1. education
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PROPHETIC
Confronting Theological Challenges of the Next Century
VOICES
Centennial Academic Conference
March 18–20, 2015
Candler School of Theology
Emory University
Welcome
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the “Prophetic Voices” conference at Candler School of Theology, Emory
University, generously supported by the McDonald Agape Foundation. In keeping with
this year’s commemoration of Candler’s 100th anniversary, the conference considers the
pressing theological issues facing the world in the coming century. We are looking forward
to these days of reflection and discussion, hoping to discern God’s Word in these challenges
and speak that Word to the wider world.
When Candler was established in 1914, the school’s founders had little notion of the
remarkable events of the 20th century: two world wars, a cold war under the threat
of nuclear destruction, the collapse of colonialism, the Holocaust, and technological
revolution. Theology in the 20th century was inadequate to the task of understanding and
interpreting these world-changing circumstances in light of the Good News.
As we enter our second century, the faculty and students of Candler seek to anticipate
some of the major theological challenges the new century will raise in order to better
prepare ourselves for the task of speaking God’s truth in the midst of these complex
circumstances. The issues we are taking up are not trivial or parochial; they cut to the very
core of Christian identity and witness: theological imagination and secularization, the
image of God in contemporary society, creation and care of the earth, and the kingdom of
God and global pluralism.
We will gather for presentations, discussion, meals, and worship, allowing ample time
and space to engage these theological challenges and each other. Peruse this program for
the full conference schedule (pp. 2-5), speakers’ biographies (pp. 6-13), and other helpful
information (pp. 14-15).
It is our sincere hope that these days will be a time of renewal and refreshment for you, so
that together we can better think, speak, and act in the name of Jesus Christ.
Sincerely,
Luke Timothy Johnson
Robert W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins
and Chair of the Candler Centennial Coordinating Committee
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force a return to typological stories, and instead trust the wily, faithful grace of God that moves
even through seemingly secular illustrations.
Schedule
Seating: Attendees whose names are printed in black or purple on their name badges will attend
sessions in Cannon Chapel Sanctuary. Attendees whose names are printed in royal blue on their
name badges will attend sessions in Room 252 of the Rita Anne Rollins Building of Candler School
of Theology. This is noted in the schedule as Cannon Chapel Sanctuary/RARB Room 252.
Wednesday, March 18
6:00-7:00 pm: General Admission Check-In
Second Floor Lobby, Candler School of Theology
Panelist: Marilynne Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author
“Christ as Anti-Type: A Theology of Secularism”
Panelist: Janet Soskice, University of Cambridge
“Scriptural Imagination for the Friends of God”
Moderated Discussion and Q&A
Moderator: Elizabeth M. Bounds, Candler School of Theology
11:15 am-12:00 pm: Worship Service
Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church, Emory Campus
Preacher: Thomas G. Long, Candler School of Theology
“To Whom Can We Go?”; John 6:60-69
Music Director: Barbara Day Miller, Candler School of Theology
Organist: W. James Abbington, Candler School of Theology
7:00-8:30 pm: Keynote Address
Cannon Chapel Sanctuary/RARB Room 252
12:00-1:15 pm: Buffet Lunch
Luke Timothy Johnson, Candler School of Theology
“Meeting the Theological Challenges of the New Century”
Theology Atrium for Candler faculty, staff, and students
Brooks Commons, Cannon Chapel for all other attendees
The theologian as prophet does not stand apart from the context of ordinary life but solidly
within it, discerning and declaring God’s Word with boldness and humility. Johnson introduces
four issues that will demand our attention in the coming century as we seek to speak God’s truth.
