Alumni News
A Message from Dean Pak: Thanksgiving 2021
Beloved Community,
A little over a month ago, you may recall, Boston University officially celebrated the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in place of Columbus Day. This—along with the addition of Juneteenth to the holiday calendar—are among critical steps taken to better honor a diversity of persons and experiences. Such actions also help acknowledge gaps or even inaccuracies in the ways histories have often been named.
Thanksgiving is another one of these holidays with a troubled history. While the holiday is loosely based upon real events, the constructed Thanksgiving tale conceals a larger painful history. Native Americans have objected to the holiday for many years. Particularly as the global health pandemic has acutely illuminated historic racial inequities, there is an even greater call to name problematic histories. As one author writes, “The holiday arrives in the midst of a national struggle over racial justice, and a pandemic that has landed with particular force on marginalized communities of color. The crises have fueled an intense re-examination of the roots of persistent inequities in American life.”
Moreover, many may not be aware that Native American communities are among those most hard hit by the health pandemic. Last year, a New York Times article reported that Native American populations in Phoenix have been affected by COVID-19 at four times the rate of the white population. Similarly, Native Americans in New Mexico (who comprise only 9% of the state’s population) accounted for forty percent of cases of the virus.
Now, I imagine you might be groaning at this point either because I am interrogating a beloved tradition or simply because you are tired—utterly exhausted!—and you just want to have a fun and restful holiday away. I get it, and I’m sorry.
There is need always to make time for intentional gratitude. Cultivating a posture of gratitude is one of the most powerful tools to promote health and wellness, hope and healing. May you find beautiful, life-giving time to remember and express deep thanks for the many experiences, resources, and people who have blessed your life and supported you in your journey.
Hold in remembrance, as well, current Native American communities and the continued profound racial and health inequities they face.
I also invite you to reflect and celebrate differently this year. Some reflections to consider include: How does the health pandemic make you think differently about Thanksgiving? Hold a time of silent remembrance of the history of Native Americans in this country. You might use the Native Land digital map tool to search about the history of the land on which your home or neighborhood resides. Hold in remembrance, as well, current Native American communities and the continued profound racial and health inequities they face. What might you do in response? I invite you, as well, to consider cultivating practices of environmental justice to foster a more waste-free Thanksgiving holiday.
As a community committed to social justice, there is need to be open to inconvenient, hard disruptions of usual practices. I truly wish for you a day of rest and gratitude. And, I hope we as community will foster practices that seek to name histories honestly and continue actively to seek justice and wholeness for marginalized communities.
G. Sujin Pak, dean
Women Need More Than Your Affirmation by Laura Ellis (STH’21)
This article was originally published on the Baptist News Global, and the full article can be found here.
A networking community called The Pastor’s Common, whose council is made up entirely of men, drafted three resolutions for the Baptist General Convention of Texas on advocating for leadership among young ministers, unity across divides and the affirmation of women.
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I admit that I agree with every word in the “affirmation of women” resolution. Yes, let’s affirm women’s value and recognize their contributions to the kingdom of God. Women, like all people, deserve to be affirmed, seen and valued. But let’s not confuse this with what women really need.
Women need spaces where they are affirmed with more than lip-service and given the opportunity to thrive and flourish.
Women need spaces where they are not diminished because of their gender.
Women need spaces that earnestly embody the truth that women are made in the image of God just like men are.
Women need spaces where they can be more than props to a smokescreen version of equality and equity.
Women need spaces where they can fully live into the person their Creator made them to be.
Women need spaces where they are safe to work and minister without fear of being assaulted or abused.
Women need spaces where they can live out their God-given calling to lead, to love, to minister, to preach and to serve.
These kinds of spaces are far too rare.
Read the full article here.
Laura Ellis is the project manager for Baptist Women in Ministry. She is a former Clemons Fellow with BNG and previously served in ministry with Safe Havens Interfaith Partnership against Domestic Violence and Elder Abuse. She lives in Texas and earned a master of divinity degree from Boston University School of Theology.
