Columbia Theological Seminary Vantage, 89, number 3, Winter 1998

COLUMBIA
THEOLOGICAL
SEMINARY

Vantage

WINTER 1998

Colloquium '98 to
convene April 20

William C. Placher and Roberta C.
Bondi are speakers for Columbia's
Colloquium '98, April 20-22. Fred
Craddock is guest preacher.

this annual event for alumni /ae
and friends is a time for reflection c\nd
reunion and a time for examining the
life of the church. Activities included
are worship services, lectures, and
opportunities for conversation with
guest speakers, professors, and
colleagues. The Alumni /ae Associa-
tion banquet and reunion luncheon
will also take place.

Registration for Colloquium '98
begins on Monday, April 20, at 5:00
p.m. with an "uncocktail party" and a
last tour ol Florida I kill, the next
building to be renovated

The formal opening is a banquet
at 6:00 p.m. in the Richards Center.
The banquet will include a welcome
from President Douglas Oldenburg,
presentation of the Distinguished
Service Awards, and other Alumni /ae
Association business.

Dinner is followed bv an 8:00 p.m.
w orship service led by Craddock at
Columbia Presbyterian Church.
Coffee, dessert, and a jazz band on the
seminary's quadrangle will conclude
the evening.

Day two, April 21, begins with

The alumni/ae reunion lunch will be held
April 21. Distinguished Service Awards
will he presented to two alums during the
opening banquet on April 2"

morning prayer at Columbia church at
MOO a.m., followed by Bondi's first
lecture at 9:15. Bondi will be speaking
on parts of the Lord's Prayer. After a
mid-morning break, Placher will
speak on his theme, "The Core of
Christology." His lecture title is
"Cross."

The reunion luncheon at 12:00 will
be a gathering time for the classes of
1923-43, 1948, 1953, 1958, 1963, 1968,
1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, and 1997.
After lunch on Tuesday, the three
guest speakers will be available for a
panel discussion from 1:30 - 2:30.

Tuesday's mid-afternoon break
precedes an hour and a half with
members of Columbia's faculty.
Three groups of faculty members will
be available for discussion. The
faculty team which taught Baptism
and Evangelical Calling, professors
Walter Brueggemann, Darrell Guder,
and Cameron Murchison, will high-
light some of the aims of the course as
it examined the Christian tradition
more deeplv and looked at the church
of the future A gathering of Biblical
area faculty members will discuss
current trends in Biblical studies, and
another group, composed of theolo-
gians and church historians, will
examine Christian and Reformed
currents.

At 4:30, Dr. Oldenburg will be
available for coffee and conversation.
Dinner on Tuesday evening is an
informal barbecue on the Quadrangle
with bluegrass music. The evening's
activities will again conclude with
worship at Columbia church led by
Craddock.

The final day of Colloquium '98
opens Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. with
morning prayer at Columbia church,
followed by Bondi's lecture. After the
break, Placher will present his lecture,
"Resurrection." Dr. Oldenburg will
conclude the event after the second
lecture.

All lectures and worship services
will take place at Columbia Presbyte-
rian Church. Other events will occur
on the Columbia campus, as noted.
Dinners on Monday and Tuesday
evenings are $10 each; the cost of
Tuesday's reunion luncheon is $6.

William C. Placher is professor of
philosophy and religion and chair of
the Department of Philosophy and

William Placher

Roberta Bondi

Religion at Wabash College, where he
has been on the faculty for 23 years.
Placher holds degrees from Wabash
(A.B) and Yale University (M.Phil,
and Ph.D.). He has served on numer-
ous boards and committees for the
PC(USA), including the committee
which wrote the "Brief Statement of
Faith of the PC(USA)." His books
include The Domestication of Transcen-
dence: Where Modern Thinking About
God Went Wrong (1996); Narrative* of a
\ 'ulnerable God (1994); Unapologetic
Theology (1989); and A History of
Christian Theology (1983). Placher is
currently exploring the ways in which
theology in this country reaches, or
fails to reach, an audience beyond the
academic world.