Thursday, March 19
8:00-9:00 am: General Admission Check-In
Second Floor Lobby, Candler School of Theology
8:00-9:00 am: Continental Breakfast
Theology Atrium for Candler faculty, staff, and students
Brooks Commons, Cannon Chapel for all other attendees
9:00-10:40 am: Session I
LOGOS: Theological Imagination and Secularization
Cannon Chapel Sanctuary/RARB Room 252
Speaker: Ted A. Smith, Candler School of Theology
“Great Birds of the Kingdom”
Smith considers questions about secularization through an everyday phenomenon: the sermon
story. He traces the shift that happens as typological narratives give way to illustrations of
points, identifying this shift as an index of secularity. He then argues that those of us who
care about sustaining the capacity for theological imagination should resist the temptation to
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1:30-3:10 pm: Session II
PERSON: The Image of God in the Contemporary World
Cannon Chapel Sanctuary/RARB Room 252
Speaker: Ellen Ott Marshall, Candler School of Theology
“Affirmation and Accountability: Ethical Dimensions of ‘That Blessed Image’”
Considering its rare mention in Scripture, imago dei carries remarkable theological, political,
and rhetorical power today. It anchors our cries against violation of persons and refuses our
attempts to dehumanize others. It affirms our potential and calls us to realize it. The power
and meaning of this doctrine becomes even clearer as we truly attend to bodies in their
brokenness, their beauty, and their transformation.
Panelist: M. Shawn Copeland, Boston College
“Fleshly Difference: Embodied Subjectivity”
Panelist: Steven J. Kraftchick, Candler School of Theology
“Now We See in a Mirror Indirectly: Embodied Selves in a Hyper-Technical Age”
Moderated Discussion and Q&A
Moderator: Ian A. McFarland, Candler School of Theology
3:10-3:30 pm: Break
Theology Atrium for Candler faculty, staff, and students
Brooks Commons, Cannon Chapel for all other attendees
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Schedule
3:30-5:10 pm: Session III
COSMOS: God’s Creation and the Care of the Earth
Cannon Chapel Sanctuary/RARB Room 252
Speaker: Carol A. Newsom, Candler School of Theology
“Understanding and Hope in a Time of Climate Change: A Conversation with the Bible”
When Candler was founded a century ago, the world still seemed vast. New technologies
seemed to offer a future of unlimited progress. Now we understand how the unintended
consequences of our actions threaten the very systems that support life on this planet.
Reflecting on the threats to the environment in biblical and theological terms offers insights
into who we are, what our covenantal responsibilities are, and how we can ground hope even
as we face an uncertain future.
Panelist: Sally G. Bingham, Interfaith Power and Light and The Regeneration Project
“Love God, Heal Earth”
Panelist: Norman Wirzba, Duke Divinity School
“Why Theological Education Needs Ecological Wisdom”
Moderated Discussion and Q&A
Moderator: Jonathan Strom, Candler School of Theology
5:15–5:45 pm: Book Signing
Theology Atrium
Books by all conference speakers, panelists, moderators, and preachers will be available for
purchase from 8:00 am–6:00 pm in the Theology Atrium.
Friday, March 20
Schedule
8:00-9:00 am: Coffee and granola bars
Theology Atrium for Candler faculty, staff, and students
Brooks Commons, Cannon Chapel for all other attendees
9:00-10:40 am: Session IV
POLITY: The Kingdom of God and Global Pluralism
Cannon Chapel Sanctuary/RARB Room 252
Speaker: Jehu J. Hanciles, Candler School of Theology
“Fish of Every Kind: The Kingdom of God and Global Pluralism”
The brand of secularism that held sway in the 1960s misconceived the future in the way
it idealized cultural homogeneity, ignored the pluralism of non-Western societies, and
devalued religion, according to Hanciles. In reality, the American religious landscape has
been transformed in the last 50 years by massive non-white immigration that has brought
a multiplicity of faith traditions into close contact. What is the significance of this global
pluralism from a biblical perspective, and what are its implications for the church and
theological education?
Panelist: Daniel Jeyaraj, Liverpool Hope University
“Back to the Ephesian Movement: Euro-American Contexts as Testing Grounds of
World Christianity”
Panelist: Dana L. Robert, Boston University
“Common Witness and the Kingdom”
Moderated Discussion and Q&A
Moderator: Elizabeth Corrie, Candler School of Theology
6:00 pm: Dinner
Candler students: Lobbies on floors 1-5, Rita Anne Rollins Building
Please pick up your meal from the lobby on the floor where your assigned discussion room
is located and then proceed directly to the room so discussion can begin immediately. Room
assignments are printed on the back of your name badge. Students assigned to CST 360 (Pitts
Lecture Hall) will pick up their meals in the Theology Atrium.