Associate Dean Bryan Stone Mentioned in Christian Daily Article on Pastor ‘Burnout’
The following is an excerpt from the article “38% Of Protestant Pastors Want To Quit Due To ‘Significant Burnout,’” by Olivia Cavallaro, published on November 17, 2021 by Christian Daily. Read the full article here. Associate Dean Stone’s profile is found here.
The Christian Century magazine editor Rev. Peter Marty remarked that the COVID pandemic made a challenging situation even more difficult and stressful for pastors in the last couple of years. Rev. Marty, who also serves as a senior pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Davenport, Iowa, explained that even before the COVID pandemic, the church had already been going through some “remarkable” changes.
On top of that, the COVID pandemic “introduced a whole new ste [sic] of stresses,” for a lot of clergy who “suddenly found themselves unavoidably becoming online content creators and video producers.” These church leaders, who were used to in-person ministry, found it challenging to be isolated in their new role.
Meanwhile, Boston University’s School of Theology associate dean of academic affairs and Church of Nazarene pastor Rev. Brian P. Stone cited a new “consumer” attitude among churchgoers that made it difficult for pastors to carry out their jobs. He remarked that churchgoers nowadays expect a “megachurch” type of experience in small town congregations with just some 50 or so people.
Seeking in the Company of Others – The Wisdom of Group Spiritual Direction by Dr. Roslyn G. Weiner (STH’01,’03)
“Seeking in the Company of Others – The Wisdom of Group Spiritual Direction”, written by spiritual director and psychologist Roslyn G. Weiner. With over eighteen years of experience facilitating groups in spiritual direction, dr. Weiner brings a warm, creative, and practical approach to one of the key aspects of our contemplative calling and it will complement any spiritual director's bookshelf.
“Spirituality is a deeply intimate, personal journey. Yet we benefit so much from companions on the way, others who seek the holy, who desire to live more authentically, who long for justice, who seek to repair and heal the world around them in some small way. In this book, Roslyn Weiner offers us the fruit of nearly two decades of practice in group spiritual direction.”
—Dr. Claire Wolfteich, Boston University
Roslyn G. Weiner, PhD, STM, a seasoned spiritual director and psychologist, conveys passion for the practice of spiritual direction through writing and teaching, rooted in listening for the sacred whispering within her soul and the souls of those who invite her to witness their seeking. She earned a PhD in psychology from Yale University and an STM degree from the School of Theology, Boston University.
Prof. Shively Smith Quoted in Religion News Service Article about New NRSV English Translation
The following is an excerpt from the article “New Revised Standard Version Bible updated with consideration for ‘modern sensibilities’” by Adelle M. Banks, published on November 17, 2021 by Religion News Service. Click here to read the full article. Prof. Smith’s profile can be found here.
Shively T.J. Smith, a New Testament assistant professor at Boston University School of Theology who edited 1-3 John for the project, said she appreciated the range of voices that were heard and considered as the updated edition took shape.
“The NRSVue is an updated English translation that listened broadly and closely to a variety of faith-based constituencies, reading the Bible in our current times,” said Smith, who worked with focus groups and discussed the updated edition with African Methodist Episcopal Church bishops and students in her classroom.
“It attempts to reverse the historic trend in translation history from the 19th and 20th centuries in which some Christian communities and scholars of the Bible were historically excluded from the translation endeavors of our English Bibles.”
BUSTH Announces Faculty Publications for November 2021
The School of Theology is pleased to announce the following faculty publications for the month of November 2021:
- Jonathan Calvillo
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“Sustaining Borderlands Traditions in a Latinx Pentecostal Church,” in City of Dreams: Los Angeles as a Cradle for Religious Activism, Innovation, and Diversity, edited by Richard Flory and Diane Winston. New York: Routledge Press.
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- David Schnasa Jacobsen
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“Second Sunday after Pentecost.” Working Preacher. June 6, 2021.
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“Third Sunday after Pentecost.” Working Preacher. June 13, 2021.
