders who can help make
our faith relevant in these times.
Our faculty and academic programs continue to blossom with
innovation and change. We created the first tenure-track faculty
position in Interfaith Leadership, secured a $600,000 grant for
a joint appointment (with Hebrew College) of a Muslim professor,
and we conducted a national search that brought us Dr. Adam
Hearlson, our new assistant professor of Preaching and Worship.
But that’s not all! We created a new two-year degree program, a
Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies (M.A.P.S.), expanded our cohort
model of an intensive D.Min., and launched our pace-setting
new continuing and lay education program, “Sabbath Hour.”
If this weren’t enough, we are able to report to you that in the
midst of all this activity we have set new records for fundraising.
Enabled by the great efforts of our Institutional Advancement
team, we held the most successful fundraising event in the
school’s history, securing more than $425,000 in one night!
And because of the generous support of individuals, churches,
alums, and others, we surpassed the $1 million mark in total
unrestricted giving for the first time ever.
The transformation of our campus continued at a hectic pace.
We completed the conversion of our heating system from oil
to gas, saving more than $100,000 a year and reducing our
carbon footprint by more than 200 tons a year. We remodeled
Sturtevant Hall and signed a long-term lease for Colby Hall
with the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute (which
will bring more than $2 million in renovations to that building).
To be sure, much work lies ahead of us. Our effervescence over
what we’ve accomplished must be met with a sober assessment
of the challenges that still face the church, theological education,
and Andover Newton. But with the bulwark of accomplishment
and the dedication to this school it represents, there is great
cause for hope. As I come to the end of my decade as president
of this great school, there is nothing more satisfying than to
depart in an atmosphere of hope.
To all of you who have made that hope possible, I offer
sincere gratitude.
Onward!
Nick Carter, President
Message from the Trustee Chair
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Sandras Barnes, Regina Kinney, and Liza Knapp celebrate together after the Spring 2013 Commencement at First Baptist Church in Newton.
Dear Andover Newton Theological School Students,
Alumni/ae, Staff, Faculty, Trustees, and Friends:
Every once in a while, I believe God graces us with a fresh
spirit and energy. It really is a gift when it happens, and though
I have come to trust in it, I can’t force it, which frustrates me. I
want to be able to click on a website and order it up, and get it
delivered, pronto.
But fresh energy and spirit does not
usually arrive courtesy of UPS. Instead it
arrives in the hearts and minds and bodies
of real people. When I think of my own
relationship with Andover Newton, I
treasure the students I learned with, the
faculty who shared their scholarship and
wisdom, and the beauty of the campus. I
Rev. Judy Swahnberg ‘06
cherish my field education congregations,
CPE experience, and now, as Chair of the Board, I see the interconnectedness of it all: vision, history, generosity, scholarship,
faith, hope, and willingness to serve.
Over the centuries, Andover Newton Theological School has
been gifted with the spirit and energy of many people. I thank
President Nick Carter for his leadership and tireless service to the
school, and for his love of the school’s mission. This fall Nick
begins the countdown to his retirement next June. Through
careful planning by both Nick and the Board of Trustees, these
months are an intentional period of transition of leadership.
Our Board of Trustees named a diverse Search Committee for a
new President, chaired by alum and Trustee Rev. Dr. Jim Sherblom.
You too play a part in this process of change and help Andover
Newton continue as a vital source of educated leaders for church
and communities.
So encourage potential students to consider Andover Newton.
Connect your church with the school as a field education site.
Share your resources with the school, through annual gifts
of any amount, and capital gifts when you are able. And keep
Andover Newton in your prayers.
With gratitude,
Rev. Judy Swahnberg, Chair, Board of Trustees
Andover Newton M.Div. ‘06
A Word from Institutional Advancement
From left: Communications Associate Jason Tippitt, Director of Development Ruth Edens,
Vice President for Institutional Advancement Jennifer Craig, and Manager of Gifts and Records Pamela Piliero.
Greetings from the Hill!
If you look at my business card,
it says I am the VP of Institutional
Advancement. To tell the truth, a better
title might be VP of Profound Gratitude!
We have had a stunning year of fundraising, with a record $425,000 raised
from the “You Send Me” gala and the
breaking of the $1 million mark in
Jennifer L. Craig
unrestricted/temporarily restricted
giving. For this I am deeply grateful. Grateful to our amazing
trustees and former trustees who continue to provide substantial
financial support in addition to their combined wisdom. And
to the many alumni/ae who hold this school in their hearts and
demonstrate their love by willingly and regularly opening their
wallets. Grateful to the many churches that list Andover Newton as
a line item in their annual budgets or that have set up scholarship
funds to support our students. Grateful to the many friends,
new and old, who attended the gala and didn’t stint in their
pledging, bidding, and buying and to the foundations like
The Henry R. Luce Foundation and the E. Rhodes and Leona B.
Carpenter Foundation that have found what we are doing at the
school to be worthy of their support. And grateful to ALL of you
who support this school through your dollars and your “public
relations” efforts with friends and colleagues.
What is wonderful about our work in Advancement is that we
may not only experience our gratitude; we also provide a vehicle
for others to express their gratitude. We are touched on a daily
basis by the generosity of some of our alumni/ae who are truly
grateful for their education and see it as being critical to their
formation as faith leaders. Then there’s the lay person who has
been so inspired by the words and example of one of our graduates
that he or she gives generously every year to make sure there will
always be well-educated leaders like his or her pastor. Churches
also give to express their gratitude that they have had such fine
leadership and finally, people whose whole lives have been made
better by their membership in a well-led church often express
their gratitude by including Andover Newton in their wills.
Andover Newton continues to merit your gratitude and support
as we bring excellence and constant innovation to the training
of leaders for an ever more complex world. The need is great.
Given the continuing decline in ministers’ salaries and fulltime positions, we feel morally bound to help our students
graduate with as little debt as possible, so we work hard to keep
tuition rates low. The result, however, is that tuition only covers
about a third of the total cost of a seminary education. We rely
on people like you to help fund the difference through annual
giving, scholarships, and other endowments.
We hope you will continue to support Andover Newton and to
increase your giving to the extent possible. If your current means
don’t permit an increase, please join our Heritage Society and
include Andover Newton in your will. We believe the world needs
strong, inspiring, well-prepared faith leaders now more than
ever. We invite you to express your gratitude so we can, in turn,
thank YOU for your continued support.
With gratitude,
Jennifer L. Craig
Vice President of Institutional Advancement
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The Center for Interreligious and
Communal Leadership Education (CIRCLE)
At the Center for Interreligious and Communal Leadership
Education (CIRCLE) we orient our work around a core
value that has become a motto for us: “interreligious
learning through relationship building.” CIRCLE’s motto
took on new relevance for me personally in the wake of
a trip to Israel this past May. I was co-leading a border
crossing trip that included about a dozen Andover
Newton students along with Dr. Shelly Rambo and a
similar number of her students from Boston University
School of Theology.
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[Also encountered on the trip was Dahlia, a Jewish
Israeli woman of Bulgarian heritage. She told us the
story of a remarkable relationship she forged with a
Palestinian man, Bashir, after learning she was living
in a home built by Bashir’s grandfather. In this essay,
I have interspersed quotes from her talk to our group
in Jerusalem on May 22, 2013. You can read about
her story in the book The Lemon Tree (Bloomsbury,
2006) by Sandy Tolan.]
During our 10-day trip we traveled back and forth across fences
and borders that crisscross the country, dividing land and people.
(Dahlia says, “You are the messengers. You can cross the borders. I
cannot.”)
The landscape testifies to the impact of
the ongoing conflict. I saw formidable
walls along the border with the Gaza strip.
I learned the differences between Areas
A, B, and C in the West Bank and felt
what it means to have a divided Jerusalem as our group passed through
security checkpoints guarding sacred
sites — whose sacred site determined
who was holding the guns at the
check points. (Dahlia says, “This is
an unhealed place, and those places are dangerous.”)
