Alumni News
New Scholarships Honor Two Consequential Women at School of Theology
This article was originally published by BU Today on April 30, 2020. Please see the full article here.
Mary Elizabeth Moore, retiring as dean, and Nancy Ammerman, sociology of religion professor emerita, retired in 2018
By Rich Barlow
April 30, 2020 – Dean Mary Elizabeth Moore, retiring as School of Theology dean this spring, made institutional history as STH’s first woman leader. Nancy Ammerman, who retired as an STH and a College of Arts & Sciences professor two years ago, is a renowned sociologist of religious congregations and one of the scholars recruited to review the deadly 1993 federal assault on the Branch Davidian religious group in Waco, Tex.
Having inspired and mentored women and others traditionally underrepresented in their area of study or chosen vocation, the two will continue that legacy. STH is honoring them with two new scholarships targeted to students pursuing gender equity.
Continue to read the full article here.
Dean Moore Addresses the BUSTH Community via Zoom
May 3, 2020 – Dean Mary Elizabeth Moore gives heartfelt words of thanks to the School of Theology community directly through Zoom video recording. The transcript is posted below for those needing to follow along.
Thank you!
Beloved community, I want to say a huge thank you for being such a remarkable community through this pandemic-filled semester. Some of you have been ill with the virus, even dangerously ill; some have lost loved ones whom you were not even able to see; some have continued your work with food pantries, shelters, and chaplaincy sites; some are caring for family members who are fragile; and some are teaching school with your children while also teaching and taking classes in the School of Theology. The demands on you are huge, and I wish I could lift them. I realize, however, that no matter what you and I do, the pressures and hurts will continue.
Just in the last three weeks, I have talked with students who had just passed the brink of death with the virus; students and faculty who are exhausted from their efforts to give their best to the current situation; and graduates who are greatly saddened by their delayed graduation and their loss of a whole festival of celebrations with their friends. We have tried to respond at every turn, and you have helpfully communicated what we could do better. You have also given your best in your varied roles and developed new healthy habits for this moment in time.
This is a time when gratitude is needed more than ever, both as a spiritual discipline and as a psychological path toward wellbeing. Psalm 139 sings it well to God:
7 Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence? …
13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. (NRSV)
These are words for hard times. You ARE wonderfully made. Do you know it?
So, thanks to you wonderfully-made people! Thank you to our faculty who converted to remote teaching almost overnight, and to students who have brought their best to classes, even as all of us keep learning from our mistakes. Thank you to the STHSA that has given their program money to support students in need, and thanks to those administrators who have been responding to requests that have provided more than $16,000 in extra support thus far, not to mention extra job opportunities and stipends. Thank you to the STH Librarians who have provided extravagant library services, and to the Contextual Education office that has “made a way out of no way” so students could complete their contextual experiences remotely. Thanks to Admissions for creative and personal gatherings with prospective students, and to all of our leaders in communications, community life, academic life, finance, registration, and international student life. You have listened closely to the community and have responded again and again. Most of all, thanks to our students who have brought your best attitudes, along with honest words of concern and brilliant suggestions. You people are beloved community because you ARE beloved.
I thank God for you every day!
Celebratory Renaming of BUSTH Community Center
Tuesday, April 28 – Dean Mary Elizabeth Moore’s retirement celebration was featured in today’s “Close-Up,” BU Today’s weekly photography feature. The moment captured via Zoom on April 22 features an elated Dean Moore, reacting to the news delivered by Boston University President Robert Brown that the BUSTH Community Center was renamed to the Mary Elizabeth and Allen Moore Community Center. Dean Moore has always put the community of the School first in her decision making, and the surprise announcement was a great addition to her retirement celebration.
Rev. Dr. Greg Gray (STH ’15, ’18) called to the Enfield Congregational, United Church of Christ
"The Rev. Dr. Greg Gray began his new job as pastor of the Enfield Congregational, United Church of Christ on March 2, and got in just one live Sunday service before social distancing guidelines.
"But, the virus so far has been nothing but a small speed bump in his plans to make the congregation stronger and connect it to the community at-large."
We admire your resilience, Rev. Dr. Gray (STH '15, '18)!
