It was wonderful to see many of you at the AAR/SBL in Chicago last November and to share in the celebration of Otto Maduro’s presidency of the AAR!  In the meantime, a new year has arrived and indeed is well under way.  I hope that 2013 has begun happily for all of you.

This issue features the heritage of Liturgical Studies at Drew.  You will find articles on faculty member Heather Elkins (who reminisces about the history of the program), on alumnus Neal Presa (recent elected leader of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.), and on current student Michael Sniffen (widely noted for his leadership in the Occupy Wallstreet and Sandy movements).

You will also find an article on the twelfth Transdisciplinary Theological Colloquium, which took place February 7-10, under the leadership of Drew faculty members Melanie Johnson-DeBaufre, Catherine Keller, and Elias Ortega-Aponte. The theme was “Common Good(s): Economy, Ecology, Political Theology,” and the conversations that stretched across the range of activist workshops, public lectures, grad student papers, and scholarly colloquium were extraordinarily stimulating.  Among the GDR alums who participated were Sharon Betcher and Won-Hee Anne Joh.

We have also included brief notes on some current students and on beloved staff member Alma Tuitt.  Whether you are a graduate, current student, faculty or staff member, please do let me know if you would be interested in contributing an article or being interviewed for a feature, or if you know of someone else whom you think we should feature. We also welcome brief news notes. I am always moved and inspired when I learn about the amazing work in which the members of our community are engaged.

Finally, please don’t forget about the GDR facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/DrewGraduateDivisionOfReligion.  We would really like to see more postings from all of you, whether you are sharing news about yourself or passing on information that you think others in our community would find interesting!  And even if you are not a facebook person, you may enjoy lurking a bit….

All best wishes,

Virginia Burrus
Professor of Early Christianity
Chair of the Graduate Division of Religion

The Graduate Division of Religion (GDR) at Drew University welcomed 13 new students to campus this fall, selected from an extraordinarily competitive pool of applicants.

Our incoming students are diverse in culture, language and area of study.  They hail from colleges and universities across the United States and around the globe.  A little over half of the entering students come from the United States, but others have joined the GDR from as far away as Korea, Japan and Africa.  Students have come with dedication and determination; drawn to Drew’s GDR for its unique ability that allows a connection to a broader intellectual context, while providing necessary grounding in their specific discipline.

On August 23, 2012, students attended a two-day orientation where they were officially welcomed and greeted by professors, deans and staff.  While the day began with routine check-ins and obtaining parking permits, it quickly led into an opportunity to engage with peers, meet with advisors, and socialize with faculty.  An Academic Life Workshop was led by Dr. Virginia Burrus, and Dr. Ernest Rubinstein gave a tour of the Rose Memorial Library, where students will spend many hours, days and nights learning the depths and breadths of their discipline.  To officially end the day students and their families were invited to attend a picnic dinner on the lawn of Seminary Hall.  Perhaps they had a few moments to reflect on what has brought them to Drew University and its Graduate Division of Religion. Orientation marked the beginning of yet another chapter at the University and in the lives of its 13 new students.

While the academic year is in full swing for students busy with course work, studying for exams, juggling families and sometimes traveling long distances to attend classes please take a few moments to get to know some of this falls newest classmates and why they chose Drew.—Wendy Parrinello, Administrative Assistant to the GDR.

Anna Blaedel has been doing theological praxis as a pastor of United Methodist churches in Osage and Des Moines, Iowa for the last 4 ½ years.  Before that, she received her M.Div. from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA, and also has a BA in Religious Studies from University of Iowa, in Iowa City, IA.  Anna maintains a love for academic study of religion and a desire to continue engaging constructive, expansive, embodied, queer, process-relational theology.  Her intellectual interests include theo-ethics of issues and practices around food, eating, and sustainability; scholarship that is accountable and responsive to communities and contexts in/outside the church, and in/outside the academy.  Anna is excited about: the transdisciplinary approach to theological engagement; opportunity to work with and learn from incredible scholars both on faculty, and other students in the program; and creativity that emerges at the intersections of process, political, postmodern, and theopoetic theologies.