Roberta C. Bondi is professor of
church history, Candler School of
Theology, Emory University, where
she has taught since 1978. Prior to
that, she taught at Union Theological
Seminary in Virginia, the University
of Notre Dame, and the University of
Oxford. Bondi holds degrees from
Southern Methodist University (B.A.)
and the University of Oxford (M.A.,
D. Phil). Among her publications are
In Ordinary Tune Healing the Wounds of
the Heart (1996); To Pray and To Love:
Conversations on Prayer with the Early
Church (1991); and To Love as God
Loves. Conversations with the Early
Church (1987).

Fred B. Craccock is Bandy Distin-
guished Professor of Preaching and
New Testament, emeritus, at Candler
School of Theology, Emory Univer-
sity, where he taught from 1979 to
1993. Before that, Craddock taught at

Fred Craddock

the Graduate Seminary of Phillips
University in Oklahoma. He holds
degrees from Johnson Bible College
(B.A.), Phillips University (B.D.), and
Vanderbilt University (Ph.D). An
ordained minister of the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ), he has
served pastorates in Tennessee and
Oklahoma. Craddock has preached,
taught, and published widely. His
books include The Pre-Existence oj
Christ (1968), Overhearing the Gospel
(1978), The Gospels (1981 ), Preaching
(1985), and numerous commentaries,
including John ( 1982) and Luke (1990).

For more information about
Colloquium '98, or to register early,
call 404/687-4566.

S. Chrystal Cook '98

President Douglas W. Oldenburg endorsed as a candidate
for moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA)

At its pai l meeting on October 28, the
Presbytery of Greater Atlanta voted
enthusiastically to endorse and

support Columbia Seminary President
Douglas W. Oldenburg as a candidate
for moderator o( the 210th General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church
(USA). The vote for moderator will
take place in June when the General
Assembly meets in Charlotte, North
Carolina

The Presbytery of Greater Atlanta
received two resolutions to endorse
Dr. Oldenburg. One came from
Central Presbyterian Church, Atlanta,
where Dr Oldenburg and his family
worship and participate, and the other
from the Presbytery of Charlotte,
where he was a member for 15 years
before coming to Atlanta. He received
a standing ovation after the \ ote

A member ol the Presbytery of
Greater Atlanta since coming to
Atlanta as president of Columbia in
1987, Douglas W. Oldenburg has
chaired several denominational
committees They include the Com-
mittee on Theological Education, the
Committee on Justice and the Rights
of Persons, the Task Force on Chris-
tian Faith and Economics, and the
Committee on Assembly Operations
He has also served on the Task Force
on International Peace and Justice and

the Special Committee to Study
Theological Institutions.

Before being named president of
Columbia, Dr. Oldenburg was for 26
years pastor of three Presbyterian
churches Covenant Presbyterian
Church, Lynchburg, Virginia; Davis
Memorial Presbyterian Church,
Elkins, West Virginia; and Covenant
Presbvtenan Church, Charlotte.
While in Charlotte, he chaired the
Haiti Development Commission,
focusing on food production, primary
medical care, and education. He was

been a board member of the Protes-
tant Radio and Television Center and
of Global Health Action, a member of
the Atlanta Rotary Club and the Inter-
faith Committee for the 1996 Summer
Olympics, and has been involved with
the work and ministry of Central
Presbyterian Church.

A former chair of the board of St.
Andrews Presbyterian College, he has
also been a member of the boards of
Union Theological Seminary in
Virginia and Agnes Scott College.