But it was the people we encountered and the stories they shared
with us that allowed me see the country with more clarity. We
met many wise and gracious people, Palestinian and Israeli, who
are responding creatively to impossible circumstances. (Dahlia
says, “If there is to be space in this land, I must make space in
myself first.”)
Jennifer Howe Peace
One woman, a potter, lives in a Jewish community near the border
with Gaza. Giant concrete walls went up to protect her town
from missiles coming out of Gaza. Their view of the ocean and
their Palestinian neighbors was cut off. A corridor created by the
walls became the site for her ceramic mosaic project. She painted
an enormous dove holding an olive branch and outlined the
words, “Pathways to Peace” on the wall in Hebrew. The words are
being filled in by visitors, school children, community members
and anyone who cares to spend a few minutes cementing small,
beautifully made ceramic flowers, insects, and patterned tiles,
all made by this potter. When we asked her what inspired her
she told us that as a mom whose kids were growing up here,
she needed a way to respond to the fear that had overshadowed
them since the walls went up. (Dahlia asks, “How will the enemy
be transformed in my eyes if we cannot meet?”)
We had two guides throughout the
trip: Kobi, a Jewish Israeli, and Aziz,
a Muslim Palestinian. Both grew
up on the same soil. Both had been
arrested by age 12 for throwing rocks
and other acts of violence. Both
could point to personal losses and
deaths caused by “the other side.”
(Dahlia says, “The demonization
of the other is the key problem —
when hearts and minds change,
reality changes. It is a universal law.”)
by Debra Rose Brillati, MATS
... Dahlia says, “Empathy does not mean agreeing.
It is easy to have compassion for the
victim; harder to have compassion for
the victimizer. But the victimizer is
coming from a place of horrific suffering.”
Dahlia asks us, “Can you expand your
compassion to include the victimizer?
This is the miracle.”
I spent ten days this past May
in Israel-Palestine. My elevator
speech about this Border Crossing “Dual Narratives” trip is
that (1) I was overwhelmed by a landscape that exceeded all
expectations of its beauty and variety, (2) I found piled above
and below all the anticipated complexities of the conflict even
deeper and broader complexities and (3) I learned to listen for
the pain behind the words.
Returning from the trip to the relative
ease and comfort of my position as
a professor of interfaith studies at
Andover Newton, Dahlia’s words
continue to compel me. As CIRCLE
enters its sixth year, I am more keenly aware than ever
of my responsibility, our responsibility as stewards of a vital task
— creating spaces where we can meet each other across lines of
difference; creating spaces where the walls can come down and
where transformation is possible; spaces where we are encouraged
to expand our compassion and our capacity to see beyond the
old divisions.
Within a month of my return I learned that Andover Newton
Theological School and Hebrew College had received a three-year,
$600,000 grant from the Henry R. Luce Foundation for CIRCLE’s
work. Adding significantly to our resources, this grant will allow
us to hire a Muslim scholar/community educator who will not
only deepen the understanding of our students on the hill but
will lead outreach efforts to Muslim community members in the
greater Boston area so we might expand the interreligious relationship-building that is a hallmark of CIRCLE’s work. As I reflect on
the pressing need for healing and reconciliation not just in Israel
but even in our own backyards, I have a renewed sense of gratitude
that I work with so many others who are committed to this
same vision.
Dr. Jennifer Howe Peace is assistant professor of interfaith studies at
Andover Newton and co-director of CIRCLE. Visit ants.edu/circle to
learn more about the program.
Border Crossing: Dual Narratives:
Israel-Palestine, May 19-30, 2013
... Our in-country tour was led by MEJDI, a unique travel company which provided an Israeli and a Palestinian guide, both
of whom accompanied us on every step of our journey as we
met with Israeli military, Palestinian Christians, settlers, peace
activists, and journalists.
The “land” looms large here. The issues are enormous. The
weapons are omnipresent. The rhetoric is deafening. The injustice and despair seem insurmountable.
Yet I found hope here.
In the voice of an old Palestinian woman who had whispered
softly but firmly in the ear of our guide Kobi when he was an
Israeli soldier enforcing an order for her protest group to stand
down. “You don’t have to do this.” And in Kobi’s heart, pounding and swelling in response to her words.
I found hope in the Palestinian Christian mother who professed to have “zero hope” yet whose vibrancy, passion, and
determination to face the injustices and challenges of her life
were a living hope for her children and grandchildren.
I found hope in the Druze father who had lost two sons serving
in the Israeli military to Palestinian gunfire whose most fervent
hope was that the conflict would end so he could visit the families of his son’s killers and offer his sympathy.
… Yes, the land looms large, the politics are complex and the
pain is pervasive. This Border Crossing trip enabled me to turn
the binoculars around to zero in on the many points of God’s
grace, to draw inspiration from them, and to strengthen my own
resolve to do whatever I can to bring some small measure of
peace to this beloved land.
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Greetings from the
Admissions & Recruitment Staff
From left, Peg Carroll, Karen Burns, Alison McCarty, and Aaron Stockwell
Your Admissions & Recruitment Staff has had
a busy summer. We get a boost of energy and enthusiasm every
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June when we have the opportunity to reconnect with alumni/ae
and meet prospective students at the national denominational
events — and this year we brought back a record number of
inquiries from Overland Park, Kansas (the American Baptist
Mission Summit), Long Beach, California (the United Church
of Christ’s General Synod), and Louisville, Kentucky (Unitarian
Universalist General Assembly), as well as spending time at
the African Methodist Episcopal Church’s 1st District Minister’s
Retreat in September and the Association of Welcoming &
Affirming Baptists’ Jubilee in October.
We have also enjoyed meeting UU teenagers/aspiring religious
leaders through two new UU youth programs: the UU College of
Social Justice National Youth Justice Training program brought
20 high school students to our campus for three weeks this
summer, and a new UUA Seminary Summer program invited
us to speak to 16 high school students during their three days
in Boston. Aaron Stockwell, M Div ’13 and new Admissions
Counselor, also met with staff at the UCC summer camp at
Pilgrim Lodge to talk about how Andover Newton prepares
graduates for ministry of all kinds. All of these introductions
have been valuable: Please keep the invitations coming.
Meanwhile, our staff has been processing an increased volume
of applications for the Fall 2013 term.
Applications are up 18 percent this year over the same time
period last year, and we are anticipating maintaining the size of
our incoming class again, even as new enrollment at seminaries across the Association of Theological Schools continues to
decline. In addition to these new applicants, we have had several
transfers and we welcome an influx of students (two this summer
and at least 14 this fall) from Bangor Theological School.
All of our new students are amazing individuals, and the coming
year promises to be exciting as the student body fully engages.
Imagine the classroom conversation among students who:
serve on the faculty at Harvard College and Berklee College of
Music; worship in the UCC, ABC, UU, Christian Science, Bahá’í,
Roman Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim traditions (among 30 others); come from the fields of medical research, education, law,
health services, journalism, the arts, and more; hail from Texas,
Oklahoma, North Carolina, Ohio, New York, New England,
China, and Haiti. I look forward to sharing the profile of the
incoming class in more complete detail in the next newsletter.
One less optimistic note to share: The statistics for education
nationwide show an increasingly bleak financial outlook for
students today, and Andover Newton is experiencing the same
trends. Student debt has not fallen, and colleges and universities
are seeing increased “neediness” among a growing number of
financial aid applicants. Similarly, Andover Newton has seen a
higher level of need both in the returning student body and the
incoming class. In response, the school’s administration increased
the budget allocation for financial aid, which has been crucial
to our ability to maintain enrollment for the fall. Your gifts are
increasingly important to our ability to provide scholarships, the
majority of which are funded through our operating budget and
annual fund.