Ashley Boggan is most recently coming from the University of Chicago where she received an M.A. in the History of Christianity. However, she is an Arkansan at heart, having grown up in Little Rock, AR and receiving a BA in Art History from the University of Arkansas. At Drew, Ashley is specializing in 19th c. American Religious History, specifically Methodism right before, during, and right after the American Civil War (ca.1840-1880). She is very excited to have access to and to have the opportunity to work at the United Methodist Archives. No other campus in the U.S. has such an immense resource available to students and historians of the United Methodist tradition.

Amy Chase has come to Drew from Bellevue, WA, where she graduated in 2010 from the Seattle campus of Fuller Theological Seminary.  Her intellectual interests include the fate of the nations in the Hebrew prophet’s utopian visions, how such concepts as “God’s will” and “God’s ways” are invoked to compel behavior within communities.  She is excited most at the plethora of brainy people, the freedom to explore diverse interpretive methods, and the opportunity to tutor in the ESOL program.

Shelley Dennis graduated with a Master of Arts in Theological Research from Andover Newton Theological School, and a Master of Arts in Sustainable Communities from Northern Arizona University.  She’s interested in drawing from religious traditions while yet exposing these traditions to post-structural, post-colonial, ecological and queer critique in an endeavor to construct a theology conducive to the development of sustainable communities. She is excited at the breadth and depth of critical and constructive approaches to religious scholarship engaged in by the professors and students of the Graduate Division of Religion.

Linzi Guy graduated with a Master of Arts from Drew University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania.  Linzi’s interest in Jesus and poverty include working with a hermeneutic of the empowerment and subjectivity of the poor in order to find liberating readings of the economics of the gospels. She is excited about: the vibrant and supportive intellectual community that Drew offers; the diversity of interests, backgrounds, and experiences of her peers; and the way these will shape how she learns in conversation with them.

Shadi Halibi is coming from Union Theological Seminary in New York, New York.  He is most interested in feminist biblical criticism, gender and sexuality in the Hebrew Bible, specifically, the female and male relationships in Hebrew Bible narrative. Shadi is excited most about the faculty, where he’ll have the opportunity to learn from people whom he’s been citing since his early undergraduate work.

Midori Hartman has come to Drew after the recent completion of a Master of Arts in Theological Studies at the Vancouver School of Theology, British Columbia.  Midori is eager to pursue her interests in late antique hagiographies and ancient narrative at Drew, as well as to further ground herself in biblical studies and theology/philosophy. She is pleased that there are such a wide number of classes that can help her pursue her various areas of interest. Midori is most excited about the collaborative and intellectually-stimulating atmosphere that Drew presents in both its day-to-day activities and in the special events that the theological school often houses, such as the various lecture series.

Christian Kakez-A-Kapend came to Drew this past August after serving for a couple of years as an Associate Pastor and Pastor of Heart of Africa at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas.  Christian is a Congolese National of Uruund origin and an ordained United Methodist elder in the South Congo/Zambia Episcopal Area.  He earned his M.T.S. (Magna Cum Laude) from SMU’s Perkins School of Theology, B.D. (Honors) from Africa University, Diplôme de Graduat (Distinction) from Université de Lubumbashi. Christian’s focus is Systemic Theology and his areas of interest include, but are not limited to: Christology, Soteriology, Ecclesiology and torture.  There are many things that excite Christian about the Drew Community and especially this program.  He counts it a privilege to be associated with such a reputable Ph.D. program, nationally and internationally, and also a great honor to be able to learn and collaborate with such a high caliber of instructors, who are notable for leadership in the church and society, prolific scholarship, and commitment to excellence in teaching.  In his words: “Through their publications, they always will figure in my scholarly journey wherever I go.   While I find the faculty, staff, and my fellow students to be cordial, all the worship services in Craig Chapel are just meaningful and uplifting.  I’m looking forward to what God has in store for us all.”

Kwang Yu Lee came to Drew from Korea in 2007, where he finished his M.Div. and M.A.  Lee’s interests are still changing and evolving.  Most recently he is deeply interested in human desire untamed and unlimited, which solely aims to have more and more, to live longer and longer, and to stay younger and younger at the expense of nature and humanity – at a global level.  Kwang Yu asks: Is it possible for us to tame our desire rather than to make attempts to stimulate it more and more?  What excites him most about Drew’s Theological School is its academic atmosphere that is fully interdisciplinary and open to any kind of discourse.  Having studied theology (M.Div.) and philosophy (M.A.), Kwang Yu will now pursue his Ph.D. in psychology at Drew, where he has a unique opportunity to study all three.