In nominating Dr. Oldenburg,

"We need a leader with a pastor's heart and a commitment to
Jesus Christ and his church whose witness in its richness is a
demonstration of what it means to stand in the gap between
extremes. Doug Oldenburg will work to hold the church
together against that day when, in God's good time, the things
which so trouble us now and tear at the fabric of who we are
wdl be calmed and mended by a grace greater than we can
imagine. "

a member of the Charlotte Housing
Authority and chaired the Board on
Crisis Assistance Ministry for seven
years He was given the Martin
Luther King, Jr., Award in 1987.
In Atlanta Dr. Oldenburg has

Theodore Wardlaw, pastor of Central
Presbyterian church, said, "I believe
we need a leader with a pastor's
heart and a commitment to Jesus
Christ and his church whose witness
in its richness is a demonstration of

President Douglas W. Oldenburg

what it means to stand in the gap
between extremes. Doug Oldenburg
will work to hold the church together
against that day when, in God's good
time, the things which so trouble us
now and tear at the fabric of who we
are will be calmed and mended by a
grace greater than we can imagine."

Q and A with candidate for moderator Douglas Oldenburg

Editor's note: The following is an
interview with President Oldenburg
after his endorsement as candidate tor
moderator.

What led you to decide to seek the
moderatorship of the 210th General
Assembly?

The truth is that I have never seen
myself as a future moderator of the
General Assembly. I have had no
ambition or drive to be elected to that
position. I have felt great joy and
fulfillment in being the pastor of three
churches and now president of
Columbia Seminary. When I was first
approached about the idea a few years
ago, I immediately responded with a
firm "thank you for the honor, but I
just don't see myself in that role."
When I shared that response with my
wife, Claudia, she reminded me that
years ago I didn't see myself as pastor
of a 2,200-member church or president
of a seminary either!

How do you see the moderatorship
as an expression of your ministry?

I have frequently said to prospec-
tive students that a call to ministry
often begins when someone says that
they have seen in you special gifts for
ministry and suggests that you
consider the possibility that God is
calling you to that vocation. That is

what has happened to me regarding
my becoming a candidate for modera-
tor. About three years ago several
people approached me. At first, I
easily dismissed the thought, for I was
happy doing what I was doing and
did not relish the idea of spending a
year on airplanes and becoming
embroiled in the conflicts that are
dividing us in the church. But when
more and more people approached
me with the same idea, I had to take it
seriously. They seemed to see in me
particular gifts which they felt our
church could use at this time in our
history. Was God calling me to offer
myself for this position in the Presby-
terian Church (USA)?

What particular challenges do you
see in the role of moderator at this
time in the life of the Presbyterian
Church (USA)?

As I reflected on the possibility
more seriously, I realized that the
moderator would have to spend
considerable time trying to keep our
church together and urging all sides to
engage the issues that divide us with
Christian civility and respect. I have
always seen myself as a moderate in
the church, listening to both sides and
respecting those who disagree with
me. I try to approach controversial
issues with a pastoral touch rather

than a heavy-fisted approach. Per-
haps the church could use that in the
year ahead.

But I also resonated to the fact
that 1998 is our denomination's "Year
with Education." I have always had a
passion for education, reflected in my
current role as seminary president. I
have also discovered a growing
passion within me about the need for
the church to become more involved
with children in crisis in our country
and around the world. The second of
the first three "Great Ends of the
Church," which the PC(USA) will
focus on this year, relates to the
"children of God," referring to all of
us, but perhaps especially young
children. When I started to think
about these two foci, the Spirit moved
within me, and I became excited about
the possibility of going around the
church lifting up our tradition's
historic emphasis on education
loving God with our minds as well as
our hearts and challenging the
church to become more involved in
ministries to children. Of course, the
two emphases are closely related. Is it
possible that these two themes
education and children could move
us beyond the current issues that
divide us and serve to unite us? I'd
like to try.

How have you responded to this
call?

Needless to say, I have prayed a
lot about this decision and sought the
counsel of others. Claudia and I have
spent many of our walks around the
neighborhood discussing the pros and
cons. The seminary's vice-presidents
and faculty have encouraged me; the
trustees have endorsed my candidacy;
the Presbytery of Charlotte has
endorsed it, as has the Presbytery of
Greater Atlanta.

Just as I believe a call often begins
when others encourage you to con-
sider the possibility, so I just as firmly
believe that a call must be confirmed
by the church, the community of faith.
If the church confirms my growing
sense of call to this tremendous
responsibility and opportunity by
electing me moderator, I will give it
the very best I have. But if the church
does not confirm this call, I will accept
that decision and return to Columbia
with the same commitment and
enthusiasm I have had for the past 11
years.

