Alumni News

Anger, Awakening, Action – A Message from Dean Moore

By Kimberly Macdonald June 4th, 2020 in Alumni/ae News, News

View the STH List of Actions Here

Dear Beloved Community,

I cannot remember a time when I was angrier than I am today after the criminal murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others, combined with the overwhelming despair expressed in streets across the United States. My anger is deepened by the use of militarized tactics to “dominate” human beings who protest for justice, even the large majority, who protest peacefully. All of these appalling events heighten other deadly realities: inequities in health care access; devastations of COVID-19 and its disproportionate effects on people of color; and staggering job losses. People are hurting, and the United States systems and deeply engrained racism are multiplying that hurt.

Anger. What can we do with our anger? Consider the story in Matthew 21 when Jesus “drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves” (21:12, NRSV).[i] Jesus was angry, and not at people who offended him personally but at the very system that allowed money-changing and economic abuses of many people, even within the Temple. Quoting scripture, he argued: “‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of robbers” (13). The money changers contributed to injustices that were hurting human lives and violating the house of worship. Jesus directed his anger to a corrupt, destructive system, not to people against whom he held a personal or racial grudge. If you read one more verse in Matthew following up on this story, you see that Jesus then turned to healing: “The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them” (14). Jesus did not stop at being angry but went immediately into acts of healing, which sadly evoked the anger of others (a tale for another day).

Jesus’ response to the practice of money-changing in the Temple illumines the power of anger to address real and Holy concerns. Today is a good day to be angry about things that really matter, as Jesus did. It is a day to claim “the power of anger in the work of love,”[ii] as espoused by Beverly Harrison, Emilie Townes, and many other ethicists. Anger is Holy when it is addressed to wrongs against God and God’s people and creation. It is powerful when it is not a stopping place, but a starting place toward “never again” – toward healing broken lives and broken systems!

Awakening. If anger is to be powerful in the work of love, it needs to awaken people to the realities of abuse and suffering endured by persons of color. This is hard work, and even more so for people of white privilege (like me) and/or any kind of privilege. People distanced by privilege need to listen long and hard to recognize the brutal actions of many individual police officers and of militarized systems of policing wherever they exist. We need to listen to the hard realities of discrimination in health care and housing; abuses of immigrants; and racial slams in streets, stores, schools, and homes. Awakening requires hours and days and a lifetime of listening to the voices of people who are aching and terrified for their lives and those of their children. Awakening means that we come to know George Floyd and his family as people whose lives are more than symbols; they have meaning. Stories from Houston, TX, reveal Floyd as a peacemaker in the streets of the Third Ward, where he lived most of his life.[iii] We need to hear these stories to encounter the humanness of every victim – every person.

We have so much to learn! We need to awaken to countless incidents of protestors trying to protect their peaceful demonstrations from the aggressive acts of counter-protesters. We need to hear the despairing cries of those who engage in destructive actions, and to analyze the “domination rationale” of releasing gas and rubber bullets into a peaceful crowd. We need to awaken to the complexities, so we can respond with empathy, even toward the despairing, destructive actions that we seek to end. Without empathy, our responses to those actions will never lead to real change, and despair will continue.

Action. Anger and awakening are still not enough. The world in which we live is far more violent than we can grasp, and words, like these words in my letter, are empty if they are not connected to action. I hope that we in the Boston University School of Theology community (STH), near and far, can listen deeply and be challenged; engage in advocacy and service; and change actions of our daily lives to build just relationships with individuals and communities of all races, economic situations, abilities, sexual orientation, and gender identities. As some have said in these days, actions need to be specific to contribute to real change, and we need to change our actions as we listen ever-more deeply. Whether you are students, pastors, leaders in social service, public advocates, lawyers, police, medical professionals, teachers, neighbors, or family members, you can be agents of change. We really cannot let systemic racial violence continue to destroy our society and precious human beings loved by God. We need to undo the system of violence with justice and to de-escalate violence rather than meet violence with more violence. You will find suggestions for action on the STH website, and on others, such as this resource for white people. Please offer your own wisdom and proposals on STH social media and in your other circles. We need to hear the community’s concerns and wisdom!

I know my words are inadequate and unavoidably distorted by my whiteness. Small actions are also inadequate, but they can create movements for change, especially if we join with friends and strangers in our unique and shared work. Even as we recognize our limits, we can direct our anger to the work of love, to awakening, and to action. God does not ask us to save the world, but merely to give ourselves to the world-loving, world-saving work that is God’s. I pray that you can draw living water from your own deep wells of faith for the sake of revolutionary and lasting justice, powered by love.