Fernando Linhares has recently completed his M.Div. at New Brunswick Theological Seminary and has been a lawyer since 1993.  His intellectual interests are restorative justice and humanizing the criminal justice system. He is excited most at Drew’s faculty, reputation and location.

Brock Perry has come to Drew with a Master of Arts in religious studies from Chicago Theological Seminary.  His scholarly interests are focused on bringing queer theory and constructive theology into dialogue with one another to address issues of queer embodiment.  Recently, this focus has taken the shape of re-thinking the ontology of both queerness and divinity, using affect theory as critical support for articulating the ways that divinity emerges within queer atmospheres of everyday experience. He was especially drawn to the GDR because of the interdisciplinary nature of both the program and the research of the faculty.  It is one of the few places where it seems possible to work between philosophy, theology, and cultural studies while productively challenging the distinctness and effectiveness of disciplinary boundaries.

Wang-Eun Serl, originally from South Korea, has earned a Master of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where he resided before coming to Drew to study Theology and Philosophy.  He is interested in process philosophy, creation and evolution, and religion-science dialogue. He would like to study evolution of consciousness with regard to process thought and the relationship between consciousness and religious faith.  Wang-Eun is excited about the great faculty members at Drew and the beautiful campus located in the forest.

CCGC Hosts the Singing Priest of India

On Tuesday September 25, the Center for Christianities in Global Contexts (CCGC) hosted its first event of the year– a performance of Indian classical music – in Craig Chapel. The group of four performers was led by Fr. Paul Poovathingal who is known as the “Padum Pathiri,” meaning “The singing priest of India.”

The evening began with welcome remarks from the Director of the center, Dr. Kenneth Ngwa, followed by remarks from Dr. Wesley Ariarajah (Professor of Ecumenical Theology and World Christianity), and from Janessa Chastain (president of the Theological Students Association) who presented Fr. Paul with a bouquet of flowers in appreciation for the warm hospitality that Fr. Paul showed her and other Drew students during a Cross Cultural visit to India in January 2012. In his opening remarks, Fr. Paul introduced the group of performers, which included a Muslim Professor of Music, a Hindu Professor of Math, and an Artist; he then described their presence in Craig Chapel and performance as an opportunity to bring some of “the mystery of India” to Drew community.

All seated in a Lotus position (cross-legged) and dressed in colorful Indian attire reflecting their religious diversity, the performers used instruments (the violin, the Mridangam, the Ghatam) and the wide-ranging vocal cords of Fr Paul to perform a variety of themed-songs ranging from praise to interreligious dialogue to harmony and peace.

The CCGC’s interest in inviting Fr Paul and hosting the performance rested on several reasons that fit with the center’s goals of experiencing the rich diversities of global Christianities in their various cultural and multi-religious interactions. The vision, character, and quality of Fr Paul’s group and compositions provided just such an opportunity to experience the beauty and power of interreligious collaboration in the form of music. Indeed, it was an event that brought some of the mystery of India to the Drew community but also opened the door for potential future collaborative work. Fr Paul’s ministry through music has been at the center of indigenization and inculturation of Christian music in India. He runs a music and dance academy, Chetana Sangeeth Natya Academy, in India that seeks to popularize Indian classical music and dance among children from the poorer and under-privileged sections of society.

Fr. Paul has given Indian Classical Music concerts in many parts of the world.  He began learning karnatic music at the age of 17, and eventually got his M.Phil. and Ph.D degrees in Indian classical music from the Madras University.  He is the first Christian priest to get his doctorate in Indian Classical Music and the first Vocologist in India.  He has composed over 1000 songs and has brought out over 35 music albums.  He was invited to give a recital in front of the President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam, a rare invitation given only to outstanding artists of the country. The Roman Catholic Bishops Conference of Kerala gave him an award in recognition of his ministry.