I ask for counsel and prayers that
God will guide me and the church in
this process.

VANTAGE

Shirley C Guthrie retired December 31 after 40 years of teaching as the J.B. Green
Professor of Systematic Theology at Columbia.

A tribute to Shirley Guthrie

It was in September 1957 that Shirley
Guthrie came from a pastorate in
Rusk, Texas, to begin his teaching
career at Columbia. Little did he or
anyone else realize the profound
influence he would have on genera-
tions of graduates over the next four
decades. I was a student in three of
his classes that first year and can still
recall the energy and excitement
generated when he introduced us to
Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics, to
Reinhold Niebuhr's The Nature ami
Destiny of Man, and to the theological
interpretation of the New Testament.

In part because he was closer in
age to the students than to his faculty
colleagues, Shirley became our friend
as well as our mentor. A string of
Columbia graduates in those early
years went to Basel Harry Beverly
'58, Bob Bankhead '58, David
Pedersen '59, C. D. Weaver '59, and
somewhat later Joe Harvard '66 and
Erskine Clarke '66 primarily because
Basel was Shirley's graduate school.
The version of Barth that was filtered
to us through Shirley's both gracious
and grumpy ways was a theology to
be claimed and proclaimed.

The early years at Columbia were
the time for writing Christian Doctrine
(1968). Shirley accepted the contract
for the book as a replacement for Dr.
Kenneth Foreman, who had become
ill and unable to fulfill his commit-
ment. Shirley was already into a

sabbatical leave in Germany when the
urgent request came to write the book
and to do so immediately. It was
scheduled as a part of the cycle of the
Covenant Life Curriculum and could
not be delayed. Being the incessant
rewriter that he is, if Shirley had had a
longer time to ponder and recast
every sentence, he might have messed
up a classic but he didn't. His
instinctive ability to communicate the
faith in clear language for the Chris-
tian in the pew was remarkable.
George Stroup, professor of theology
at Columbia, has rightly observed that
Christian Doctrine has been the reli-
gious book most widely read by

strations. He did not say much about
it, but tor many months he went e\ itv
Sunday night to the old Kirkwood
Community Center to meet with a
group of African American teenagers,
jusl to listen and to talk to listen to
their anger and bitterness and to talk
about the new future that was before
them. In the sixties and se\ enties, it
there was one person who by word
and by action kept reminding the
Columbia community of its need t<> It
aw ake to the marginalized voices ol
the world, it was Shirley

In 1972 he married Vivian I lavs ol
Moultrie, Georgia, in the seminary
chapel, and three years later son Tom
arrived. Tom, a recent graduate of
Davidson College, is currently en-
gaged in an internship at the
Smithsonian Institute in Washington.
At his retirement celebration Shirley
acknowledged that the first 15 years
he was married to the seminary, but
that he much preferred the past 25
with Vivian and Tom.

Shirley's later years at Columbia
have been productive too. From his
extensive involvement in the drafting
of the confession called "A Declara-
tion of Faith" through the writing of
Diversity in Faith- Unity in Chrisl to
his more recent Warfield Lectures,
Always Beui^ Reformed: I aitli for a
Fragmented World, he has continued to
think and write for the church.

Shirley will be remembered at the
seminary for many things for his
sneer and cynical quip when someone
acted or talked too pompously; for his
loud sighs in chapel when the sermon
ran on too long or was a bit pietistic;
for the jingling of the change in his
pocket when he was impatient; for his
uncanny ability to lecture on one leg;
for his unbounded laughter at his own
jokes; for the pipe tobacco wafting out
from behind his office door; and for
his willingness to speak to yet one
more group about what Presbyterians
believe.