Finally, watch www.ants.edu/admissions/schedule for news on
upcoming admissions events, and share that information with
those you know who may be considering graduate or certificate
studies.
Wishing you peace this year and always,
Alison McCarty,
Director of Admissions & Recruitment,
with Karen Burns, Peg Carroll, and Aaron Stockwell
Hsu-Tan Scholarship:
New scholarship expands outreach to Asian and Asian-American church
Dr. Moses Hsu and Dr. Charlotte Tan with the Rev. Billy and Mrs. Ruth Graham
The Dr. Moses Hsu and Dr. Charlotte Tan Scholarship Fund, announced in summer
2013, will honor the lives and ministries of a couple who offered a significant Christian
witness in their respective fields of biblical scholarship and pediatric medicine while
also helping Andover Newton reach out to the growing Christian communities of Asia.
The fund will enable students and scholars from the countries of East Asia, particularly but not limited
to China (including Hong Kong) and Taiwan, to come to Andover Newton to study and expand
their skills for ministry, and to enable students of Chinese descent to study at Andover Newton.
Suitable applicants are ministers, scholars, theological students, medical students interested in
spirituality, and lay leaders from East Asia or of Chinese heritage regardless of citizenship. Students
who wish to earn a certificate in Spiritual & Pastoral Care or Ethics & Social Justice as a special
(non-degree-seeking) student could do so in one semester and a summer or winter intensive, with
the Hsu-Tan Scholarship covering 90 percent of the costs of the short course of study. Degree-track
students are also eligible for the partial-tuition scholarship, including Master of Divinity, Master
of Arts, and Doctor of Ministry candidates.
Dr. Moses Hsu was a respected scholar, editor, and a Chinese writer who, among many accomplishments, translated the Good News Bible into Chinese with Dr. I. Jin Loh and others for the American
Bible Society. Dr. Charlotte Tan was one of the country’s leading pediatric oncologists, who helped
discover new treatments for Hodgkin’s disease during her four decades of work at Sloane-Kettering
Cancer Center. Moses and Charlotte each immigrated to the United States from China and met
at the Chinese Christian Fellowship in New York, which was co-founded by Dr. Hsu. Both were
known for their deep faith, their Christian witness, and their abiding devotion to bring the Good
News to Chinese people everywhere.
Funding for the Dr. Moses Hsu and Dr. Charlotte Tan Scholarship is made possible through a
generous gift from the couple’s daughter, Ms. Alicia Hsu, and her husband, Mr. Phil Chernin.
The couple resides in Brookline, Mass.
For more information or to apply, contact Alison McCarty in the Admissions office at admissions@ants.edu.
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Alumni/ae Board
Greetings and Salutations to Students, Alumni/ae, and the
wider Andover Newton Community,
It is an honor and privilege to take up the Alumni/ae Board gavel
from former Board President Charles Puriton, ’73. Charles’ term
as President has proven pivotal for the Alumni/ae Board. When
he accepted the position two years ago,
he made it his goal to see that the Board
became not only a viable presence, but
also a constant participant in the current
life on the Hill. Under his leadership we have
made great strides in this direction. The
board is now comprised of an energetic,
dynamic, and varied group of individuals
who are intent on seeing our next goal
Rev. Emilia Halstead ‘10
to fruition.
Last year as a Board we strove to make our presence known on
campus and in the wider Andover Newton community. These
efforts included serving ice cream during Fall Convocation,
initiating the creation of an Alumni/ae Association online
newsletter, partnering with the Student Association for our
first Association gathering in January, and participating in the
annual Phone-A-Thon.
The goal of the Board, as we move into this academic year, is to
propel our efforts off the firm foundation that has been created over
the past two years. We are looking toward creating a vibrant, active,
and present Alumni/ae Association, of which every graduate of
Andover Newton is a vital part.
An important first step in achieving this goal was the inclusion
of an Events Calendar in our invitation letter to all alumni/ae to
“return to The Hill” for Fall Convocation. For those for whom
coming back to campus on a regular basis is not a viable option,
we are looking for alumni/ae who are willing to host regional
gatherings across the country to which members of our incredible
staff and faculty may be invited. We want to hear from each and
every member of the Association this year! Together we can build an
active Alumni/ae Association from coast to coast and beyond.
Blessings,
Emilia Halstead, ’10, President of the Alumni/ae Board
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Andover Newton & BPSI Partnership
While plans are still emerging, construction is expected to occur
over 18 months, with occupancy by BPSI expected in mid-2014.
Part of the renovation will be restoring the historic building
exterior and renovating the interior. Interestingly, plans include
restoring the old Colby Chapel to its original function as a library.
BPSI has indicated they will dedicate a portion of that room to
a celebration of the history of Colby Hall and Chapel and make it
accessible to members of the Andover Newton community.
“I can’t think of a better fit for the future of Andover Newton
than a partner like BPSI,” Carter said. “For the first time in
more than a generation, we will have an occupant of our iconic
Colby Hall that enhances our mission. We welcome them here.”
This spring, Andover Newton Theological School announced
an agreement that will revive its historic Colby Hall as the new
home of the Boston Psychoanalytic Society & Institute (www.bpsi.
org) and open the door to a potential collaboration between the
educational institutions, which are both committed to helping
people live more thoughtful, reflective lives.
BPSI is a post-graduate educational and professional community
of psychoanalysts, psychoanalytic therapists, and interdisciplinary
scholars who are curious about the field of psychoanalysis. They
offer training and education to professionals in the field and
maintain a library of more than 7,000 books and 90 journals
as part of their ongoing continuing education programming.
“For 30 or 40 years starting in the 1960s, Andover Newton was
a recognized leader in pastoral counseling education,” Carter said,
“and the prospect of revitalizing that portion of the curriculum
in innovative new ways with BPSI (which currently confers no
degrees of its own) is an exciting opportunity.”
For more than 30 years, Colby Hall had been the home of
Drummey, Rosane, Anderson Inc., an architecture firm that
in January relocated to Bear Hill Road in Waltham.
Orlando and Rose Costas Lectureship
Dr. Nancy Pineda-Madrid, Associate Professor of Theology and U.S. Latino/a
Ministry at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry, delivered the
2013 Orlando E. and Rose Costas Lecture on October 9 in Wilson Chapel.
Dr. Nancy Pineda-Madrid
Her lecture, titled “Resisting Evil in Ciudad Juarez: Catching Glimpses of Salvation,” reflected on
life in Juarez, Mexico, amid drug gang warfare.
The Costas lecture brings a leading Latino or Latina religious scholar to the Andover Newton campus
each fall as part of the school’s Orlando E. Costas Hispanic and Latin-American Ministries program,
an academic and ministerial effort to strengthen the voice and presence of the Hispanic community
within and outside Andover Newton through an open dialogue with the Hispanic Christian community at large. The program’s goal is to empower the Hispanic community through the academic
and spiritual formation of leaders who will contribute to the ongoing expression of a Hispanic theology
in their roles as scholars, pastors, and lay leaders in ministry. It focuses primarily on Hispanic
ministries in the United States.
Past presentations in the lectureship include “Reconciling Christian Faith and Immigration:
Imperative, Discovery, and Challenge” by Dr. M. Daniel Carroll Rodas, Distinguished Professor of
Old Testament at Denver Seminary, in 2012, and “Our Story, God’s Story: Constructing Latino/a
Theology Outside the Biblical Gate,” by Dr. Teresa Delgado, Associate Professor of Theology and
Ethics Director of Iona College, in 2011.
Since 2007, Andover Newton has offered three full three-year scholarships for outstanding
Hispanic/Latin American students preparing for pastoral ministry.
Orlando Costas was one of the nation’s leading Hispanic scholars and was serving as Andover
Newton’s academic dean from 1984 to his death in 1987. Starting in 2012, the lectureship also
bears the name of Costas’ wife, Rose, who retired in late 2011 as the executive assistant to the
seminary’s president.