With hope,
Mary Elizabeth

Mary Elizabeth Moore
Dean and Professor of Theology and Education
Boston University School of Theology

[i] See also Luke 19:45-46.

[ii] Beverly W. Harrison, “The Power of Anger in the Work of Love,” Union Seminary Quarterly Review, vol. xxxvi (1981), 41-57.

[iii] One example of this kind of coverage can be found in Kate Shellnutt, “George Floyd Left a Gospel Legacy in Houston,” Christianity Today, May 28, 2020, available at https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/may/george-floyd-ministry-houston-third-ward-church.html?fbclid=IwAR2Rq0o-QGZF1TxOo3C2EH5DBnsMUKHf12U7JHTxuAhjS22PeMMKR7_1rtE  (accessed May 30, 2020).

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Harding (STH ’53)

By sthalum June 3rd, 2020 in Alumni/ae Deaths

"Rev. Dr. Richard E. Harding (June 16, 1926-May 16, 2020) originally of East Boston spent his career as a devoted and admired United Methodist Church minister in Kentucky, Chicago and across Massachusetts. Although a distinguished graduate of Union College (where he met wife Shirley) and Boston University School of Theology, his greatest learnings in life were from the people he met and the places he loved, including Newfoundland Canada - a second home that stole his heart, and Botswana where he served as a missionary pastor for a year in 1991 in his retirement.

If you had the pleasure of knowing him, you know he was fascinated by people and their stories. A storyteller himself, he would often enamor you with his own adventures and perspectives on the world. He was an educated and travelled man, but he was most impressed by a strong character and a good sense of humor, no matter your background or stature.

He was a minister, a humanitarian, and an activist. He was passionate about politics, human rights and community. He would get lost in conversations, he would challenge you, and he was goofy (insert Donald Duck voice here!).

He was intensely present, full of life, and at almost 94 years, it's fair to say his was a life well lived. He soaked up the small things and rallied for the big things that mattered (even his yearly Christmas letter could be mistaken for political satire).

He was active in the Civil Rights and anti-war movements and supported gay marriage as one of the founders of the Reconciling Retired Clergy of New England Conference of the United Methodist Church and an active member of the Religious Coalition of the Freedom to Marry in Massachusetts.

More than his many accomplishments and accolades though, he was most proud of his family. He is survived by his wife Shirley Harding (Harrington) of 72 years; children Elaine (Tom), Richard (Beth), Sue (Gord), and Leslie (Ed); seven cherished grandchildren Christine, Gordie, Josh, Ashley, Corey, Sara, and Jason; and four beautiful great-grandchildren Zachary, Ronnie, Shelby and Leila. He is predeceased by sister Peg, and sons James and John.

He was the epitome of grace, humility and patience. He served in every sense of the word and we shall miss him and honor him in our memory every day.

A celebration of life will take place at a later date, post COVID-19. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his honor to a charity of choice."

The article was originally published here by Fowler-Kennedy Funeral Home.

Dr. John Starkey (GRS’98, STH’98)

By sthalum June 3rd, 2020 in Alumni/ae Deaths

"On Saturday, January 11, 2020, John Cameron Muhlenberg Starkey, Millhouse Professor of Theology at Oklahoma City University, passed away at the age of 66. John was born on June 17, 1953 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
After studying at North Carolina University, John received his B.A. from Ford-ham University, his M.T.S. from Weston School of Theology, and his Ph.D. from Boston University.

John StarkeyIn 1977 John began teaching English at Loyola High School in Towson, Maryland, and then at Cheverus High School in Portland, Maine, teaching English, scripture and ethics, and coaching speech and debate, 1982-91. His service work earned him the Maine Forensic Association Service Award and the Cheverus High School Award in Portland, Maine in 1991.

After many years of study, prayer, and discernment, John decided in 1981 to leave his preparation for the Jesuit Order and became a Quaker. He exemplified the Quaker belief that every person is loved and guided by God. He was a teaching assistant at Boston University's School of Theology 1993-1997 and served much of the last 21 years in service to United Methodists, teaching Sunday School and church camp classes.

At OCU since 1998, he was involved in numerous campus committees, activities, and service-learning initiatives. He earned many awards at OCU, including the Out-standing Faculty Award in 2006, the Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award in 2014-15, the Excellence in Teaching Award for Full-Time Faculty in 2009, and recogni-tion as the Distinguished Honors Professor in 2001, 2005, 2008 and 2012.