Continue reading here: https://www.courant.com/community/enfield/hc-en-east-windsor-pastor-greg-0423-20200417-zw2n3do5mfb7znolfoekqlaiha-story.html
Chinese Christian Poster Project Connects US and China through History
While many people are familiar with Chinese communist propaganda posters, a lesser-told tale exists in the Chinese Christian propaganda posters of the early twentieth century. From 1927 to 1949, bright, eye-catching posters were displayed in tea shops, pasted on city walls, hung on temple gates, or unfurled for street evangelism. They were the most common Christian visual imagery in China in the first half of the twentieth century. These beautiful prints and posters are now readily available to view online, thanks to a dedicated team of researchers at the Center for Global Christianity and Mission (CGCM), a center of the School of Theology.
“These posters are important because they reveal a past that has been hidden. They show us that China's political parties were not the only ones with a vision for a New China. Christians, we are discovering, promoted a third way to ‘save the nation,’” said Daryl Ireland, the project manager of the Chinese Christian Posters project, and associate director of the CGCM. “Poster production was a rare combination of Chinese Christians and foreign missionaries working together, often in equal parts. It has been special to recreate something like that as this digitizing project has brought all sorts of people together. It was started here in Boston, but it has grown to include people and institutions around the world. What I am especially happy about is that our primary users are in China. Yesterday, for example, we had about 2500 visits. Most of those came from China.”
The Chinese Christian Posters website showcases the posters by category, such as “Biblical Stories, “Social Issues,” or “Evangelism”. Viewers to the site will be able to read a bit about each poster, its context, and its publication date.
BUSTH Launches New Online Lifelong Learning Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Kimberly Macdonald
Director, Office of Communications
617-358-1858
kmacd@bu.edu
BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY LAUNCHES NEW ONLINE LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAM
Boston, MA – April 21, 2020 – Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) is pleased to announce the launch of its new Online Lifelong Learning program. Two primary elements of the new program are practical, contextual mini-courses that occur over four weeks and meet in virtual community three times, and spirituality groups that meet weekly for five or six weeks to reflect together over a common reading or practice. These initiatives were made possible with the support of the Digital Education Incubator, a unit of Boston University’s Office of Digital Learning & Innovation.
“The idea behind this program is to be able to offer short, practical, timely opportunities for BU STH alums and similarly-situated people to work communally toward common goals,” says Eileen Daily, director of the Online Lifelong Learning programs and BUSTH faculty member. Many of the mini-courses and spirituality groups will include the participation of BUSTH faculty members or BUSTH alums as contributors or facilitators.
The first two mini-courses, “Leading a Community Lamentation” and “Church Mission in Uncertainty and Adversity” begin instruction on April 28. Registration for courses and the reflection group is currently open at bu.edu/sth/oll.
The inaugural spirituality group, “Reflecting with Howard Thurman,” will be the first in a series that focus on the work of Thurman, celebrated theologian and dean of Boston University Marsh Chapel from 1953-1965. Spirituality group participants will dwell together with an author or a practice that is intended to offer a moment of respite from the busy world.
A significant feature of the new program is the flexibility to shape new course content as needs arise, and to have all courses and groups designed for remote learning. “The freedom to pivot and adapt our offerings on short notice to participate in the pandemic response is one factor that distinguishes this kind of learning from traditional semester-long offerings,” adds Daily.
For further information or to submit ideas for upcoming courses, please contact the STH Office of Online Lifelong Learning office at sthcooll@bu.edu. Full mini-course and spirituality groups offerings are available at bu.edu/sth/oll.
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Since 1839, Boston University School of Theology has been preparing leaders to do good.
A seminary of the United Methodist Church, Boston University School of Theology is a robustly ecumenical institution that welcomes students from diverse faith traditions who are pursuing a wide range of vocations – parish ministry, conflict transformation, chaplaincy, campus ministry, administration, non-profit management, social work, teaching, justice advocacy, peacemaking, interfaith dialogue, and more. Our world-renowned faculty and strong heritage help students nurture their academic goals and realize any ministry imaginable. For more information, please visit bu.edu/sth.
BUSTH Announces Faculty Publications for April 2020
The School of Theology is pleased to announce the following faculty publications for the month of April 2020.
- Cristian De La Rosa: “Latina Women and the Church: Mujeristas y Nepantleras,” Nevertheless She Leads: Postcolonial Women's Leadership for the Church. United Methodist General Board of Higher Education, 2020.
- Walter Fluker:
- Walking with God: The Sermon Series of Howard Washington Thurman. Vol 1. of 4 volumes. Coedited with Peter Eisenstadt. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2020.