For more information, contact Dr. Benjamin Valentin, Professor of Theology and Culture and
Director of the Orlando and Rose Costas Lectureship in Latino/a Theology at Andover Newton,
at bvalentin@ants.edu.
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Behold, I Do a New Thing:
The Church in a New Time
Rev. Anthony Robinson
The American church is changing, and some congregations see declining
membership — and those facts present tremendous opportunity for revitalization,
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said speakers at Andover Newton’s 2013 Spring Convocation, held on campus
Rev. Veronica “Ronny” Lanier
May 16-18.
Keynote speaker the Rev. Anthony Robinson (anthonybrobinson.com), a widely published author
and United Church of Christ minister, shares insights with Christian communities far and wide,
carrying on in the spirit of the Methodist circuit riders that included at least one of his ancestors. In his
Thursday morning address, “The Subject of the Verbs: God at the Center,” he looked at Christianity’s
moving place in American society, from a position of privilege into one of many options.
“Doing a new thing” (Isa. 43:19) sounds superficially good, Robinson said, but it’s a challenge.
There is a temptation to see the church as “twilight people” living at the end of a phase of history,
but he asked attendees to consider the possibility that maybe they’re not late, but early: Redemption
may be something drawing near rather than a deed accomplished in the past, and “the world we’ve
known ... may not be the world in which God’s invested.”
The modern emphasis of Jesus over Christ, of knowledge over repentance and redemption, leads to
a diminished Christology that Robinson argued can be addressed by seeing God as “the subject of
verbs.” Rather than a church touting “this is what we’ve done for God,” members should proclaim,
“this is what God is doing for us,” he said.
Seeing and presenting God as dynamic isn’t always easy, especially in the light of bad actors, but it’s
vital to the church’s future, Robinson said, and it meets young adults where many of them already
are: Paranormal fiction such as the Twilight and Harry Potter novels present a modern Gnosticism
that has been embraced by a generation who yearns to believe “there’s something deeper than
rationality.” A church that boldly proclaims a faith that revels in mystery, accepts that it is not fully
rational, and holds up “things that cannot be true, but are” is a church that will appeal to the up
and coming generation, he said.
The first day of Convocation also included a lunch in Upper Noyes Hall with presentation of the
2013 Spirit of the Hill Award to The Rev. Veronica “Ronny” Lanier. She was honored for her
decades of service to the American Baptist Churches as a minister, as an educator, and through
tireless assistance to Baptist missionaries over decades. She’s also been a steadfast supporter of
Andover Newton, including her work as a lifetime member of the Alumni/ae Association.
Friday’s first event was a workshop titled “Liberating Hope: Simple (But Not Easy) Ideas That Will
Renew Your Church,” presented by the Rev. Cameron Trimble, CEO and Co-Executive Director
of the Center for Progressive Renewal (progressiverenewal.org). Much of her talk centered on church
strategies for the “millennials” who are increasingly unchurched, but she also looked at ways
to breathe new life and energy into declining congregations.
One key element is to acknowledge that people’s most valuable asset is time, Trimble said.
Churches must make attendance and participation worth people’s time, and must realize that the
time they’re willing and able to spend at church may not fall on Sunday morning. She pointed
to churches that hold services on Saturday evenings or Sunday afternoons, and not just because
they’re presenting a different style of music or worship in the different services.
Rev. Cameron Trimble
But a mere expansionist model isn’t going far enough, Trimble said: Leaders must see the attempt
to grow the church as an act of forming a new church inside the existing church. To that end, in her
time as a pulpit minister, Trimble required members of her church staff to visit a different congregation, preferably of a different denomination, at least once per quarter and see what was working
well for them. It’s helpful for leaders to picture what sort of people they want in their congregation,
and what sort of congregation they want to be there in the future, and then to create space for those
people as they make changes to practice.
Friday’s events concluded in the Meeting House with a dessert reception and a conversation
with Dr. Harvey Cox, the Hollis Research Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School and
a former Andover Newton faculty member. The event drew several of Cox’s former students, who
shared tales from his classroom and his off-campus campaigning for civil rights in the 1960s.
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Dr. Harvey Cox
Events Calendar
Events listed will be held on campus, charge no admission,
and are open to the Andover Newton community unless otherwise noted. See the Calendar link at the top of ANTS.EDU
for details on these and to see other events as they’re added.
March 21, 2014:
Sabbath Hour workshop,
“Fulfilled: Living and Leading with Unusual Wisdom, Peace,
and Joy” ($75, pre-register by March 11, 2014)
Jan. 24, 2014:
Woodbury Leadership Workshop, “New Habits for Nones:
Practicing Digitally Integrated Ministry in the Post-Christian
World” with Elizabeth Drescher and Keith Anderson $150,
early registration rate of $130 (by December 17)
May 2, 2014:
Sabbath Hour workshop, “I Love to Tell the Story:
An Introduction to Biblical Storytelling”
($75, pre-register by April 25)
March 3, 2014:
Joint Community Day with Hebrew College
March 14-15, 2014:
Conference on Ministries
May 15-17, 2014:
2014 Spring Convocation (price TBD)
May 16, 2014:
Baccalaureate
May 17, 2014:
2014 Spring Commencement
News from the Faculty
INTRODUCTIONS
Rev. Dr. Adam Hearlson has been appointed Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship
and the Director of Wilson Chapel.
Adam Hearlson
Adam completed his doctorate in Homiletics at Princeton Theological Seminary. His dissertation,
“Preaching as Sabotage: Power, Practice, and Proclamation,” examines the role of oppressive power
dynamics in local congregations and how preaching might be shaped as an art of holy subversion.
Originally from California, Adam received his B.A. from Vanguard University and his M.Div. from
Princeton Theological Seminary. He has also served congregations in Costa Mesa, California; at
the Princeton University Chapel; and in Warren, New Jersey. Adam is an ordained minister in the
United Church of Christ.
Currently, Adam’s research interests include the role of worship in social resistance, how visual
images are being incorporated into the preaching moment, and the role of food in Christian ritual.
He is fascinated by the myriad ways in which people live out their faith. He enjoys NBA basketball
and cooking for his family. Adam, his spouse Christy Lang Hearlson, and their newborn son Elliot
Chad Hearlson relocated to Newton this summer.
Dean Sarah Drummond says, “Adam impressed our faculty with his intense intelligence, easygoing
manner, and electrifying creativity. Students spoke of how at-ease they felt with Adam and how much
they learned from him during his campus visit. Our School will be enriched by his presence as we
continue to imagine our educational programs into the future of faith community leadership.”
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Rev. Carolyn Davis is serving Andover Newton during the 2013-2014 academic year as Instructor
in Systematic Theology. Her teaching and research interests draw from an educational background
that includes training in feminist and systematic theologies as well as critical theories of race and
gender and philosophy of language.
Carolyn Davis
She joins the Andover Newton Faculty through the Lilly Endowment-funded Vanderbilt Divinity
School Externship Program, which supports scholars as they transition from doctoral work to
seminary teaching ministries. She will be receiving a Ph.D. in theological studies from Vanderbilt
University in May 2014.
Rev. Davis was ordained in the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. She has
received Dempster and Diaconia fellowships from the United Methodist General Board of Higher
Education and Ministry and is also a fellow in the Lilly Program for Theology and Practice, which
emphasizes teaching for ministry and practical theology. Currently, Rev. Davis also serves as the
“Deacon-in-Residence” at Union United Methodist Church in Boston.
Julie Faith Parker
Rev. Dr. Julie Faith Parker is Andover Newton’s Visiting Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible
during the 2013-2014 academic year. She will be teaching courses in the fall and spring, and providing
coverage during the sabbatical leaves of our Old Testament faculty, with Professor Greg Mobley
conducting research and writing throughout the year, and Professor Carole Fontaine doing the same
in the spring term. Currently, Julie is teaching in the Theology department at Fordham University.