Candler faculty, staff, and those students with special dietary restrictions: Theology Atrium
All other attendees: Dinner on your own
11:15 am-12:00 pm: Worship Service
Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church, Emory Campus
Preacher: Teresa L. Fry Brown, Candler School of Theology
“Now”; Ephesians 3:14-21
Music Director: Barbara Day Miller, Candler School of Theology
Organist: W. James Abbington, Candler School of Theology
12:00 pm: Lunch and Departure
Theology Atrium
Boxed lunches will be provided
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Prophetic Voices
Featured Speakers
Jehu J. Hanciles
D.W. and Ruth Brooks Associate Professor of World Christianity,
Candler School of Theology
Dr. Hanciles’ research surveys the history of global Christian expansion
through the lens of migration. He has written and published on issues related
to the history of Christianity (notably the African experience) and globalization, and is the author of Euthanasia of a Mission: African Church Autonomy
in a Colonial Context (2002) and Beyond Christendom: Globalization, African Migration and the Transformation of the West (2008). Hanciles participated in a panel on religion and immigrant integration at the 2014 Religion
Newswriters Association Conference and in a panel entitled “Ebola: Religion
as Obstacle and Asset” at Emory University’s 2015 Ebola forum.
Luke Timothy Johnson
R.W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament
and Christian Origins, Candler School of Theology
Dr. Johnson’s research concerns the literary, moral, and religious dimensions of the New Testament, including the Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts of early Christianity (particularly moral discourse), Luke-Acts, the
Pastoral Letters, and the Letter of James. A prolific author, Johnson has
penned scores of scholarly articles and more than 25 books. His 1986 book
The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation, now in its second
edition, is used in seminaries and departments of religion worldwide. He
received the prestigious 2011 Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion for
Among the Gentiles: Greco-Roman Religion and Christianity (2009). A
former Benedictine monk, Johnson is a highly sought-after lecturer and a
member of several editorial and advisory boards.
Ellen Ott Marshall
Associate Professor of Christian Ethics
and Conflict Transformation, Candler School of Theology
Dr. Marshall focuses on contemporary Christian ethics, with particular
attention to violence, peacebuilding, conflict transformation, gender and
moral agency, and the dynamic relationship between faith, history, and
ethics. She is the author of Christians in the Public Square: Faith that
Transforms Politics (2008) and Though the Fig Tree Does Not Blossom:
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Toward a Responsible Theology of Christian Hope (2006); and the editor
of Choosing Peace through Daily Practices (2005). She has also published
essays on welfare reform, the use of film to teach ethics, and the United
Methodist response to war. Marshall co-convenes the Religion, Conflict,
and Peacebuilding Initiative for Emory’s Graduate Division of Religion and
serves on the steering committee for the Religion, Social Conflict and Peace
Group of the American Academy of Religion, and on task forces for The
United Methodist Church and the National Council of Churches.
Carol A. Newsom
Charles Howard Candler Professor of Old Testament,
Candler School of Theology
Dr. Newsom’s research focuses on the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Wisdom
tradition, the book of Daniel, and apocalyptic literature. She has received
honorary doctorates from the University of Copenhagen, BirminghamSouthern College, and Virginia Theological Seminary in recognition of
the body of her academic work, most notably her scholarship in Old
Testament theology and her innovative work transcribing, translating,
and providing commentary on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Newsom has
written eight books and numerous articles, book chapters, translations,
encyclopedia articles, and reviews. In addition, she has received prestigious
research fellowships, including grants from the National Endowment for
the Humanities and the Henry Luce Foundation, and has won awards
for excellence in teaching and mentoring. She serves as co-director of
Emory’s Graduate Division of Religion and recently served as president
of the Society of Biblical Literature. A frequent lecturer, Newsom sits on
multiple editorial boards.