- “The Inward Sea: Mapping Interior Landmarks for Leaders” in Anchored in the Current: Discovering Howard Thurman as Educator, Activist, Guide and Prophet, edited by Gregory C. Ellison. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Publishers, 2020.
- Robert A. Hill: An Addressable Community (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 2020), ISBN: 978-1-5326-8888-1.
- Dana Robert: “Naming ‘World Christianity’: Historical and Personal Perspectives on the Yale-Edinburgh Conference in World Christianity and Mission History.” International Bulletin of Mission Research. 2020. Vol. 44(2), 111-28.
- Steven Sandage and George Stavros:
- Relational Spirituality in Psychotherapy: Healing Suffering and Promoting Growth, By Steven J. Sandage, David Rupert, George S. Stavros, and Nancy G. Devor. American Psychological Association, 2020.
- Sarah A. Crabtree, Chance A. Bell, David A. Rupert, Steven J. Sandage, Nancy G. Devor & George Stavros (2020): Humility, differentiation of self, and clinical training in spiritual and religious competence, Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health, DOI:10.1080/19349637.2020.1737627
- Nimi Wariboko:
- Nimi Wariboko and Toyin Falola (eds.) The Palgrave Handbook of African Social Ethics. https://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9783030364892
- Nimi Wariboko, “Between Community and My Mother: A Theory of Agonistic Communitarianism” in Nimi Wariboko and Toyin Falola (eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of African Social Ethics (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020), pp. 147-163.
- Karen Westerfield Tucker: Worship resources during the pandemic, article on ministrymatters.com
- Claire Wolfteich:
- Claire E. Wolfteich, Elizabeth G. Ruffing, Sarah A. Crabtree, Nancy G. Devor, and Steven J. Sandage. “Humility and Religious Leadership: A Qualitative Study of Theology and Practice.” Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health (2019), DOI: 10.1080/19349637.2019.1691967.
- Claire E. Wolfteich, Steven J. Sandage, James Tomlinson, Jonathan Mettasophia, and Diana Ventura. “Humility and Spirituality: New Directions in Interdisciplinary Research.” Spiritus: A Journal in Christian Spirituality 19, no. 1 (Spring 2019): 102-130.
School of Theology Announces Celebration for Dean Moore’s Retirement
At the beginning of the 2019-2020 academic year, Dean Mary Elizabeth Moore announced she would step down as dean of the school at the end of the year, after over a decade of service. The School of Theology will present a Retirement Celebration day on Wednesday, April 22 to honor Dean Moore's unwavering dedication to the community and her work as dean.
“From her work on feminism, ecological justice, and interfaith leadership to her many contributions in the fields of practical, process, Wesleyan, and contextual theology, it is scarcely possible to measure Dean Moore’s impact both on Boston University School of Theology and on theological education more broadly,” says Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Bryan Stone. “As we celebrate with Dean Moore her upcoming retirement, we look forward to examining her legacy and contemplating the future of theological education in light of her contributions.”
The day's schedule is available below, and the online meeting information can be found here.
Wednesday, April 22, 11am - 4:30pm
Retirement Celebration for Dean Mary Elizabeth Moore
Held on Earth Day, this celebration will be a reflection of the dedication, love, and passion that Dean Moore has had for the School’s students, faculty, and staff, and their commitments to justice and faith. Events will be held virtually and are open to the BU community and to the public.
Visit bu.edu/sth/about/celebration-of-retirement on April 22 to join our celebration!
11am: Service of Worship
12pm: Community Lunch with Panel
2pm: Faculty Panel focused on Dean Moore’s work on dismantling racism; feminist, womanist, women’s voices; and ecological justice.
Compassion at the Tomb – an Easter Message from Dean Moore
Compassion at the Tomb
The empty tomb is the most vivid symbol of Easter, but the women who first went to the tomb did not know it was empty. They went there to anoint their beloved friend and teacher, Jesus. They carried deep sorrow. Jesus had died on a cross with no tender kisses at his bedside, no words of gratitude from loved ones, no assurance that the Good for which he had lived would continue beyond his death. He was alone on a cross, derided, shamed, and physically pained as he carried that heavy cross, wearing a crown of thorns, and finally dying in a painful and scandalous way. It was finished. He had died a horrible death, separated from those he loved, and even deserted. When the women went to the tomb, they went because they loved Jesus and they needed to care for him and mourn. They never expected the tomb to be empty.