But most of all, Shirley will be
remembered for his profound faith in
the gracious character of God, a faith
that has freed him from taking himself
too seriously and yet has kept him
hopeful about the future. As Richard
Deibert '89 put it, "Shirley Guthrie
embodies Reformed character rm>n
consistently than anyone I know not
tradition or history or knowledge, but

Guthrie Scholars

Program

announced

Cou Mm \ Si mix ui\ has established die
i iuthrie s holars Program in honor of
the sv holarship life and work of
Shirley C. Guthrie c olumbia's
professoi i't systematic theology from
1957 to l l >"

Twin- .i year, six persons will be
united to pai ii< ipate in the ( Iuthrie
! > holars program foi -i one week
pej iod (one week each t-iii and spring
semester) to engage in indi\ iduaJ
study and to be in converstion with

Hi ues and i.n uii\ memben
Participants are expei led '*> select a
program ot stud) ih.it w ill engage

pressing issues of the church fiom .i

Reformed perspective.

While pat i" ipants w ill design

individual research programs, th< \
will also meet with the other partici-
pants to discuss their projects. nv.,l

ing .i collegia] > ontexl in which to
. larify thinking about theu areas >!
i oncern. Bai h afternoon >> fa< ulty

membei w ill be invited to meet with

the group for discussion on the an .

of study. Worship and spii itual
reflection will be built into the design
of the program. A paper or projei I il
due one month after the end oi the

i irogram, summarizing student

insights from the week

The only cost to paitu ipants is

h,i\ el i" the i ampus Room and

board are provided

Applications lot the program are
being received, however, the fir. I
week, April 1998, is full

For more information, contact the
Office of Continuing Education, 404/
687-4562.

Shirley will be remembered for his profound faith in the
gracious character of God, a faith that has freed him from
taking himself too seriously and yet has kept him hopeful about
the future.

Presbyterians in the twentieth cen-
tury. In church school classes and
college and seminary courses, it has
become a staple and now in its revised
edition remains a major contribution
to Reformed thinking in this country.

Another feature of those early
years was Shirley's involvement in
civil rights activities. At a time when
not every supporter of the seminary
thought it a wise thing to do, he
rounded up a group of the faithful to
participate in marches and demon-

the instinct, reflex, and intuition of
Reformed faith." Whether in classes <>r
committee meetings, with lay groups
or clergy, among rich and poor, that
embodiment of Reformed character,
grounded in the conviction that God
in Jesus Christ has chosen to be God
for us and not against us, has been a
positive presence for generations of
grateful students and colleagues. D

Charles B. Cousar '58,
Professor of New Testament

DeloresS. William., the Paul Wich
Professor of Theology and Culture at
Union Theological Seminary, delivered
the annual Smyth Lectures in ( ktoberat

< t'lumbia. Williams described lici.cl! </
"a poet ami theologian trying to live
thei in one body " s '"' shared

SeUi t ions from her next book, to be titled
Songs I Meant to Sing About God In
three lei hires, Williams demonstrated ha
contention: "An effective resistance

strategy to evil is to tell new stories of
faith. " '

WINTER 1998

A faculty for the twenty-first
century

Columbia's library is seeking
ministers' libraries

This is \ season of change in the life ol
Columbia Seminary. Through death,
retirement, and resignation we have
said "goodbye" to six faculty mem-
bers jnd are engaged in five searches
for new persons to fill those vacancies
At the same time, Columbia has been
blessed bj an increase in resources
with which to do our mission of
educating leaders in the church of
fesus Christ.

A certain degree of anxiety
attends all life changes. Saying
"farewell" to favorite and faithful
professors is just as hard as watching
a gifted pastor retire. When President
Oldenburg invited me to reflect upon
the changes we are undergoing, I
readily agreed, for I think our gradu-
ates and friends of the seminary
benefit from knowing what the
seminary stands for and how it will
live its values in the formation of its
faculty.