Ted A. Smith
Associate Professor of Preaching and Ethics,
Candler School of Theology
The Rev. Dr. Smith works at the intersection of practical and political
theology, with special attention to the forms preaching and worship
take in late modern societies. He is the author of two books, The New
Measures: A Theological History of Democratic Process (2007) and
Weird John Brown: Divine Violence and the Limits of Ethics (2014), and
has written several essays for both scholarly and popular publications.
Smith currently is directing a major project funded by the Lilly
Endowment, “Theological Education Between the Times: Consultations
on the Meanings and Purposes of Theological Education,” which brings
together scholars from a diverse array of institutions to consider the
purposes of theological education in a time of great change. Ordained
in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Smith served two rural congregations
before he began his doctoral studies.
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Panelists
Sally G. Bingham
Daniel Jeyaraj
President and Founder, Interfaith Power and Light
and The Regeneration Project
Professor of World Christianity, Liverpool Hope University
The Rev. Canon Bingham, an Episcopal priest and Canon for the Environment in the Diocese of California, has been active in the environmental community for 30 years. She is founder and president of The Regeneration Project, which is focused on its Interfaith Power and Light (IPL)
campaign, a religious response to climate change that includes a national
network of more than 15,000 congregations with affiliated programs in
40 states. Bingham serves on the national board of the Environmental
Defense Fund and the advisory board of the Union of Concerned Scientists and Climate One. The IPL campaign and Bingham have received
numerous awards, including the 2007 U.S. EPA Climate Protection
Award and the 2012 Rachel Carson Award from the Audubon Society,
the nation’s premier award for female environmental leaders. Bingham
has received honorary doctorates of divinity from the University of the
South, the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, and the College of the
Holy Cross. She is the lead author of Love God, Heal Earth (2009), a
collection of essays by religious leaders on environmental stewardship.
The Rev. Dr. Jeyaraj studies the dynamics of Christian engagement with
the people of other cultures and religions, particularly the legacy of
European missionaries of the Royal Danish-Halle Mission (1705-1845)
and their interactions with South Indians. He has written extensively on
Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg (1682-1719), the first Lutheran missionary to
South India, including Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg: the Father of Modern
Protestant Mission–An Indian Assessment (2006), which was used as a
main source for the documentary “Beyond the Empires: How a 23-yearold German Brought Renaissance to Tamil India,” released in 2014. An
ordained presbyter of the Diocese of Tirunelveli, Church of South India, and
a licensed minister within the Diocese of Liverpool, Church of England, he
has received a number of awards from churches, research foundations, and
universities, and has taught in major theological colleges and universities
in India, Germany, and the United States. Jeyaraj currently serves as the
chief editor of Dharma Deepika, a biannual South Asian Journal of
Missiological Research, and is an associate editor for the International
Bulletin of Missionary Research.
M. Shawn Copeland
Steven J. Kraftchick
Professor of Systematic Theology, Boston College
Professor in the Practice of New Testament Interpretation,
Candler School of Theology
Dr. Copeland’s research interests converge around issues of theological
and philosophical anthropology and political theology, as well as African and African-derived religious and cultural experience and African
American intellectual history. A frequent lecturer on theological anthropology, political theology, social suffering, gender, and race, she is recognized as one of the most important influences in North America on
issues surrounding African American Catholics. Copeland has penned
more than a hundred publications, including Enfleshing Freedom: Body,
Race and Being (2010) and The Subversive Power of Love: The Vision
of Henriette Delille (2009). She is the principal editor of Uncommon
Faithfulness: The Black Catholic Experience and co-editor with Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza of Feminist Theologies in Different Contexts
and Violence Against Women. Copeland has received several awards,
including the Yves Congar Award for Excellence in Theology from Barry University in Miami, Florida; the Distinguished Scholar Award from
the Black Religious Scholars Group of the American Academy of Religion; and five honorary degrees.