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“Fourth Sunday after Pentecost.” Working Preacher. June 20, 2021.
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“Fifth Sunday after Pentecost.” Working Preacher. June 27, 2021.
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“There Was a Man Who Had Two Sons,” Consensus: Vol. 41 : Iss. 1, Article 16. 2020.
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Karen Bray, Grave Attending: A Political Theology of the Unredeemed: Fordham University Press, 2020. Homiletic, 45(1). 2020.
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Joseph Evans, The Art of Eloquence: The Sacred Rhetoric of Gardner C. Taylor: Judson Press, 2020. Homiletic 45 (2):97-98. 2020.
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George Buttrick and Charles N. Davidson, ed., George Buttrick’s Guide to Preaching the Gospel, Abingdon, 2020. Homiletic 46 (1):110. 2021.
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- Steven Sandage
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Katie M. Heiden-Rootes, Katelyn O. Coburn, Steven J. Sandage & Eugene L. Hall (2021). Minority Stress & Mental Health for Sexual Minority Adults from Religious Families: the Role of Religious Coping, International Journal of Systemic Therapy, DOI: 10.1080/2692398X.2021.1984125
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Endorsement
- Nimi Wariboko
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The Worldview of the Word of Faith Movement: Eden Redeemed, Mikael Stenhammar.
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BUSTH Appoints Rev. Dr. Anastasia Kidd as Co-Director of Contextual Education
November 2021 – Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) is pleased to announce the promotion of Rev. Dr. Anastasia Kidd as Co-Director of Contextual Education, effective immediately. Rev. Dr. Kidd has served BUSTH for the past 17 years in the admissions office, most recently as the Director of Enrollment. This new appointment will focus Rev. Dr. Kidd’s scholarship and work more squarely on our academic programs and on assisting students with vocational discernment as she co-superintends this area of BUSTH’s curriculum with Dr. Wanda Stahl.
Rev. Dr. Kidd joined the BUSTH community in fall of 2001 when she began her Master of Divinity program. In 2018, she earned a Doctor of Ministry with a thesis that explored how seminaries can better support seminarians experiencing crises of faith during their theological education. This academic scholarship will continue to prove vital in this new position.
“Because of Anna’s leadership, our enrollments have steadily climbed over the past decade even as enrollments at other schools have declined or those schools have had to close their doors,” says Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Bryan Stone. “Our superb admissions staff Gretchen Brown and Mahalia Damm will continue to anchor this important recruitment work as we launch a search for the Director of Enrollment position.”
Says Rev. Dr. Kidd, “This promotion into contextual education is a dream job, allowing me to emphasize what I’ve most enjoyed from my years of admissions work, namely helping students with their vocational discernment. I’m grateful to the deans for their faith in me to do this work going forward and can’t wait to get started! I leave my 17 years in admissions feeling both excitement and some sadness. This has been work I’ve truly loved, and it’s difficult to leave the day-to-day fellowship of the wonderful Suite 108 Student Services team. I look forward to what this new stage in my professional journey will bring.”
The open Director of Enrollment position is posted on the Boston University careers website and is now accepting applications.
Ambiguous Parables: Poems and Prose of Loss and Renewal by Rev. Ted W. Bowman (STH’68)
The collected prose and poetic pages herein are the voice of a man seeking greater comfort with ambiguity. What seems to be is not always what is. A life-long quest has been to find words – the words of others through conversations, poetry, song lyrics, fiction, non-fiction, scriptures – and/or my own words – to acknowledge and address ambiguous experiences. To find, years ago, these lines in James Baldwin’ s Another Country, resonated and affirmed my quest. “…one is never what one seems — never — and yet, what one seems to be is probably, in some sense, almost exactly what one is”
Click to read More about Ted.
United States residents, a printable order form (PDF) is available here bowman-books-order-form-2.