Upcoming Event

Later this month (on October 24, 2012), the center will organize a lunch-time discussion on how Cross Cultural studies program here at Drew Theological Seminary helps the community of learners and teachers think about and prepare for the realities of global Christianities, cross-cultural competencies and conversations, and global partnerships. The event will be led by Prof Melanie Johnson-DeBaufre, who will speak on “Cross Cultural Travel and Global Christianities: Perspectives from Turkey.” The brief talk and discussion will be based on her trip to Turkey last year. The conversation fits into the center’s goal of integrating Cross Cultural experiences into the larger curricular and pedagogical goals of the Theological School.—Kenneth Ngwa, Director of the CCGC and Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible.

Otto will deliver the presidential address Saturday at 8pm.  In his talk, entitled Reflections on Epistemology, Ethics, and Politics in the Study of the Religious “Stranger,” Otto will invite us to reflect on the need to appreciate and explore the complex interconnections between how we know and use what we know, our ethics, and the power structures which bind them both, shaping our perceptions of the religious other.

This world-traveling lecturer, prolific author, and polyglot teacher finds good company at Drew.  Many of his colleagues share his focus on the interrelation of religious traditions (the Christian churches in particular) and the yearnings for liberation among the economically, racially, culturally, and/or sexually oppressed peoples and his deep interest in wider issues of peace, social and ecological justice, epistemologies, and sexualities. In fact, Otto so esteems his colleagues at Drew that it has become his practice to audit one course every semester so that he can learn from them in the classroom.

Along with being a stellar scholar, Otto is a deep lover of life with a weakness (among many others, as he puts it), for listening and dancing to folk music traditions from around the world — jazz, salsa, bluegrass, klezmer, blues, tango, zydeco, celtic and country music among these — preferably while chatting, drinking and eating in the company of good friends!  He will indulge his weakness for festive socializing at the Drew University Gathering on Sunday evening from 9p-11p.  This informal gathering will be an opportunity to reconnect—or connect for the first time—with other members of Drew’s dazzling academic community.

There are many more opportunities to connect with Dr. Maduro—and other Drew professors and students—at the plethora of panels and presentations each of them will participate in throughout the AAR/SBL conferences.  For your convenience, we’ve prepared this quick reference guide you can print and pack.—Shelley L. Dennis, GDR Graduate Student Intern.

Fr. Roy Bourgeois, a Maryknoll priest who hails from Louisiana, has been working for decades in solidarity with the victims of human rights violations in and from Latin America, among others.  He is particularly known for his work as founder of the School of Americas Watch.  This organization researches and informs the public about the US Army School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia, which trains hundreds of Latin American soldiers in combat skills each year.

For more information on Father Bourgeois, visit:

• http://www.speakoutnow.org/userdata_display.php?modin=50&uid=26
• http://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/portraits/father-roy-bourgeois,
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Bourgeois

Areas

• BS
• HS

GDR Interdisciplinary Colloquium (moodle)

Drew’s Transdisciplinary Theological Colloquium began in 2001. The formula was simple but effective: settle on a topic that pushes the envelope of contemporary theological discourse; invite a dozen or so scholars associated with that topic to Drew; seat them around a table with Drew faculty who pursue related research; and discuss pre-circulated papers in a public forum with opportunities for audience participation. Other features of TTC that quickly became standard were the one-day graduate student colloquium; supplementation of the scholarly colloquium with public lectures, when the colloquium topic warranted it; and publication of the colloquium proceedings most years, mainly in a special series created by Fordham University Press.

The topic of TTC XI, which ran from September 29 through October 2, was “Divinanimality: Creaturely Theology.” The neologism of the main title was borrowed from Jacques Derrida, whose philosophical work on animality, together with that of other prominent theorists, notably Donna Haraway, has catalyzed the emergence of a transdisciplinary endeavor variously termed “animal studies,” “animality studies,” or “posthuman animality studies.” TTC XI was conceived as an attempt to triangulate these novel reflections on humanity and animality with reflections on divinity. The resources for such reflection seemed considerable, since all Christian scripture and most Christian theology predates the epochal Cartesian realignment of human-animal relations in terms absolutely oppositional and hierarchical, as do most Jewish and Muslim traditions.  Prior to the Cartesian revolution in philosophy, there were no “animals” in the modern sense, and hence no “humans” either. To begin to think the human/animal distinction differently, however, is also to begin to think the divine/human/animal distinctions differently, and engage in a “creaturely” theology with profound implications for ecotheology and animal activism.