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Panelists
Dr. Kraftchick’s research and writings focus on Pauline thought and language theory, particularly metaphor theory and its role in theological
thinking. His textual work is in the Pauline epistles, the parables of Jesus,
and the history of New Testament interpretation, particularly the ways
in which we seek a meaningful and relevant reading of the biblical materials. A participant in major theological conversations through the Society
of Biblical Literature, he has focused recently on the intersection of technology and theology, specifically conceptions of the human being.
Kraftchick is the author of Jude & 2 Peter: Abingdon New Testament
Commentaries (2002), Biblical Theology: Problems and Prospects (1995),
and The Messiah (1992).
Dana L. Robert
Truman Collins Professor of World Christianity
and History of Mission, Boston University
Dr. Robert is a leading historian of world Christianity and mission whose
interest is in “comparative Christianity,” the interaction of Christianity
with diverse cultures. Among her authored and edited books are American
Women in Mission: A Social History of their Thought and Practice (1997),
Christianity: A Social and Cultural History (1997), African Initiatives in
Christian Mission: Vol. 1 (2003), Converting Colonialism 1706-1914
(2008), and Christian Mission: How Christianity Became a World Religion
(2009), now in its sixth printing. In 2010, Robert delivered the historic
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Panelists
Alexander Duff Lectures at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow;
the Henry Drummond Lecture in Sterling, Scotland; and the Henry Martyn
Lectures at the University of Cambridge. At the Boston University School
of Theology, Robert directs the Center for Global Christianity and Mission.
She is affiliated with the School of Theology, the Graduate Division of
Religious Studies, and the African Studies Center at Boston University.
Marilynne Robinson
F. Wendell Miller Professor of English and Creative Writing,
University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop
Dr. Robinson is the author of several books of fiction and nonfiction,
including Gilead (2005), winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the
National Book Critics Circle Award, and Home (2008), winner of the
Orange Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and a finalist for the
National Book Award. Her first novel, Housekeeping (1980), won the
Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award. Her newest novel, Lila, released in
fall 2014, was a finalist for the National Book Award. Robinson’s nonfiction
books include When I Was a Child I Read Books (2012), Absence of Mind
(2010), The Death of Adam (1998), winner of the 1999 PEN/DiamonsteinSpielvoel Award for the Art of the Essay, and Mother Country (1989),
which was nominated for a National Book Award. A fellow of the American
Academy of Arts and Sciences, she won the Louisville Grawemeyer Award
in Religion in 2006 and has received seven honorary degrees. In 2012,
President Barack Obama presented her with a National Humanities Medal,
citing “her grace and intelligence in writing.”
Janet Soskice
Professor of Philosophical Theology, Chair of the Divinity Faculty,
and President of Jesus College, University of Cambridge
Dr. Soskice’s research interests are the philosophy of religion, especially
religious language and philosophical theology, and naming God. She is
the author or editor of numerous books, most recently Sisters of Sinai:
How Two Lady Adventurers Discovered the Lost Gospels (2009), which
was Book of the Week on Radio 4 and listed among the best books of the
year by the Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor and the Library
Journal. Other noted titles include The Kindness of God (2007) and
Metaphor and Religious Language (1984). Soskice is past-president of
both the Catholic Theological Association of Great Britain and the Society
for the Study of Theology. She has been a visiting professor in Canada,
Sweden, and the United States and in 1997 was a McCarthy Visiting
Professor at the Gregorian University in Rome. She takes an active role
in Jewish-Christian relations, Anglican-Roman Catholic ecumenical
discussions, and the Christian-Muslim dialogue. Soskice was a member
of the Building Bridges Seminar, an initiative of the Archbishop of
Canterbury for Christian-Muslim relations, at Georgetown University
in Washington, D.C. (2010) and in Doha, Qatar (2011).
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Norman Wirzba
Panelists
Professor of Theology and Ecology, Duke Divinity School
Dr. Wirzba pursues research and teaching interests at the intersections of
theology, philosophy, ecology, and agrarian and environmental studies.