Julie earned her Ph.D. with distinction in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible at Yale University. Her research
interests include children in the Hebrew Bible, feminist interpretation, and ancient Near Eastern
languages and cultures. She was selected as one of five scholars nationally to receive the Society of
Biblical Literature’s Regional Scholar Award for 2013. In addition to her work in the academy, Julie
Faith Parker is very involved in the life of the church. As an ordained minister in the United Methodist
Church (New York Annual Conference), she has worked full-time in congregational ministry. Prior to
returning to school for a second master’s degree and then doctoral studies, she served as the Protestant
Chaplain at Hofstra University (Hempstead, N.Y.) for eight years. Julie is very involved in her current
congregation (PCUSA), where she sings in the choir, teaches adult education, and leads the annual
women’s retreat. Her forthcoming book, Valuable and Vulnerable: Children in the Hebrew Bible,
Especially the Elisha Cycle (currently in press), will be published in Brown University’s Judaic Study
Series. She has also published four (non-academic) books on the topics of clergywomen, homelessness, teen ethics, and leadership.
ACTIVITIES
Mark Heim
Professor Jennifer Howe Peace led a Border-Crossing Immersion trip to Israel/Palestine in
May along with Professor Shelly Rambo and students from BU School of Theology.
Professor Mark Heim was at the Georgia Tech conference center in Atlanta from May 28 to June 4,
2013, serving as teaching faculty for the American Academy of Religion summer seminar on theologies of religious pluralism and comparative theology, sponsored by the Luce Foundation. This is
the completion of six years in which he was one of five scholars from various religious traditions chosen by the AAR to run summer seminars for college, university, and seminary faculty members to
train them to work in the areas of comparative theology and theologies of religious pluralism.
Professor Gregory Mobley visited Israel for the second of two conferences at the Shalom Hartman
Beth Nordbeck
Institute on Jewish-Christian relations. As part of the Institute’s Christian Leadership Initiative
program, Professor Mobley was selected to be part of the cohort of CLI Fellows for 2012-2013.
This joint program of the Shalom Hartman Institute and the American Jewish Committee provides
Christian leaders with an opportunity to gain a more profound understanding of Judaism and the
Jewish people, and to learn about Judaism from renowned Jewish studies scholars. Over the past
13 months, the current CLI fellows have engaged in monthly long-distance learning sessions and
participated in two 10-day seminars held in Jerusalem in consecutive summers.
Professor Beth Nordbeck and Dean Sarah Drummond presented at the 2013 UCC General
Sarah Drummond
Synod on offering Christian theological education in a multi-faith setting, and they have been asked
to offer the same workshop again at the Metro-Boston Association of the UCC’s Annual Meeting
on Nov. 3, 2013.
Professor Carole Fontaine spoke at an international briefing in Paris, France, in June. Her
remarks on the topic of human rights, women, and current events were televised. Professor Fontaine
highlighted the message from the holy books of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as being single
and unequivocal: “You shall not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds!” (Lev. 19:16).
P U B L I C AT I O N S
Carole Fontaine
An essay collection co-edited by CIRCLE co-directors Dr. Jennifer Howe Peace and Rabbi Or Rose
and CIRCLE co-founder Dr. Gregory Mobley has placed in the Catholic Press Association’s
annual awards. My Neighbor’s Faith: Stories of Interreligious Encounter, Growth, and Transformation
(Orbis, 2012) placed third in the category of Pastoral Ministry, the closest category matching its
subject matter.
“The fact that such an ecumenical and interfaith work should be recognized by the Catholic Press
as an outstanding contribution to pastoral ministry is significant,” the email noted.
Robert Pazmiño
My Neighbor’s Faith includes essays from the three co-editors as well as Dr. Mark Heim, Samuel
Abbot Professor of Christian Theology at Andover Newton; Dr. Rodney L. Petersen, executive
director of the Boston Theological Institute; Dr. Homayra Ziad of Trinity College, who taught a
course on Islam under arrangement by CIRCLE for Andover Newton and Hebrew College in the
winter 2013 term; and many more, 53 essays in total.
The book is available at the Andover Newton online bookstore: http://bit.ly/neighborsfaith.
Professor Bob Pazmiño is finishing his memoir, A Boy Grows in Brooklyn.
Professor Nimi Wariboko’s latest book, Accounting and Money for Ministerial Leadership: Key
Practical and Theological Insights, was published in May by Wipf & Stock.
Nimi Wariboko
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Staff Updates
The Rev. Ruth Edens (M.Div. ’10) is the new Director of Development in the office of Institutional
Advancement. In her previous role as Director of the Annual Fund, she helped organize the 2013
Gala which proved to be the most successful single-day fundraiser in Andover Newton History, led
a successful campaign to sell bricks on our honorary walkway, and helped revitalize the Seminary
Sunday outreach program. Her new position will include planned giving, major gifts, grant writing,
and work with alumni/ae and churches.
Ruth Edens
Karen Burns is working as part-time Admissions Assistant, taking on the clerical tasks of
tracking application materials as they arrive, updating student database records, and generating
outbound correspondence. She has volunteered for the last three years to work the front desk
during lunch hour one day a week.
Housing and Events Director Frank Novo is working with admissions on International Student
Affairs, managing the visa process in the SEVIS system and supporting international students by
organizing their arrivals and orienting them to campus.
Aaron Stockwell (M.Div. ’13, Spiritual & Pastoral Care Certificate ’13) is staying on for another
Aaron Stockwell
year in Admissions as the one-year Admissions Counselor, following four years in the office as a
student worker.
Xianglong Tao joined the Information Technology department in March 2013 as Database
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Application User Support Specialist. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Science and
Information Systems from the University of Massachusetts and a Master of Science in Computer
Information Systems from Boston University.
Diana Yount will retire as Co-Director of Franklin Trask Library at the end of the 2013-14 academic
Diana Yount
year. She began her work at Andover Newton in 1975, becoming co-director with Jeffrey Brigham in
2007. Diana was the first staff member to work full-time with the school’s archives and manuscript
collections and has been a member of American Theological Library Association; Society of American
Archivists; and New England Archivists, where she served on the board from 1992 to 2012. Upon
retirement, she plans to volunteer her time toward Andover Newton archival projects.
Alums Roundup
Andover Newton alumni/ae are actively involved in shaping not only the future of
this school but also their own parts of the broader church and society as a whole.
PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH COMMITTEE
The presidential search committee was chaired by alumnus the Rev. Dr. Jim Sherblom, Vice Chair
of the Andover Newton Board of Trustees and Senior Minister at First Parish UnitarianUniversalist in
Brookline, Massachusetts. Committee members included Andover Newton Director of Development
the Rev. Ruth Edens; the Rev. June Cooper, Executive Director of the City Mission Society;
the Rev. Steven Savides, pastor of First Church of Christ in Farmington, Connecticut; and
Rev. Dr. Sandras Barnes, adjunct instructor at Lesley University and volunteer with the domestic
violence program Hagar’s Sister, who joined the committee as an Andover Newton student.
AMERICAN BAPTIST LEADERSHIP
Donald Ng
Going farther afield, two alums have taken leadership roles in the American Baptist Churches
USA. The Rev. Donald Ng, a Roxbury native who has served for more than a decade as Senior
Pastor of the historic First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco, California, was elected this
summer to the presidency of the American Baptist denomination. His two-year term will begin in
January 2014. Ng had been elected Vice President of the ABCUSA during the June 2011 biennial
meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley, general secretary of the denomination, praised Ng in remarks to the
American Baptist News Service during the Mission Summit in Overland Park, Kansas. “I have
worked with Dr. Ng since the Seventies,” Medley said. “As a pastor in San Francisco, he has led his
church in expanding (its) outreach and starting a new congregation. He brings years of experience in
national leadership and a desire to see American Baptist churches thrive in mission and ministry.”