He published many articles and book reviews, and he presented numerous papers at academic conferences. He also made countless presentations at churches and retreats.

Known for his wisdom, kindness, understanding, sin-cerity, unwavering faith, and availability, John inspired students, colleagues, and friends, as evidenced by countless Facebook messages of praise and admiration.

John loved trees and regularly had long conversations about them with friends. He loved to hike in the Northeast with long-time friend Sharon Ciccarelli and her family. He loved to sing and knew hundreds of songs and ballads.

John was preceded in death by his father, Henry M.M. Starkey, and his mother, Nancy Starkey. He is survived by his sisters Gayle Thomas, Martha Thomas, and Joyce Ghost, his brother Rusty Starkey, and several cousins, nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be Sunday, January 19, at 3 p.m. at Oklahoma City University in the Bishop Angie Smith Chapel, with a reception following in Watson Lounge. Memorial gifts may be designated to the John Starkey Memorial Scholarship Fund at OCU or to the charity of the donor's choosing in memory of Dr. Starkey."

The article was originally published here by The Oklahoman.

Reverend Russell C. Sawmiller (STH ’52)

By sthalum June 2nd, 2020 in Alumni/ae Deaths

"Russell C. Sawmiller, Jr., born January 15, 1927 in Dayton, OH, died April 17, 2020 at Dublin Memory Care, Dublin, OH.

Russell was preceded in death by his wife of 17 years, Marilyn Mittler Sawmiller (1968) and his parents, Russell C. Sr and Viola Shoup Sawmiller.

Russell attended Miami University and then Boston University where he was ordained as a Methodist Minister.

He retired from the Methodist ministry where he served in the Ohio Conference in Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo Districts. He also served as the Administrative Officer at the Ohio Methodist Union in Columbus and Dayton.

Russell was a very social person who loved to entertain and cook (especially pies). He also loved spending time at the family home on Martha's Vineyard, MA and walking along the beach.

Russell is survived by his daughter, Cathi (Bruce) Eisley and their sons, James (Katie) and Kevin (Ashley), and son, Kirk Sawmiller and his children, Aubrey, Zachery, Cody and Janey. Also four great grandchildren, Logan, Hudson, Callie and Ella.

Memorial Donations can be made to Broad Street United Methodist Church or the Alzheimer's Foundation or charity of your choice. Cemetery Details Glen Rest Memorial Estate 8029 E. Main St. Reynoldsburg, OH, 43068"

This article was originally published here by Schoedinger Funeral & Cremation Service.

Lament, Pray, and Act

By Kimberly Macdonald June 2nd, 2020 in Alumni/ae News, News

With our world and communities reacting and reeling from both the continued loss of life from the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing fight for justice for Black Lives, many of you might be searching for ways to be active in your communities. Here are some resources to help you navigate your next steps.

We deeply love and care for you all. May we hold each other close and continue to be agents of change during this confusing and deeply troubling period in history.

Dismantling White Privilege, Power, and Supremacy: Reading List

By Kimberly Macdonald June 1st, 2020 in Alumni/ae News, News

The following reading list for AY20-21 course STH TC858 "Dismantling White Privilege, Power, and Supremacy" is published courtesy of course co-professors Bishop Susan Hassinger and Dean Teddy Hickman-Maynard. Much of the required reading list is available as eBooks through the STH Library for BU students, faculty, and staff here. 

Required Reading/Viewing

  • Anzaldua Gloria E. & Analouise Keating, eds. This Bridge We Call Home: Radical visions for Transformation (Routledge, 2002), pp. 540-576
  • Barndt, Joseph, Becoming an Anti-Racist Church (Fortress Press, 2011)
  • Brown Douglas, Kelley, Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God (Orbis Books, 2015)
  • Coates, Ta-Nehisi, Between the World and Me (Spiegel & Grau, 2015)
  • DiAngelo, Robin, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism (Beacon Press, 2018)
  • Dube, Musa W., Power, Privilege and Profits: a Global Reflection (speech; on Blackboard Learn)
  • Hart, Drew G.I., Trouble I’ve Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism (Herald Press, 2016)
  • Harvey, Jennifer, Whiteness and Morality: Pursuing Racial Justice through Reparations and Sovereignty (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007)
  • King, Martin Luther, Jr.: Letter from the Birmingham Jail
  • Pregeant, Russell, For the Healing of the Nation: A Biblical Vision (Cascade Books, 2016)

Recommended Reading and Viewing

African-American, Black Perspectives – from both African-American writers and others