This fall the Board of Trustees
amended Columbia's Plan of Govern-
ment to allow the seminary to employ
up to one-third of its faculty from
outside the ranks of Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) officers. Previously,
no more than one-quarter of the
faculty could be non-Presbyterian.
Columbia thus added flexibility in
hiring the best faculty it can find,
irrespective of which branch of the
Christian church they represent. In the
same action, our trustees (who are 100
percent Presbyterian) strengthened
Columbia's expectation that all faculty
members must be persons "who teach
in a manner respectful of the Re-
formed tradition." In this move, the
board continued to stress the impor-
tance of having a faculty composed
predominantly of Presbyterian
ministers while recognizing that the
most important thing to be preserved
in a Presbyterian theological educa-
tion is its theology.

Columbia's faculty believes that
the world needs the gospel of Jesus
Christ. As we seek new faculty
members, we are looking lor people
who believe as we do that seeking to
understand God through Jesus Christ
and faithful discipleship are what is
needed by Presbyterians and others in
order to reverse the contemporary
crisis in the church. New times and
challenges require a faculty gifted in

translating the Christian tradition in
ways that it can be heard But make
no mistake, it is God's Word to which
i ieek to be faithful,

\ l acuity is a precious asset
( olumbia has to a person a faculty
doing important work toward the
reign of God by equipping the people
who equip the saints in our congrega-
tions tor discipleship

Occasionally, I held a question
from someone who worries that
Columbia might become another
divinity school or a religious studies
program with little connection to the
church. That will never come to pass
because Columbia's faculty is firmly
oriented toward the church. Many
faculty members have served as
pastors. All have direct current
experience with congregations. They
know and love the church; they teach
their disciplines Bible, church
history, preaching, pastoral care,
theology, missiology, education, and
evangelism with the purpose of
enriching the lives of God's people
now and in the years to come.

Our mission is reinforced and
refreshed in many ways. For ex-
ample, the 250 students enrolled in
our Doctor of Ministry programs help
to keep us grounded in the church. By
teaching parish pastors as well as
Master of Divinity students, our
faculty stay in touch with the differ-
ence between what is genuinely new
and useful to the church and what is
merely academically fashionable.

In the twenty-first century,
Columbia Seminary will continue to
be a place where the sovereignty of
God, the lordship of Jesus Christ over
all of life, the reality of human sinful-
ness and God's grace, and the revela-
tion of God in scripture are embraced
by its faculty and are taught to its
students. Watch the pages of Vantage
in the coming months as we introduce
new faculty members. These will be
the persons who, with our present
professors, will lead our students to
fresh appropriations of our vital faith
tradition. With God's help, the loyal
disciples whom we call faculty will
continue to equip leaders to serve a
church that aims beyond mere sur-
vival toward a thriving witness for the
new century.
James Hudnut-Beumler, Dean of Faculty

O 'i i mbia's John Bulow Campbell
Library is now ready and willing to
collect' ministers' libraries.

Columbia has a rich history in its
use of ministers' libraries. The library
of Thomas Smyth, nineteenth-century
pastor in Charleston, South Carolina,
is the foundation for Columbia's earl)
library and illustrates the importance
of ministers' libraries to a seminary.
His collection is now housed in the C.
Benton Kline, Jr. Special Collections
and Archives.

Director of the library Tim Brown-
ing hopes that future donations will
help to fill gaps in the library's
collection. "We don't have all the
books we need," he said. Because of
the increase in Columbia's programs,
books which were not needed or
purchased in the past are needed now.
Other books have been damaged, and
some "wandered out of the building."
Many of the older books are out of
print and cannot be purchased, and
Browning says, "We must rely on
donations."

He adds, "Books have value to us
that they might not have to a donor or
donor's family. Books that might not
be considered useful often are. We
would rather have too many books to
sort through than not have the books
donated."

If Browning is unable to house the
books in the John Bulow Campbell
Library, there are three adoption
options for books in need of homes.
First, the library will offer students the
opportunity to purchase books at

greatly reduced costs through book
sales. Second, the library corresponds
with libraries at theological seminaries
around the world in order to send
them books they need at no cost.
Finally, the library can work with
book dealers specializing in used
volumes in order to trade donated
items for books needed in the collec-
tion.