Debora Jackson
Preceding Ng to national leadership in the ABCUSA is the Rev. Dr. Debora Jackson, who was
named Executive Director of the Ministers Council in the fall of 2012. Jackson had previously served
as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Needham, Massachusetts, and came to the ministry after
a business career in engineering.
In remarks prepared for Jackson’s last Sunday in Needham, Andover Newton Dean of Faculty
Dr. Sarah Drummond said, “Debora, you are capable of getting an astonishing amount of work
done quickly and well, and you are also capable of being very real, open, and vulnerable. This
integration is special and rare. You balance motherhood, marriage, ministry, and education with
incredible grace because of your management skills in part, but you also can laugh at yourself
and the life of ministry.”
SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER
Lisa Bovee-Kemper
An interfaith coalition of religious leaders and laity has emerged in North Carolina to speak out
against actions by the state’s Republican supermajority that they say will do harm to the poor,
women and children, racial minorities, and other historically marginalized groups.
“Moral Monday” protests at the state capital in Raleigh have led to the arrests of several people
engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience, including Andover Newton alumna the Rev. Lisa
Bovee-Kemper, Assistant Minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville. Her
public remarks at a July 29 Moral Mondays event can be seen on YouTube at http://bit.ly/12I2Xrg.
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“You Send Me” Gala
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Andover Newton’s “You Send Me Gala” on March 22, 2013,
brought 200 alumni/ae and friends together to celebrate at the
Charles Hotel. The theme, borrowed from Sam Cooke’s popular
hit “You Send Me,” reminded us of the students who with the
Prophet Isaiah answered God’s call saying, “Here am I, send me.”
Andover Newton has been equipping people to live into
the response, “Send me,” to God’s call since 1807. The night,
which included dinner, dancing and a silent auction raised
more than $425,000, the single largest fundraising event in
the school’s history.
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Border Crossing: China
Pedro Silva II (M.Div. ’13) delivered the student address at this spring’s Commencement.
He also gave permission to reprint an excerpt of his reflection on his Border
Crossing experience in China, taken from his blog The Roofless Church
(www.therooflesschurch.com):
... Meeting Christians in China was
an amazing experience. I felt love,
the Presence of the Holy Spirit, and
the most sincere desire of the people
to spread the love of Christ among
their people and the world. It was a
very convicting experience to sit in
a church packed to capacity with
people who are receiving their faith
as the gift that it is.
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Pedro Silva II, M.Div. ’13
For in my experience, a life without
faith is empty, no matter how hard
we try to fill it. And yet, Christianity and religion in general is
monitored by the government and in
some ways could be considered controlled — most closely in the areas
closer to the capital of Beijing. For this reason, there are some people
who on some level doubt the authentic Christian experience of the
churches sanctioned by the government and assume that the secret
house churches are somehow more Christian.
But I wonder, is it possible that in God’s mysterious ways, God is gifting the whole Body
of Christ through those government-sanctioned churches just as much as we are being
gifted by our own churches? And what of other churches with which we have differences?
God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, nor God’s ways our ways (Isaiah 55). Is it possible
that God is doing a powerful work even in the members which we see the least in
common with?
In (Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church), he tries to enlighten his listeners on the
unity inherent in the Body of Christ. Using the human body as a metaphor, he tries
to get them to see that we are an indivisible whole and that despite our efforts to distinguish ourselves as separate from others in the body, this is actually a denial of reality.
... As anyone who has ever stubbed their pinky toe knows, if one part of the
body suffers, we all suffer.
... Whenever we asked someone from one of the government-sanctioned churches
how they thought we could help the churches in China, their answers were always the same,
“Pray for us.” My heart was moved as I realized that when we pray for them, we are simultaneously
praying for ourselves. What is one of the mottoes of the United Church of Christ? “That they may
All be One.” Amen to that.
Border Crossing Opportunities 2013-2014
Following is a list of Border Crossing
opportunities this academic year.
Alumni/ae are eligible to participate as space permits;
for full details visit ants.edu/bordercrossing.
WREL/JUST 651 [BC]/[IF]
FALL-SPRING 2013-14
Fierce Landscapes: Listening to the People of Appalachia
INTE 602Y [BC]
(sponsored by AMERC, the Appalachian Ministries Educational
Walking the Path of Non-Violence in Myanmar:
Buddhist and Christian Approaches. (Dr. Brita Gill-Austern)
INTE 615 [BC]
Clinical pastoral education at Hebrew Senior Life/Hebrew
Resource Center)
Rehabilitation Center: Crossing Borders of Religion, Age, Ethnicity
INTE 620 [BC]
and Socio-economic Status. (Rev. Mary Martha Thiel)
Christ, Culture, and Mission in Appalachia (sponsored by AMERC)
INTE 605Y [BC]
SPRING 2014
Seminarians in the City. (Dr. Paul Baxter)
JUST 650 [BC]
JUST/PSYP 647Y [BC]
Encountering Homelessness and Housing Vulnerability
Mercy and Justice in the Criminal Justice System.
(Dr. Brita Gill-Austern)
(Dr. M.T. Dávila)
SUMMER 2014
WINTERIM 2014
INTE 602J
WCHR 605 [BC]
CPE at Hebrew SeniorLife summer intensive (Mary Martha Thiel)
A Faith That Sustains: Exploring Church and Community
in Rural Ghana. (Dr. Elizabeth Nordbeck)
OLDT/CMWO 662 [BC]
Mountain Musics: Highland Balladry in Appalachia and Ephraim
(Dr. Gregory Mobley)
Please call or email us! Contact Ruth Edens
617.831.2409 or redens@ants.edu
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Spirit of the Hill 2013
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Veronica “Ronny” Lanier, M.R.E. ’69, walks with Gordon Swan, S.T.M. ‘73, at the 2013 Spring Convocation
On May 16, we celebrated Spring Convocation and presented the Rev. Veronica
“Ronny” Lanier (M.R.E. ’69) with the 2013 Spirit of the Hill award! Do you know someone
who should be nominated for the Spirit of the Hill Award this spring?
The Alumni/ae Association of Andover Newton seeks to recognize a graduate who, in faithfulness
to his or her call, is a leader who demonstrates in his or her ministry one or more of the following:
•Devotion to the renewing of church and society through ecumenical witness and creative
expression of the Gospel and commitment to enacting God’s ways of justice and love in
the world;
•Faith and courage of liberating visions that compel the graduate toward thoughtful, compassionate,
and timely responses to cultural and religious conflict;
•Ability to respectfully cross borders within and across religious traditions and help others do
the same, thus being repairers of the breach; and
•Promotion of fellowship among the Andover Newton graduates and demonstration of commitment to the mission of the school through his or her contributions of time and energy to the constituency of Andover Newton.
For more information or to submit a nomination, please contact the Institutional Advancement office
at 617-831-2409 or email REdens@ants.edu.
Sabbath Hour opportunities await you
It has been a year of great beginnings! Sabbath Hour was launched at the Woodbury
Workshop in February, when the first participants received the first hours. Since that time there
have been additional events and a major emphasis on developing new programs and resources.
As part of Sabbath Hour, we have developed a series of Ministry Workshops that will be offered
on campus throughout the year. Each practical workshop focuses on a specific ministry concern.
Participants can expect to leave with helpful skills and resources for dealing with that concern.
In 2014, we’ll be offering:
•Fulfilled: Living and Leading with Unusual Wisdom, Peace, and Joy with Kirk Jones (March 21)
•Biblical Storytelling with Cindy Maybeck (May 2)
•Money and Ministry with Margaret Marcuson (October 9)
In addition to events we develop and sponsor, we are also working with others to offer Sabbath
Hours through both co-sponsored and endorsed events. Our first co-sponsored event was a daylong conversation with Bishop John Shelby Spong offered with Eliot Church in Newton. Endorsed
events are programs offered by others that we have recognized as significant learning experiences
in keeping with the purposes of Sabbath Hour. Margaret Benefiel, adjunct faculty member at
Andover Newton, is offering the first of these endorsed events this year.