Tombs of fear and illness are all around us now in the spread of COVID-19, yet people of compassion still go to the tombs. Health care professionals, hospital workers, researchers, firefighters, paramedics, police, shelter directors, and grocery store workers enter spaces where they are daily exposed to the coronavirus. Yet, they care for others – cleaning hospitals, giving patients their best care, seeking cures, responding to emergencies, intervening with families caught in escalating cycles of abuse, keeping grocery stores stocked for others, and then returning to their own homes with the fear that they too will fall ill and infect their families. They spend their days in tombs of tragedy with many hopes, but no simple promises of a happy ending.
The Lenten journey ends at the cross and the tomb. Yet, the cross and tomb are not the final word. Resurrection is coming, not to end the coronavirus in an immediate and dramatic way, but to herald the good news that God is still alive in the world. The good news of Easter is Jesus’s resurrection – the rising of Jesus’s spirit that will not die. Yet the story of Easter begins when the women who loved Jesus went to the tomb to anoint the body (Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12). They had no expectation of the Risen Christ, nor any expectation of personal gain. They simply went because they loved. The resurrection story begins with these women – with their compassion and care.
In this time of pandemic, job loss, loneliness, crowded living conditions for many, and unequal access to health care, people still approach tragic tombs with compassion. People serve in nursing homes and homeless shelters, street ministries and food banks, centers of health care and public service, homes and neighborhoods, congregations, advocacy networks, and all forms of virtual communication. The scattered School of Theology community is itself engaged in acts of compassion wherever people are suffering, and we daily see moments of Easter breakthrough. God is alive in the world, even in the midst of tragedy. Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!
With Easter blessings,
Mary Elizabeth Moore
A Good Friday Message from Dean Moore
Dear Beloved Community,
As Christians traverse Holy Week and Jews honor Passover, we travel in the unfamiliar landscape of the coronavirus, marked by waiting. I offer the poem below as a meditation on waiting – full-bodied and full-spirited waiting. May this Holy season be a Holy journey for you and yours, and may the time of waiting awaken you to God and the tiny sure glimpses of God’s Spirit breathing life into our suffering human family.
“Waiting in a Coronavirus World”
Waiting
Waiting for the pain to begin,
Waiting for the pain to end,
Waiting and knowing how many lives
Are suffering and will suffer
Dying in lonely isolation
Living in worry and fear,
Waiting and knowing that God is with us and for us,
Yet we wait …
Angry waiting
Angry that people with Asian faces are persecuted, even killed,
Angry that the death toll falls hardest on African American lives,
Angry that unprotected health care workers face dangers every day,
Angry that people in service industries have to risk their lives
so others can access food and basic needs.
Sick-and-tired waiting
Tired of unresponsive public leaders and unconcerned citizens,
Tired of mindless interference with public leaders who boldly seek to respond,
Tired of political competition in place of compassionate cooperation,
Tired of blame in the place of shame and action,
Tired of profiteers who endanger lives for their own reward.
Hopeful waiting
Hoping for deliverance from slavery, as recounted in Passover meals,
Hoping to escape the crucifixion story
and the terrible memories of disciples deserting Jesus
and the wretched awareness that we too desert Jesus –
Jesus in the poor, Jesus in our loved ones, Jesus in migrants,
prisoners, persons living on the streets, and neighbors
who have lost their jobs or health, even their lives.
Memory-filled waiting
Memories of Hebrew people delivered from slavery,
Memories of Jesus whose radical love cost him his life,
and disciples who loved Jesus but deserted him anyway,
Memories of Jesus who faced a last supper, a trial, an angry mob, and death,
Who died on a cross pleading “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”[i]
And yet forgave a thief on a nearby cross
and commended his spirit to God;
And memories of Jesus lying in a tomb
While people waited in despair!
And now we wait for Easter … waiting in silence and grief, reaching toward hope …
Seeking ways to focus on what is truly important,
Seeking ways to hold and care for others,
to treasure acts of kindness and courage,
Seeking in silence and prayer
and in the active giving of love on this uncharted trail
toward healing and justice and wholeness.
In this Holy season, may your waiting be touched by the Holy
who loves you beyond all bounds!
Blessings,
Mary Elizabeth Moore
[i] Mt. 27:46, NRSV.