The “public” portion of TTC XI began with a memorable chapel service, with Heather Murray Elkins of the GDR as celebrant and preacher and Norman Lowrey of the CLA contributing a “singing animal masks” performance and film. Public lectures followed from three of the distinguished visiting scholars, Kate Rigby (Monash University, Australia), Jay McDaniel (Hendrix College), and Laura Hobgood-Oster (Southwestern University). The latter also led a workshop, as did Fletcher Harper of GreenFaith. Meanwhile, the graduate student colloquium had begun. For the first time, the student colloquium preceded rather than followed the main scholarly colloquium. Ten GDR students read papers—An Yountae, Christy Cobb, Jake Erickson, Amy Beth Jones, Beatrice Marovich, Peter Mena, Erika Murphy, Stephanie Powell, Matt Riley, and Terra Rowe—together with two PhD students from other schools, Brianne Donaldson (Claremont School of Theology) and Eric Daryl Meyer (Fordham University).

The main scholarly colloquium began the next day, in an atmosphere already crackling with intellectual energy thanks to the exceptional quality of the student papers. The cohort of visiting scholars who participated in it included Denise Buell (Williams College), Laura Hobgood-Oster, Jennifer Koosed (Albright College), Glen Mazis (Penn State Harrisburg), Jay McDaniel, Kate Rigby, Mary-Jane Rubenstein (Wesleyan University), Robert Paul Seesengood (Albright College), Ken Stone (Chicago Theological Seminary), and Carol Wayne White (Bucknell University). They were joined by the GDR’s Virginia Burrus, Danna Nolan Fewell, Laurel Kearns, Catherine Keller, Stephen Moore, Elías Ortega-Aponte, and Althea Spencer-Miller, with GDR alumnae Antonia Gorman (Humane Society) and Mayra Rivera (Harvard Divinity School) and CLA faculty Edward Baring and Mark Boglioli.  This TTC also had a participating artist, Jan Harrison, whose luminous animal paintings provided a mesmerizing visual backdrop for the colloquium, and who also delivered a presentation on her art.

The organizing committee for TTC XI was made up of Catherine Keller, Stephen Moore, and Laurel Kearns, with Beatrice Marovich and Terra Rowe as the (superbly capable) student organizers responsible for all the practical details of the colloquium, in conjunction with a team of fellow student volunteers.  As in previous years, Geoff Pollick worked his web magic to conjure up a visually arresting website, on which further details of the colloquium may still be accessed.—Stephen D. Moore, Professor of New Testament 

I moved out of the archive and left behind the not-so-cooperative microfilm machines. My next summer destination was a conference at Indiana University’s Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture. The university is known for its innovative journal, Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation. The Center in particular foregrounds “change” in conversations between political scientists, sociologists, scholars of religion, and historians within their respective fields.  The conference discussions pushed me to reflect on why many scholars are nervous about studying the biblical text; how the field of American religious studies understands itself relative to American religious history; and in what ways the notion of “imperial democracy” reframes discussions of race and religion in North America.  These questions revealed the volatile disciplinary grounds upon which my field rests, shifting the key of scholarship to include another—a key of methodological and disciplinary identity.

The third chapter of my summer began in nearby Princeton, New Jersey at the Hispanic Theological Initiative’s (HTI) summer workshop.  Established to “provide a forum for the exchange of information, ideas, and the best practices to address the needs of Latina/o faculty and students,” HTI welcomed me into the community as one of its newest members. Having finally found a language suitable to my mestizo or mixed ancestry (Mexican-American and Jewish), I embraced the moment in a newfound way.  I discovered a diverse community of motivated students and professors from all over Latin America. I thoroughly enjoyed the seminars, lectures, and discussions on publishing, clearer writing, and the pedagogy of Paulo Freire.  The days, and nights, were packed with fellowship, intense dialogue, and organic connection between friends and colleagues.  Tuned in the keys of scholarship and identity, my HTI experience added yet another component to an already melodious creation—community, or la comunidad.