Sabbath Hours are also offered for campus events that have a rich and important history, such as
the Orlando E. and Rose Costas Lecture and the Woodbury Leadership Workshop. You can even
receive Sabbath Hours for Study and Reflection Time spent on campus.
We’re looking forward to the day when the first person has accumulated the 49 Sabbath Hours
needed to become a Jubilee Fellow. Will it be you?
Sabbath Hour is intended for both clergy and laity. In the coming months we will be working to
increase our offerings for both, so continue to check out our website at ants.edu/sabbathhour or
contact Dr. Jeff Jones, Director of Ministry Studies, at jjones@ants.edu or 617-831-2364.
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Harvey Cox and the Church’s Social Reach
Andover Newton’s 2013 Spring Commencement featured the return of a familiar
face to campus. Dr. Harvey Cox, the Hollis Research Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity
School, was this year’s commencement speaker, 50 years after he famously missed his installation
ceremony as a member of the Andover Newton faculty. Cox was in a North Carolina jail, along
with other civil rights activists working with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, at
the appointed time of his installation to the faculty in 1963.
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Harvey Cox
This year’s graduating class of 55 students included 30 women and 25 men. Thirty-seven received
the Master of Divinity, seven earned the Doctor of Ministry, and 11 had completed a Master of Arts
degree (nine in Theological Studies, two in Theological Research). Four students received a certificate
marking a specialized course of study.
A day before Commencement, Cox participated in a Friday afternoon dessert reception and conversation in the Meetinghouse as part of Convocation. His remarks there offered a preview of part
of his commencement address and a look back at his time teaching at Andover Newton, including
reminiscences from former students.
Cox wrote much of his landmark 1965 book The Secular City while on faculty at Andover Newton,
including a chapter on the sexual revolution that led to a heated series of article exchanges between
Cox and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, culminating in live debates. One alumnus recalled seeing
a stack of issues of the magazine on his professor’s office desk, marking Cox as “the one man who
could honestly say he’d bought it for the articles.”
A main argument in The Secular City was its prediction that religion was in a fatal decline in the
West, to be followed elsewhere in the world. That obviously didn’t happen, at least not to the extent
Cox had predicted, and he noted in his Convocation appearance that “I wasn’t the only one” giving
last rites to the church. Instead, religion has “resurged globally” in the ensuing decades, with
Europe the only bedrock secular portion of the world. We now live in “a world of multiple religious
possibilities, some of them scary,” he said.
But Cox did not feel a need to dramatically revise The Secular City for its September 2013 re-release,
in part because if he started fixing some things that were wrong or outdated, he’d have to rewrite
most of it. He has chosen instead to let the 1965 text stand as “an artifact of its time” as the 50th
anniversary approaches, saying that even as world dynamics change, the “question of practice and
theory remains: How is God present for us today in the secular city?”
Meeting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Vanderbilt University had sparked Cox’s involvement in
the civil rights movement. Ministers and theologians such as King, Paul Tillich, and William Sloane
Coffin were solid, contemporary role models for church leaders
active in the civil rights movement and the efforts to end the
war in Vietnam. But a gap in prophetic leadership followed,
Cox said, beginning with the backlash against King after his
Riverside Church sermon against the Vietnam War, leading to
a modern clergy less willing to face jail.
after New York State’s move to recognize marriage equality and is working to revitalize the Black Student Fellowship.
•Andover Newton students helped in a ministerial and chaplaincy
capacity after the Boston Marathon bombing and formed a
“human shield” against a threatened Westboro Baptist Church
protest that never came to pass.
Besides, Cox added, “so many people (in the public sphere)
have disillusioned the younger people,” including in the church.
With the growth of the religiously unaffiliated, as well as growth
in other religious groups, “Maybe we have to settle” for small
pockets of engaged churches for a while, Cox said. “We haven’t
gotten used to being a minority.”
•Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics M.T. Dávila wrote an
article for the ANTS.EDU website late this summer looking at
proposed military action against Syria and offering numerous
other analyses for help in writing sermons or planning reaction
to the issue.
The increased religious diversity of America and the acceptance
of a wider range of theological views are positive developments,
Cox said. The Nicene creed and other statements had been a
means of enforcing dogma by the sword to make the church a
useful tool of empire, he said, and “good riddance to that!”
•The annual Orlando E. and Rose Costas Lecture brings a
leading Latino or Latina religious scholar to campus each year.
This year, Boston College’s Dr. Nancy Pineda-Madrid discussed
how theological themes of good and evil are lived out amid
drug violence in Ciudad Juarez, just across the Mexican border
from El Paso, Texas.
Fifty years after Cox’s arrest, the church is still needed as a prophetic witness to a nation divided along many different types of
lines, and Andover Newton is working to help equip graduates
to speak truth to power:
•Incoming Student Association president, George Oliver, won the
2012 Donald A. Wells Preaching Prize for a sermon delivered •And as a partner in CIRCLE, Andover Newton is involved not
only to Christian, Unitarian Universalist, and Jewish students but
also Muslim Fellows and, through CIRCLE’s online publishing
of State of Formation and the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue,
a full spectrum of religious identities.
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Join the Heritage Society
You’ve probably heard the news: Student debt loads are
continuing to climb in the United States, and more adults than
ever have returned for second or third degrees during the tough
economic times of recent years. Those who pursue theological
education are doubly challenged by a continuing decline in ministers’ salaries and in the number of full-time pastoral positions.
At Andover Newton, we feel morally bound to help our students
graduate with as little debt as possible, so we work hard to keep
tuition rates low. The result, however, is that tuition only covers
about a third of the total cost of a seminary education.
Many of our donors support Andover Newton through outright
gifts of cash or appreciated securities, but there is a growing
awareness of another kind of giving that can be a part of your
overall financial or estate plan. Planned gifts take the form of
bequests, life income plans, real estate, and life insurance gifts
and are mutually beneficial to the School and the donor.
The life income plans, such as Charitable Gift Annuities and
Charitable Remainder Trusts, can provide income to the donor
(and sometimes a beneficiary) for life or a term of years, and at
the end of that time, the remainder will pass to the charity.
Besides a lifetime income, there are other potential benefits to
the donor. These include a charitable deduction for income tax
purposes, reduced capital gains and estate taxes, and freedom
from investment management responsibilities. They can be
funded with cash, appreciated securities or closely held stock,
mutual funds, retirement funds, and real estate.
When you make a planned gift or bequest to Andover Newton,
you will be invited to become a member of our Heritage Society.
Contact Institutional Advancement at 617-831-2406 or send an
email to JCraig@ants.edu today to learn more!
Doctor of Ministry thriving
Andover Newton is pleased to report that the second Summer Intensive Cohort of
our Doctor of Ministry program is just as high-caliber as our first; this is proving to
be an appealing format for doctoral students.
Our D.Min. program offers a largely self-directed curriculum anchored in close relationships
with faculty advisors and deep fellowship with a highly qualified cohort of fellow students. The
“spine” of the program is three Doctoral Seminars, completed as a cohort. The bulk of the program’s
31 credits come from six free electives and a major project, allowing students to delve deeply into
their chosen areas of concentration. Traditionally, these seminars are offered on Tuesday mornings
throughout the fall for the term-time cohort and in June for the summer cohort.
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Beginning in June 2012, we introduced the option of completing the first two of the three Doctoral
Seminars in a summer cohort as an “Intensive” format, and we moved the third seminar on theological writing entirely online. Students in the Intensive Cohort come to campus for a week-long
seminar, which meets for five full days in each of their first two years, followed by an online seminar in the fall of the year they are writing, which is offered with both the intensive and term-time
cohorts project-writing students. As part of the regular schedule, elective courses are offered in the
intensive format each June and January (and also this year during Spring Break in March). With
online courses offered in fall, spring and summer terms, Intensive Cohort students can complete
the D.Min. degree by making as few as four trips to campus for week-long or two-week-long classes
“in-residence.”