  • Davis, Reginal F, The Black Church: Relevant or Irrelevant in the 21st Century (Smith & Helwys Publishing, 2010)
  • Dyson, Michael Eric, Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America (St. Martin’s Press, 2017)
  • Harding, Vincent, There Is a River: The Black Struggle for Freedom in America (A Harvest Book, Harcourt Brace & Company, 1981) – scholarly history of American slavery beginning from the shores of Africa through the passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution by a black scholar, professor, writer, and activist
  • James, Marlon, “Why I’m Done Talking about Diversity – or, Why We Should Try an All-White Diversity Panel”
  • Lincoln, C. Eric, Race, Religion, and the Continuing American Dilemma, revised edition (Hill and Wang, 1999 – focuses particularly on the role of the black church
  • Melish, Joanne Pope, Disowning Slavery: Gradual Emancipation and ‘Race’ in New England, 1780-1860) Cornell University Press, 1998) – traces the roots of slavery, abolitionism, and racism in New England – including treatment of free persons of color
  • Tatum, Beverly Daniel, PhD, “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” and Other Conversations about Race (Basic Books, 1997) – a psychologist explains the development of racial identity
  • Ward, Jesmyn editor, The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race (Scribner, 2017)
  • West, Cornel, Prophesy Deliverance! An Afro-American Revolutionary Christianity (Phladelphia, Westminster Press, 1982)

Asian-American Perspectives

  • Choi, Hee An, A Postcolonial Self: Korean Immigrant Theology and Church (SUNY Press, 2015)
  • Choi, Hee An, Korean Women and God: Experiencing God in a Multi-religious Colonial Context (Orbis Books, 2005)
  • Lee, Jung Young, Marginality: The Key to Multicultural Theology (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995)
  • Liu, Eric, The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker (Vintage Books, 1998) – essays by a second-generation Chinese-American political commentator & writer
  • Wu, Frank, Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White (Basic books, 2002)
  • Article in Washington Post: “How the Asians Became White”

Latinx/Hispanic Perspectives

  • Anzaldua, Gloria Evangelina, Borderlands/LaFrontera: the New Mestiza (aunt lute books, 1999, 4th ed.
  • Anzaldua, Gloria E. & Keating, Analouise, eds., This Bridge We Call Home: Radical isions for Transformation (Routledge, 2002)
  • Reyes, Patrick B., Nobody Cries When We Die: God, Community, and Surviving to Adulthood (Chalice Press, 2016)

Biblical, Theological, & Ethics Studies

  • Cone, James H., The Cross and the Lynching Tree (Orbis Books, 2011)
  • Felder, Cain Hope, Troubling Biblical Waters: Race, Class and Family (Orbis Books, 1989 – a study of the scriptures, with a re-examination of the place of blacks in the Bible, as well as mandates for justice
  • Myers, Ched, Marie Dennis, Joseph Nangle O.F.M., Cynthia Moe-Loebeda, & Stuart Taylor, Say to This Mountain: Mark’s Story of Discipleship (Orbis Books, 1996)
  • Rieger, Joerg, Globalization and Theology (Abingdon Press, 2010)
  • Thurman, Howard, Jesus and the Disinherited
  • West, Traci C., Disruptive Christian Ethics: When Racism and Women’s Lives Matter (Westminster John Knox Press, 2006) – focusing on the intersection of racism and women’s subjugation

General, Related to US History, Culture and Contemporary Reality

  • Alexander, Michelle, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (The New Press, 2012)
  • Blum, Edward J. & Paul Harvey, The Color of Christ:  the Sons of God and the Saga of Race in America (The University of North Carolina Press, 2012)
  • Goza, Joel Edward, America’s Unholy Ghosts: The Racist Roots of Our Faith and Politics (Cascade Books, 2019)
  • Haney Lopez, Ian, Dog WhistlePolitics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class  (Oxford University Press, 2014)
  • Harvey, Jennifer, Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children I a Racially Unjust America (Abingdon Press, 2017)
  • Lowen, James W., Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong (A Touchstone Book, Simon & Schuster, 1999)
  • Lowen, James W., Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong  (A Touchstone Book, Simon & Schuster, 1995)
  • Takaki, Ronald, A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America (Little, Brown and Company, 1993)