His work focuses on understanding and promoting practices that can
equip both rural and urban church communities to be more faithful and
responsible members of creation, with current research centered on a
recovery of the doctrine of creation and a restatement of humanity in
terms of its creaturely life. He lectures frequently in Canada and the
United States and has published numerous books, most recently Food
and Faith: A Theology of Eating (2011) and (with Fred Bahnson) Making
Peace with the Land: God’s Call to Reconcile with Creation (2012). He
also has edited several books, including The Essential Agrarian Reader:
The Future of Culture, Community, and the Land (2004) and The Art of
the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry (2003). Wirzba
serves as general editor for the book series Culture of the Land: A Series
in the New Agrarianism, published by the University Press of Kentucky,
and is co-founder and executive committee member of the Society for
Continental Philosophy and Theology.
Moderators
Elizabeth M. Bounds
Associate Professor of Christian Ethics, Candler School of Theology
Dr. Bounds’ research interests include peacebuilding and conflict transformation, restorative justice and the prison system, democratic practices
and civil society, feminist and liberation ethics, and transformative pedagogical practices. She is the author of Coming Together/Coming Apart:
Religion, Modernity, and Community (1997) and co-editor of Welfare
Policy: Feminist Critiques (1999). Bounds serves on the faculty in the
Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding concentration in Emory’s Graduate Division of Religion. She is also a co-founder and administrator of
the Certificate in Theological Studies Program at the Lee Arrendale State
Prison for Women in Alto, Georgia, and the co-chair of the Moral Injury
and Recovery in Religion, Society, and Culture Group of the American
Academy of Religion.
Elizabeth Corrie
Assistant Professor in the Practice of Youth Education and
Peacebuilding, and Director of the Youth Theological Initiative,
Candler School of Theology
Dr. Corrie’s teaching draws on commitments both to peace with justice
and to the education of young people, particularly the development of
teaching and ministry that empower people for global citizenship. She is an
active lay member of The United Methodist Church, serving as a delegate
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Moderators
to annual and jurisdictional conferences, and as a reserve delegate to
General Conference in 2012. She is a member of the advisory boards of
Kairos USA and the Lilly Youth Theology Network, and speaks regularly
in churches and schools on topics related to youth and contemporary
culture, as well as the role people of faith can play in building peace in
the United States and abroad.
Ian A. McFarland
Associate Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs and Bishop Mack B.
and Rose Y. Stokes Professor of Theology, Candler School of Theology
Dr. McFarland’s research focuses on theological anthropology and the
doctrine of creation, the relationship between theology and science,
and the thought of Maximus the Confessor. He is the author of four
books, most recently From Nothing: A Theology of Creation (2014), and
numerous scholarly articles, and is the principal editor of the Cambridge
Dictionary of Christian Theology. He serves on the editorial board of the
Scottish Journal of Theology and was elected to the American Theological
Society in 2011. A member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, he teaches middle school Sunday school in his congregation
and is also a participant in Round XII of the U.S. Lutheran-Catholic
Dialogue. McFarland was recently selected as the next Regius Professor
of Divinity at the University of Cambridge, a post that will begin in the
fall of 2015.
Jonathan Strom
Associate Professor of Church History, Candler School of Theology
Dr. Strom’s research interests include Pietism in continental Europe, the
history of the Protestant clergy, and the emergence of modern forms
of piety and religious practice. He has written widely on the clergy, lay
religion, and reform movements in post-Reformation Germany, and is
the author/editor of three books, most recently Pietism and Community
in Europe and North America, 1650-1850 (2010). Strom is currently at
work on two projects, one on conversion narratives in German Pietism
and another on the history of the common priesthood.
Leaders in Worship
W. James Abbington
Associate Professor of Church Music and Worship,
Candler School of Theology
Dr. Abbington’s research interests include music and worship in the
Christian church, African American sacred folk music, organ, choral
music, and ethnomusicology. He is executive editor of the African
American Church Music Series by GIA Publications (Chicago). He
served as co-director of the annual Hampton University Ministers’
and Musicians’ Conference from 2000-2010. He has also served as
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Worship
the national director of music for both the Progressive National Baptist
Convention and the NAACP. In 2010, Hampton’s Choir Directors’–
Organists’ Guild honored Abbington by naming their Church Music
Academy after him.