SummerFall
Intensive CohortExtended Cohort
Credits Required3131
Research Focus Self-directedSelf-directed
with faculty advisor
with faculty advisor
D. Min Seminar
one full week in June
123 Tuesday mornings in fall
Elective classes
intensive sessions in January, April, June and online
any format, any term
Geographic origin
40% New England
85% New England
Demographics
75% International
10% International
New Master of Arts for Ministry Practitioners
New Master of Arts (Pastoral Studies) approved by faculty
This spring, the faculty voted to approve a new professional Master of Arts program in Pastoral
Studies, which has just been approved by the Association of Theological Schools. Enrollment will
begin in 2014. The program will consist of 48 credits (the equivalent of 16 classes, some of which
students conduct in the ministry context) and will offer a condensed course of study for students
with significant ministry experience or on paths other than the M.Div. toward authorization for
ministry in their denominations. Students will complete a single-semester Professional Master of
Arts Colloquium, a capstone project, basic requirements in the traditional disciplines, and seven
courses in ministry studies. Studies may be completed in as few as 15 months.
For more information about either of these programs, contact the Admissions Office
at admissions@ants.edu or 617-831-2430.
Unitarian Universalist Theological Education at Andover Newton:
New Directions
For more than 20 years, Andover Newton has provided theological education to
students seeking to enter ministry in the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).
A generation ago, UU students needed virtually a parallel curriculum; the school’s curriculum
was replete with requirements and did not offer what UU students needed. As Andover Newton
has become more diverse and has moved toward an interfaith campus environment, the needs
of UU learners have changed, too. This year, students will see some changes in the school’s UU
course offerings that reflect this new day.
Mark Harris
The Rev. Mark Harris will teach a new sequence of courses this year that take a multidisciplinary
approach to UU history, theology, and polity. “UU Traditions I” will focuses on UU history and
provide students with an overview of the development of the traditions that came together to form
the UUA while also chronicling the intellectual history of the same movements. UU Traditions
II, offered online in the spring of 2014 and again face-to-face in the fall of 2014, will continue the
story with an emphasis on Unitarian Universalist theology and polity. Andover Newton will offer
the Spring 2014 UU Traditions II online in partnership with Lancaster Theological Seminary in
Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Mark Harris has taught UU history at Andover Newton for many years
and has taught UU polity online for other seminaries. Mark is minister at First Parish in Watertown,
Massachusetts, and a respected historian of religion in New England.
The Rev. Nathan Detering became Andover Newton’s Unitarian Universalist Advisor this
fall, succeeding Revs. Maddie Sifantus and Bob McKetchnie, who served together in that role for
several years. Nathan has taught Andover Newton students as a member of the adjunct faculty in
the Field Education program, leading integrative seminars and professor-practitioner program (P3)
sections. He is the pastor at First Parish in Sherborn, Massachusetts.
Nathan Detering
Long-range plans for UU theological education at Andover Newton include the reintroduction of a
UU worship course with the Rev. Tim Kutzmark, minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of
Reading, Massachusetts, in the fall of 2014; continuation of the new UU traditions sequence; and
reflection with students and UU leaders on future courses of interest.
Dean of the Faculty Sarah Drummond says, “Gone are the days when UU students needed to
meet their specific educational needs on their own time. Because UU students have been part of
the life of this community in such significant numbers for many years, their tradition is increasingly
integrated into the whole of the academic program. I cannot imagine better partners than Mark
Harris, Nathan Detering, and Tim Kutzmark to continue to offer UU theological education in
Andover Newton’s interfaith setting while also plotting the course ahead.”
27
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Trading Hollywood for The Hill
Robert Henry Hyde
Master of Divinity Candidate
The 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike shut down Hollywood
while Bobby was doing an internship on the crew of the crime
Entering his third year in Andover Newton’s
drama C.S.I. Miami. “A friend of mine got to appear on the show,
Master of Divinity program, Robert Henry
but the strike happened before I made it on camera,” Bobby said.
Hyde — everyone calls him Bobby — is
He headed back east to teach mathematics at his former high
initially a quiet man, but he has a fascinating
school for two and a half years.
and touching story to tell about his long and
winding path toward candidacy for ministry
in the United Church of Christ. Stops along
the way include backstage work in Hollywood, Air Force duty in Iraq,
and sitting behind the teacher’s desk in his high school alma mater.
Bobby’s a native of Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts
who earned a technical degree in aviation maintenance technology
from the Community College of the Air Force and an Associate of
Arts in liberal arts from Saint Leo University in Florida. “Through the
grace of God, his time spent fully armed in the desert (of Iraq, where
he was stationed at a classified base) awarded him combat veteran
28
status, fortunately without having to take another person’s life,” his
biography notes.
Bobby earned several awards during his service, including the Air Force
Achievement Medal, the Air Force Good Conduct Medal, and the
National Defense Service Medal. After completing his service, he earned
a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and operations
management at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst while
also feeling the bite of the acting bug.
An encounter with a homeless man, breaking bread with one of
“the least of these” on the streets of Los Angeles, helped make Bobby
aware of a calling to serve others as Christ did. “I saw another child
of God,” he said.
As an Andover Newton student, Bobby is helping shape the future
direction of the school and its influence on the greater church by
serving as one of three student members of the presidential search
committee. He has also served on the Executive Committee for the
Berkshire Association of the United Church of Christ, as a lay delegate
for the UCC’s General Synod, and as spokesperson for Outreach
Ministries at First Congregational Church in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Bobby’s an avid backpacker and traveler, a snowboarder, martial artist,
and beginning guitar player. He and his wife, Cate, live on campus.
“No matter what our credentials are, we are all accepted in God’s eyes,”
he noted in his biography. In the spring, he’ll have one more, due in
part to Andover Newton’s support for American military veterans,
which has covered many of the costs of his time on The Hill.
If you know a veteran who is discerning a call to ministry, have her or
him send an email to admissions@ants.edu and ask about financial
support options for veterans.
In Memoriam
Charles M. Allen ’61 9/24/2012
Hugh W. Sanborn ’66 Sarah Kelly Beard 9/28/2013
Carl F. Schultz ’60 11/29/2012
Deene D. Clark ’79 9/5/2012
Brian A. Shaw ’77 8/19/2013
Margaret W. Crocket ’79 8/11/2013
Esther M. Smith ’42 Mary C. Garvin ’90 1/1/2013
10/1/2013
9/29/2012
Dorothy J. Snedeker ’52 9/8/2012
Ben Grillo ’58 11/8/2012
George H. Tooze ’75 8/3/2013
Malcolm J. Grobe ’56 5/15/2013
Richard L. Trotter ’49 2/5/2013
Jesse F. Hasty ’52 11/11/2012
John W. Waldron ’56 5/5/2013
Godfrey H. Parker ’80 7/21/2012
John P. Webster ’78 1/27/2013
E. Spencer Parsons ’45 10/4/2013
C.E. Whitwer ’57 10/7/2012
James W. Pollock ’52 4/14/2013
George S. Worcester ’64 5/16/2013
210 Herrick Road
Newton Centre, MA 02459
800.964.ANTS | 617.964.1100
www.ants.edu
Our Mission
As a graduate theological school in the Reformed tradition,
in faithfulness to Jesus Christ, we strive to educate leaders
who are:
Enlivened by rigorous study in a community embracing
diversities of faith and life; Devoted to the renewing of church
and society through ecumenical witness and creative expression
of the gospel; and Committed to enacting God’s ways of
justice and love in the world.
Save the Date!
Convocation and Alumni/ae Weekend is May 15-17, 2014.
Mark it on your calendar!
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