Alumni News
Prof. Christopher Evans featured on Un-Tied Methodism Podcast
Professor of History of Christianity and Methodist Studies Christopher Evans was featured on the March 16, 2023 podcast published by the United Methodist Church to discuss his new research work and biography on Frances Willard, Do Everything: The Biography of Frances Willard. He discusses how she was a major architect in 19th-century politics, temperance, and the women’s suffrage movement. In the podcast, he mentions how Willard was raised deeply Methodist, and how her religion impacted both her personal life and her professional work.
Alumnus Bill Banfield (STH’88) publishes Opinion Piece in The Boston Globe
The following is an excerpt from The Boston Globe article “Celebrating change – and calling for more – in classical music” by BUSTH alumnus Bill Banfield (STH‘88), published on March 15, 2023. Click here to read the full article. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Boston University School of Theology, its employees, faculty, or students.
While there has been some momentum in the classical music world, it’s still difficult to detect a real shift in the landscape. But small victories should also be acknowledged. As I reflect back on Simon with his “Four Black American Dances,” it seemed, that night, I could hear above me Phillis Wheatley, Frederick Douglass, Edmonia Lewis, Harry Carney, and Elma Lewis — who all had a presence in Boston — dancing a ring-shout hallelujah dance in heaven for Simon: “Do it, little brother!”
BUSTH leads Walking Tour through Boston to “The Embrace” Memorial
On Wednesday, March 1, Dean G. Sujin Pak joined Associate Director for Alumni and Donor Relations Rev. Andrew Kimble (STH‘19) as he led a walking tour through Boston focused on the works of alumnus Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (STH/GRS‘55) and his wife Coretta Scott King. The tour started next to the School of Theology on Marsh Plaza, and attendees included STH alumni, current students, and faculty members. A talk was given at each stop of the tour by a featured speaker.
Talk 1: Free at Last
Standing on the Marsh Chapel plaza next to BU’s Free at Last tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Dr. Charlene Zuill explained how Martin and Coretta met in Boston, with a special emphasis on how Coretta’s intellectual and spiritual formation made a lasting impact on Martin — who knew he wanted to marry Coretta after their first date.
Talk 2: The Embrace (Part A)
Feet away from The Embrace, Rev. Mariama White-Hammond (STH‘17), the City of Boston’s Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space, spoke about the love ethic and its application in justice movements. She offered insight on how dozens of artists submitted proposals for the memorial, and that the only rendering including both Coretta and Martin earned the final bid.
Talk 3: The Embrace (Part B)
Since the unveiling, a nationwide discussion has ensued about the value, meaning, and role of public art. Opening words from Cynthia Perry (STH‘23) invited the group to wrap arms around ourselves, to embrace ourselves, as an act of self-love. The memorial’s significance, she reminded us, extends far beyond one’s interpretation of the sculpture. It is about the universality of love.
The group poses together in front of The Embrace on Boston Common.
Talk 4: Beloved Community
The final speech of the day from Assistant Clinical Professor of Religion and Conflict Transformation James McCarty reminded us of the beloved community’s future and Martin and Coretta’s imprint on ethical/moral leadership. He reminded us of the powerful symbolism of our tour coinciding with an SEIU rally to promote better wages and benefits for healthcare workers. The Embrace is a new site of advocacy for all persons striving toward equality and justice.
BUSTH DMin Student Joanne Hus publishes Opinion Piece in The Salem News
The following is an excerpt from The Salem News article “Open wide your Hearts” by BUSTH doctor of ministry student Joanne Hus, published on March 1, 2023. Click here to read the full article. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Boston University School of Theology, its employees, faculty, or students.
I often go for walks, just to clear my head or to enjoy the gift of being alive in this world. This morning I went for a walk because I was feeling a little frazzled. My to-do list was scolding me, I had too many deadlines, and frankly, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. Now, I’ll admit that when I go for a walk, I’ll often take the same path, or rotate through a few familiar ones, but today I just wandered and let Spirit lead the way. I explored an area near in my neighborhood that I’d never gone to before. Don’t know why it took me four years to have enough curiosity, but there you are.
Prof. Wesley Wildman hosts “Ask Me Anything” Forum on Social Platform Reddit
On Monday, February 27, Professor of Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics Wesley Wildman hosted a live “Ask Me Anything” forum on social platform Reddit. Prof. Wildman invited Reddit users to ask him anything about “the ethics of AI [artificial intelligence] text generation in education.” He answered questions “What do you see as the principal ethical risk introduced by expanding AI capability in both academia and, if you’ll entertain the expanded premise, in society at large?” as well as “How can students use ChatGPT and other AI programs as study tools to streamline their schoolwork?”
The thread included a total of 212 comments and received 88% upvotes, a percentage that indicates approval or support of the topic among Reddit users.
The forum was so popular among Reddit users that Prof. Wildman was unable to answer all the questions he received. The forum content is available here.
Prof. Wildman is a founding member of Boston University’s Faculty of Computing and Data Sciences and was recently featured in BU Today for his classroom conversation on ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot.