Barbara Day Miller
Associate Dean of Worship and Music, Candler School of Theology
The Rev. Day Miller’s teaching interests include congregational planning
and participation in worship, creative worship and the arts, and global
hymns and songs. As associate dean of worship and music, she oversees
the planning, coordination, and facilitation of Candler’s worship and
ceremonial life. She is the director of the Candler Singers and was the
music director for the 2004 General Conference of The United Methodist
Church. Day Miller is an ordained deacon in the North Georgia
Conference of The United Methodist Church.
Teresa L. Fry Brown
Professor of Homiletics and Director of Black Church Studies,
Candler School of Theology
The Rev. Dr. Fry Brown’s research interests include homiletics, womanism,
womanist ethics, socio-cultural transformation, and African diaspora
history focusing on African American spiritual values. In addition to
five monographs, she has written articles and chapters for over a dozen
books, including Those Preaching Women, Vol. 3 (1996) and The Abingdon
Women’s Preaching Annual. A former speech pathologist, Fry Brown is
ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church and currently
serves as historiographer of the denomination. In 2010, she became the first
African American woman to attain the rank of full professor at Candler.
Thomas G. Long
Bandy Professor of Preaching, Candler School of Theology
The Rev. Dr. Long’s research interests are contemporary homiletical theory,
biblical hermeneutics, and preaching. He is the author of more than 20
highly influential books on preaching, including What Shall We Say? Evil,
Suffering, and the Crisis of Faith, named the 2011 Book of the Year by the
Academy of Parish Clergy; The Witness of Preaching (1989)—now in its
second edition—one of the most widely used texts on preaching and named
in 2010 by Preaching magazine as one of the 25 most influential books
in preaching of the last 25 years; and Preaching from Memory to Hope,
named one of the top ten books for parish ministry in a list published in
2009 by the Academy of Parish Clergy. 2013’s The Good Funeral: Death,
Grief and the Community of Care, written with Thomas Lynch, took silver
in the religion category at Foreword Reviews’ IndieFab Book of the Year
Awards. Long is a frequent contributor to The Christian Century and the
Journal for Preachers, and a popular presenter at preaching conferences
worldwide. He is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
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Area Restaurants
Helpful Information
Conference Check-in
•
•
Candler students, faculty, and staff who completed online registration are
automatically checked in.
General Admission Check-in takes place from 6:00-7:00 PM on March 18 and
8:00-9:00 AM on March 19 in the second floor lobby of Candler School of
Theology, just outside the main entrance of Pitts Theology Library.
Name Badges
•
•
Name badges for Candler students, faculty, and staff were placed in Candler
mailboxes and student folders on March 13.
Name badges for all other guests will be distributed at check-in.
Conference Seating Assignments
•
•
Cannon Chapel Sanctuary–Name badges with black or purple attendee name
Room 252, Rita Anne Rollins Building of Candler School of Theology–Name
badges with royal blue attendee name
Worship Venue
Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church is located within easy walking
distance of the main conference site, just south of Emory’s Quadrangle. Golf cart
shuttles will be available for those with mobility restrictions.
Location of Breaks and Lunch
•
•
•
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Breaks and lunch for Candler School of Theology students, faculty, and staff
will be in the Theology Atrium.
Breaks and lunch for all other attendees will be in Brooks Commons of Cannon
Chapel, downstairs from the Sanctuary.
On March 20, all attendees will pick up their to-go boxed lunches in the
Theology Atrium.
The following restaurants are located on Oxford Road or in Emory Village, a fiveminute walk from Cannon Chapel. They are listed in the order you encounter them
walking south from campus on Oxford Road or walking west (downhill) on North
Decatur Road through Emory Village.