Personal Perspectives, Memoirs, Fiction, Poetry, Prayers, Movies

  • Angelou, Maya, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
  • Angelou, Maya, The Heart of a Woman
  • Baldwin, James, The Fire Next Time (Dell Publishing, 1963)
  • Bernard, Emily, Black Is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s Time, and Mine (Alfred A. Knopf, 2019)
  • Douglass, Frederick, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave – written by Himself – 1845 (published by Barnes & Noble, 2002)
  • Hurston, Zora Neale (ed. Alice Walker), I Love Myself – When I A Laughing – and Then Again When I am Looking Mean and Impressive (The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 1979)
  • Irving, Debby, Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race (Elephant Room Press, 2014)
  • Jarrett-Schell, Peter, Seeing My Skin: (A Story of Wrestling with Whiteness) (Church Publishing Incorporated, 2019)
  • Johnson, James Weldon, God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse (Viking Press, 1927)
  • Kidd, Sue Monk, The Invention of Wings (Penguin Books, 2014)
  • King, Martin Luther, Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail
  • King, Martin Luther, Jr., A Gift of Love: Sermons from “Strength to Love” and Other Preachings (Beacon Press, 1981)
  • Wise, Tim, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son (the Remix: Revised and Updated Edition) Soft Kull Press, an Imprint of Counterpoint, 2008, 2011.
  • Movie: Harriet  (about Harriet Tubman)  2019

Countering Racism and White Privilege/Power/Supremacy (& intersections of oppression)

  • Billings, David, Deep Denial: The Persistence of White Supremacy in United States History and Life (Crandall, Dostie & Douglass Books, Inc., 2016)
  • DeGruy, Dr. Joy, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing (Joy DeGruy Publications, 2017)
  • DeLeon-Hartshorn, Iris, Tobin Miller Sharer, & Stoltzfus, Regina Shands, Set Free: A Journey Toward Solidarity Against Racism (Herald Press, 2001)
  • Eberhardt, Jennifer L., PhD, Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do (Viking, 2019)
  • Frankenburg, Ruth, The Social Construction of Whiteness: white women, race matters (University of Minnesota Press, 1993)
  • Ivory, Luther D., Toward a Theology of Radical Involvement: The Theological Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Abingdon Press, 1997)
  • Robinson, Randall, The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks, (A Dutton Book, 2000)
  • Shearer, Jody Miller, Enter the River: Healing Steps from White Privilege toward Racial Reconciliation (Herald Press, 1994)
  • Stevenson, Bryan, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2014) 
  • Thandeka, Learning to Be White (Continuum, 2002)
  • Tochluk, Shelly, Witnessing Whiteness: The Need to Talk About Race and How to Do It (2nd edition) (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2010)
  • Villanueva, Edgar, Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2018)

Perspectives on Communication & Dealing with Cross-Racial, Cross-Cultural Settings in Faith Communities

  • Kondrath, William M., God’s Tapestry: Understanding and Celebrating Differences (Alban Institute, 2008)
  • McSpadden, Lucia Ann, Meeting God at the Boundaries: Cross-Cultural – Cross-Racial Appointments (General Board of Higher Education & Ministry, The United Methodist Church, 2003)
  • McSpadden, Lucia Ann, Meeting God at the Boundaries, A Manual for Church Leaders (General Board of Higher Education & Ministry, the United Methodist Church, 2003)

Dean Moore: Invitation to Lament

By Kimberly Macdonald May 29th, 2020 in Alumni/ae News, News

Beloved Community,

In this week of horrifying tragedy, I invite you to pause together to remember and mourn the coronavirus deaths of more than 100,000 people in the United States and more than 360,000 worldwide. Then, pause again and pray for people who have suffered and continue to suffer from the virus, while the known cases now surpass 1.76 million in the U.S. and 5.9 million across the globe. Every one of these numbers represents a human being who was and is precious in God’s sight and in the sight of those who loved and cared for them. Let them be precious to you and me as well. God, have mercy.

On this mournful night, I also beseech you to lift your pain-filled prayers and anguished cries for George Floyd, who was violently murdered on the streets of Minneapolis on May 26. Such violence against a fellow human being calls for collective mourning and for unceasing prayers for Mr. Floyd’s family, loved ones, and angry, hurting community. And pray for a radically transformative justice in Minneapolis and in your own communities that are spread far and wide.

In the next 24 hours, I invite you to light a candle or pause to breathe deeply of the pain and loss. Today is not a day to be conservative, progressive, or “middle of the road”; nor is it a day to be a Democrat, Republican, or Libertarian. It is a day to be HUMAN – to draw from the deepest wells of your faith and to lament. We need to mourn as a community, and we can only do so if we dare to be still and let the tragedies soak into the depths of our being. Lament is a pathway to share pain, to be fully human, to journey toward the heart of God, who holds more pain than all of us together can imagine and who will never let us go.

Blessings and prayers,

Mary Elizabeth