Prof. Peng Yin to deliver Lectures on Chinese Christianity
In 2023, Assistant Professor of Ethics Peng Yin will share the fruits of his research on Chinese Christianity at the Bartlett Lecture at Yale Divinity School and the McDonald Agape Lecture at the University of Hong Kong. These lectures draw from his concurrent book projects. The first, tentatively entitled Persisting in the Good: Thomas Aquinas and Early Chinese Ethics, explores the prospect of different religious traditions speaking intelligibly to each other. He is at work on a larger project, Chinese Political Theology. The volume traces religious conceptions of sovereignty from early Confucian and Legalist canon formation to Daoist and Buddhist negotiations with imperial power, from the neglected role of Christianity in the founding of the first republic and the rise of Chinese Communism to contemporary political significance of Chinese Christianity.
The event at Yale will be on March 6, 2023, in Niebuhr Hall at 5:30 PM EST. It will be broadcasted on Livestream at https://livestream.com/yaledivinityschool/events/10766079.
At the University of Hong Kong, Dr. Yin will join Dr. Chloë Starr of Yale Divinity School to speak about the distinctiveness of Chinese Christianity.
The Bartlett Lectureship was created in 1986 with a gift from the Rev. Robert M. Bartlett ’24 B.D. and his wife, Sue Bartlett. The lectureship serves a twofold purpose. The first is to foster knowledge and appreciation of the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony and their contribution to the religious, intellectual, and political life of America. The second is to encourage understanding of the history and culture of modern China. These two areas are treated on a rotating basis. In 1992 the Bartletts added to their gift and broadened the scope to include “Democracy, Human Rights, and World Peace.” The McDonald Agape Foundation Distinguished Lecture Series at the University of Hong Kong is sponsored by the McDonald Foundation. This lecture series is given at five universities across three continents. Past lecturers can be found at https://www.mcdonaldagape.org/distinguished-programs/distinguished-lecturers.html.
Prof. Christopher Evans publishes article in The Conversation
The following is an excerpt from The Conversation US’s article “How Frances Willard shaped feminism by leading the 19th-century temperance movement” by Professor of History of Christianity and Methodist Studies Christopher Evans. Click here to read the full article.
Global reach of temperance movement
Born in 1839, Willard wanted to become a Methodist minister. Instead, she became a teacher, as women could rarely be ordained at the time. Ultimately, she became the first dean of the newly founded Woman’s College at Northwestern University.
In 1874, Willard helped found the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, an organization committed to campaigning for prohibition legislation. She was elected its president in 1879, holding that office until her death in 1898. Throughout her presidency, the WCTU ran shelters, medical dispensaries and free kindergartens that reached out to destitute families.
Prof. Daryl Ireland featured in BU Brink
The following is an excerpt from The Brink’s article “What’s Behind Boom of Christianity in China?” by Marc Chalufour, featuring Research Assistant Professor of Mission Daryl Ireland. Click here to read the full article.
Theology scholars and a global network of researchers are using big data to map religion’s history in China and explain its rapid growth
Over the past four decades, Christianity has grown faster in China than anywhere else in the world. Daryl Ireland, a Boston University School of Theology research assistant professor of mission, estimates that the Christian community there has grown from 1 million to 100 million. What led to that explosion, centuries after the first Christian missionaries arrived in China? The BU scholars behind the China Historical Christian Database aim to find out.
The project, which allows researchers to visualize the history of Christianity in modern China, links web-based visualization tools with a database packed with the names and locations of missionaries, churches, schools, hospitals, and publications. Hosted by BU’s Center for Global Christianity & Mission, the project launched in 2018 and version 2.0 of the database is scheduled for release in 2023. The new version will double the amount of data previously available, providing approximately four million data points—names, occupations, locations, dates, and more—spanning four centuries (1550–1950).
MDiv Student Daniel Carman featured in Daily Free Press
The following is an excerpt from The Daily Free Press article “The International Choral and Arts Festival unites Boston community in observance of gun violence” originally published on February 20, 2023 by Brenda Gonzalez, featuring current Master of Divinity student Daniel Carman (‘23) and Director of the Seminary Singers and alumnus Rev. Chad Kidd (‘05). Click here to read the full article. A full recording of the event is found below.
“It’s the trend of violence in Boston …. We wanted to find a way through the arts [to] speak to that,” said Dan Carman, the communications director and CFO of Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries (CMM).
Boston University’s Marsh Chapel held the International Choral and Arts Festival on Feb. 14, sponsored by CMM, for a healing night of powerful voices. CMM is an educational research organization that aims to unite people of various faiths.
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Rev. Chad Kidd, director of BU’s School of Theology Seminary Singers, believes “music can change.”
“We’re focusing on love,” Kidd said. “We’re trying to eradicate gun violence in our community, and also thinking about peace and justice.”
Prof. Wesley Wildman featured in BU Today: Ethics of ChatGPT in the Classroom
The following is an excerpt from BU Today’s article “Why ChatGPT is Both Exciting and Unsettling for Students, Faculty” by Joel Brown, featuring Professor of Theology, Philosophy, and Ethics Wesley Wildman. Click here to read the full article.
BU data science class takes a first step toward crafting a strategy for dealing with the artificial intelligence model in the classroom
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The 47 undergraduates in Wesley Wildman’s Data, Society and Ethics (CDS DS 380) class—the first ever—spent the last few weeks writing a blueprint for academic use of ChatGPT and similar artificial intelligence models, called the Generative AI Assistance (GAIA) Policy. They intend to follow it in the classroom and hope it will be a starting point as the University moves to deal with ChatGPT in the classroom.
“I was really proud of them,” says Wildman, a professor of philosophy, theology, and ethics and of computing and data sciences, who splits his time between the School of Theology and the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences. “They were articulate and strong in their beliefs.”