Oxford Road
Starbucks – Coffee, etc.; all day; inside Emory’s Oxford Rd. Building
Zoë’s Kitchen – Mediterranean; lunch, dinner
Chipotle – Mexican Grill; lunch, dinner
Romeo’s New York Pizza – Lunch, dinner
Falafel King – Middle Eastern and sushi; lunch, dinner
Purple Corkscrew Wine Bar – Wine and tapas; dinner
Saba – Pasta, salads, sandwiches; lunch and dinner
North Decatur Road/Emory Village
Slice & Pint – Pizza/brewery; lunch, dinner
Ink & Elm – Fine dining; lunch, dinner
Bad Dog Taqueria – Creative Mexican; lunch, dinner
Rise-n-Dine – Breakfast, lunch
Doc Chey’s Dragon Bowl – Asian; lunch, dinner
Panera Bread – Bakery café; breakfast, lunch, dinner
Parking, Transportation, and Accessibility
Guests may park in the Peavine Visitors’ Lot located at 29 Eagle Row. Golf carts
will be on site to shuttle guests with mobility restrictions between the parking lot
and Candler School of Theology, and between Cannon Chapel or Candler School of
Theology and Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church. Attendees with disabilities
or any attendees who may have difficulty getting around the conference are encouraged
to note this during check-in. Wheelchair accessible routes in conference spaces will
be clearly marked.
Video Recording
All conference sessions will be videotaped for archival purposes and for posting on
the Internet. If you wish to remain outside the camera’s sight lines, please alert an
usher. Information on accessing the videos will be available on Candler’s website,
www.candler.emory.edu, when the recordings are uploaded.
Social Media
Join the conversation! Follow #propheticvoices on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
and use the hashtag in your own posts throughout the conference.
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Organizers
Prophetic Voices Conference Organizing Committee
Luke Timothy Johnson, Chair
Jeania Ree Moore, Student Representative
Elizabeth Corrie 96T 02G
Carol A. Newsom
Gregory C. Ellison, II 99C
Ted A. Smith 04G
Tracy IwaskowAlice Tarkington
Ellen Ott Marshall
About Candler School of Theology
Candler School of Theology at Emory University prepares real people to make a real
difference in the real world. Our mission is to educate—through scholarship, teaching,
and service—faithful and creative leaders for the church’s ministries in the world. Part of
a top-tier research university, Candler is dedicated to expanding knowledge of religion
and theology, deepening spiritual life, strengthening the public witness of churches, and
building upon the breadth of Christian traditions for the positive transformation of the
church and the world. It is one of 13 seminaries of The United Methodist Church, with
an enrollment of nearly 500 students from more than 40 denominations and 7,800
alumni worldwide.
About the McDonald Agape Foundation
The Honorable Alonzo L. McDonald founded the McDonald Agape Foundation to
encourage distinguished scholars and scholarship for Jesus Christ. Prior to forming the
Foundation, he enjoyed successful careers in business, government, and academia. An
alumnus of Emory College, McDonald served for many years on the Board of Trustees
of Emory University. The McDonald Agape Foundation works with a select group of
distinguished universities, leaving a footprint for Christ in influential places of learning
through leading faculty members who attain both the highest levels of scholarship and
represent models of spiritual knowledge and faith.
About Candler’s Centennial
“The Candler Centennial in Story and Prophecy” is a yearlong celebration of Candler
School of Theology’s founding in 1914. The 100th anniversary festivities highlight
memories of the past and visions for the future. They began in the fall of 2014 with
the dedication of our new building and the debut of a new book on our history. The
commemoration continues through the spring of 2015 with guest lectures, musical
performances, forums, exhibits, and “Prophetic Voices,” a major academic conference
dealing with issues confronting theology in the new century. The celebration is designed
to showcase Candler’s contributions to theological education and to the church; its role
within and contribution to Emory University; its vision for addressing the challenges
and opportunities facing theology in the 21st century; the excellence and leadership of
Candler’s faculty; and the accomplishments of Candler’s alumni and friends.
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www.candler.emory.edu