My summer culminated in a course at the Hispanic Summer Program in Mundelein, Illinois.  Titled, “Religion and Race in the History of the Americas,” the seminar introduced me to literatures examining the legacy of modernity in Latin America through Spanish exploration, literature, Christianity, and “religion.”  De-colonial scholarship added complexity to this story, as world capitalist systems gave way to racial formations, nationalism, and internal colonialism in North America.

Looking back on my summer, I realize that one’s scholarship and experiences of various identities and communities do not represent discrete sources of individuality. Rather, they are co-constituted in a blend of individual choice and intersubjective sociality.  My own braided story emerged in this reflection with the help of musical metaphors, images of ancestral combination, and a language of self-identification that embraces both chotchkies and home-made guacamole. Despite this country’s collective unease with thoughts of racial and ethnic miscegenation, in many ways, my story, like countless others, is the nation’s story. In light of this history, I am deeply grateful for my new community, and for Drew’s support in furthering my commitment to rigorous exploration.—L. Benjamin Rolsky, PhD student in Historical Studies

We began at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Its entrance, called the “Portal of Paradise,” includes 32 sculptures of biblical matriarchs and patriarchs positioned amongst carved references to New York City landmarks, Kabbalah spirituality, and philosophy. These sculptures were crafted using local residents or homeless individuals from the area as models.

We then visited the campus of Columbia University, where we paused at Philosophy Hall. We noted that the building is named for the field of study it houses rather than after a wealthy donor to the university, perhaps implying recognition of the discipline’s autonomy. There we saw another icon, a large cast of Auguste Rodin’s “The Thinker.” Rodin’s sculpture depicts the figure of the poet Dante Alighieri, hand under chin and naked, contemplating a view through the gates of hell. Our second stop on campus was St. Paul’s Chapel, where we saw John La Farge’s stained glass depiction of the apostle Paul preaching to the Athenians on Mars Hill. The three paneled window shows Paul at the Parthenon proclaiming a faith in need of virtue, just as the chapel itself, so its designers hoped, would provide a moral voice in their neighborhood of Morningside Heights.

Our next stop, Riverside Church, boasts an impressive arch lined with numerous icons just below its nearly 400 ft. bell tower. Not to be outdone by St. John’s “portal,” Riverside’s entryway is bordered on each side by five rows of ascending stone sculptures. Biblical prophets and heavenly angels reside next to scientists such as Hippocrates, Galileo, Darwin, and Einstein; philosophers like Socrates, Plotinus, Spinoza, Hegel and Emerson; and religious leaders as various as Confucius, Buddha, Luther, and John Bunyan. This eclecticism, Dr. Rubinstein said, has both inspired and dismayed those who have taken the time to notice. This commitment to notice, our group remarked, is one of the hallmarks of scholarship.

As scholars, we make a commitment to notice the icons around us. Sometimes these icons are inscribed on marble and stone. Often we find them on the printed pages of the books assigned to us for class. And if we are truly attentive, as Simone Weil suggested, we will discover them on the faces of the human beings in our midst, the same human beings who inspired the icons in the first place.—Wade Mitchell, PhD student in Theological and Philosophical Studies

The conference was about history as well as historiography, as scholars from all over the world, both junior and senior, discussed and debated the interpretation of ancient texts, figures, and events.  It was also about history in the making for some of us first time presenters!  The experience of giving a paper in the span of only 12-15 minutes—a tradition at Oxford—permitted us merely to gesture toward our topics. However, the brevity of presentation time allowed for further dialogue on the perfectly groomed lawn of Christ Church College, in the echoing corridors of the Examination Schools, or at nearby pubs. These longer conversations fostered new collegial relationships and collaborations for future projects.

Finally, we appreciated the rich historical associations of our surroundings as well as the inescapable beauty of Oxford.  Dame Averil Cameron, Professor of Late Antiquity and Byzantine history, noted in her closing address that this sense of history contributes to the Oxford experience– to stand at the podium where John Wesley preached or in the place where Thomas Cranmer was tried for treason, for example. We had carried this sentiment with us throughout the week at Oxford and returned to Drew refreshed and inspired.—Jennifer Barry and Peter Anthony Mena, PhD students in Historical Studies