Rev. Eleanor C. Cresson (STH’84, SSW’84)
Eleanor Cresson of Hatfield, Massachusetts, passed away on September 25, 2021, after a long illness. She was 68 years old. She was born in New York City, grew up in Summit, New Jersey and graduated with a B.A. in English from Ithaca College. She later received a Master of Divinity and a Master of Social Work from Boston University and was ordained as a minister in the United Methodist Church (New York Annual Conference), serving as Associate Pastor in Poughkeepsie, New York and Senior Pastor in Naugatuck, Connecticut. Eleanor then ran a hospice program, and then worked for many years as a greatly respected substance abuse counselor at Cooley Dickinson Hospital and Clinical and Support Options, a non-profit community mental health agency in Northampton, Massachusetts.
She was an avid outdoor enthusiast. Hiking, camping, canoeing and kayaking were some of her favorite activities. She was an "Adirondack 46er," climbing the 46 peaks in the Adirondack Mountains that are more than 4,600 feet tall. She was active in Women Outdoors. In addition, she also enjoyed contradance and was active with Rainbow Contradance of Western Massachusetts. Eleanor loved classical music concerts and was a devoted choral singer, singing soprano for many years in the Hampshire Choral Society.
She is predeceased by her parents, Francis Cresson, Jr. and Ruth Cresson, and is survived by her brother, Doug Cresson and his wife, Pat Hill Cresson, her brother Fred Cresson and his wife, Cathy Cresson, and her nephews Eric Cresson, Matthew Cresson and Luke Cresson.
Eleanor joyfully participated in a living celebration of her life in August at which her family and friends shared stories, photos and songs. She will be missed by her many loving and loyal friends and extended family. A memorial service is planned for the Spring.
Rev. Norman G. Callaway (STH’53)
Norman was born in Chicago, IL. and spent his boyhood years in Illinois and Nebraska. He moved with his family to Red Bluff, CA. in 1939. He attended and graduated from Red Bluff Union High School in 1944, and shortly thereafter enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served in the Signal Corps as a cryptographer (codes and ciphers) and spent the majority of his Army tour at the Pentagon. He graduated from Stanford University, a psychology major, in 1950 planning for a career in psychiatry. Then led by the Holy Spirit he enrolled in seminary at Boston University School of Theology where he graduated in 1953 with a M.A. in Sacred Theology.
On April 2, 1950, one week after graduation from Stanford, Norman married Ardith Schrepel in San Diego. They were married for 69 years. They had four children, Susan (Glenn) Ogawa, Ellen (Edward) Cundiff, Stephen (Joan) Callaway, and Carol (Paul) Head. Eight grandchildren, now grown, were affectionately and collectively known as 'the Great Eight.' He was a great-grandfather to six adored great-grandchildren.
Rev. Callaway was ordained in the California-Nevada Conference of the Methodist Church in 1954 and served 40 years as a UM church pastor in northern California. Congregation members remember his depth of his pastoral care, the wideness and forwardness of his thinking, and the contagious energy he brought to his work. He gave leadership to the larger church on conference, regional, and national committees. Post-graduate study at various seminaries kept him apprised of new discoveries and thrusts in the field of theology. He and his late wife Ardith moved to Woodland at his retirement. Norman was a member of many groups in Woodland and Yolo County. He volunteered with Friends of the Woodland Public Library for many years; he wrote a weekly book review for "Friends" published in the Woodland Daily Democrat. His contributions of new books to the Woodland Library have been commemorated with a bookplate that bears his name and features his signature bow-ties. He served on the Yolo County Grand Jury in the 1990s and on the Board of Yolo County Historical Society. He termed out after 12 years on the Board of the Yolo County Food Bank. He was a Volunteer Chaplain at Woodland Memorial Hospital and a member of its Ethics Committee. He and Ardith were faithful participants in the monthly Peace Vigil at the old Courthouse and were active in the Woodland United Methodist Church.
The celebration of his life will be held at the Woodland United Methodist Church on Saturday November 13, 2021, at 2 p.m. It will be live streamed from the church's YouTube page. Memorial gifts may be made to the Yolo Food Bank, the Yolo Diaper Bank, or United Methodist Committee on Relief (advance.umcor.org).