Browning encourages retired
ministers and their families who are
interested in supporting the seminary
to consider donating their libraries, be
it a shelf-full or a substantial collec-
tion. "I guarantee we can find a home
for any book," assures Browning.

If book donors wish to be recog-
nized, the library can place book
plates in the books and enter a record
of the gift in the computer. "It's a way
to create a lasting legacy," says
Browning.

Donating libraries is a wonderful
way to maintain a connection to the
seminary- Rather than collecting dust
in the attic, the books will be contrib-
uting to the education of future
ministers at Columbia and around the
world.

Browning adds that if donors
would like to receive a tax deduction
for their donation, they must calculate
the value themselves. "While we
value your gift, legally we cannot
attribute monetary value to such a
gift."

If you have questions about a
donation, call Browing at 404/687-
4547. Amy Erwkson '00

Conference on Ministry

for prospective students

February 20-22, 1998

For more information or to register, call the Office of Admissions
at 404/687-4517.

Marilyn Ault, bookkeeper at Columbia, received the Betsey Burgess staff Award for
faithfulness, dedicated service, and Christian character upholding the seminary's
purpose and mission. Ault, right, has worked in the Office of Business and Finance for
14 years. At left is Betsey Burgess.

Columbia's new web page address

Find Columbia on the World Wide Web at www.CTSnet.edu. While much of
the site is currently under construction, we hope you will keep checking for

updates.

Faculty and staff members may be reached via e-mail by using last name,
first initial as in the following example for John Doe: doej@CTSnet.edu.

VANTAGE

Columbia's Doctor of Ministry
program offers Cross-Cultural
Specialization

Editor's note. In this ex funded issue of
Vantage, five pages are being devoted to
Columbia's Doctor of Ministry degree in
the Advanced Studies Program and to
Continuing Education, the Lay Institute
of Faith and Life, the Spirituality Pro-
gram, CTS Press, and the Center for New
Church Development.

Because many pastors today find
themselves doing ministry across lines
of language, ethnicity, and race,
Columbia Seminary has created a
specialization to help them. With
those ministers in mind, Columbia's
new Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.)
specialization in cross-cultural minis-
tries has been developed to address
the urgency of living and ministering
in a culturally diverse and religiously
plural world. George Telford '58,
Columbia's director of advanced
studies and associate professor of
theology and culture, says, "Ministers
from all contexts are recognizing that
they must develop cross-cultural
ministries for the revitalization of the
church. That means that ministers are
going to need biblical, theological,
ethical, and missional models and
skills for dialogue across different
cultures."

Columbia's cross-cultural special-
ization is designed to equip ministers
with these skills and models. Begin-
ning with the fall semester '98,
students will examine the
ecclesiological models emerging
within cross-cultural ministries. This
specialization will have a four-
pronged approach: biblical, theologi-
cal, ethical, and missiological.

Carlos Cardoza-Orlandi, instruc-
tor in world Christianity and chair of
the committee for the cross-cultural
specialization, focuses on the history,
social location, culture, and religious
character of various ethnic communi-
ties. Cardoza says, "Given the
cultural transformations that the
world is experiencing and given the
fact that the world has come to the
U.S. in terms of ethnic and religious
diversity, any attempt to think about
the future of the church needs to have
a cross-cultural dimension in order to
be relevant."

Cardoza continues, "The assump-
tion that we have a choice of not
living in a cross-cultural situation can
have a blinding effect for the future of
the church. This D.Min. specialization
recognizes that in order to be
missional, we need to be cross-
cultural "

Marcia Riggs, associate professor
of Christian ethics, who has focused
much of her research, writing, and
teaching on the relationship between
oppression and socio-religious ethical
practice, is part of the faculty commit-
tee that developed the curriculum.
Riggs explains, "The old assumption

was that the dialogue was between
Christian and Buddhist, or Christian
and Jew, tor example. But within the
U.S., there are multiple Christian
cultures, and with these multiple
cultures, there is a great diversity of
interpretation of the gospel." Riggs
says one of the aims for the program
is "to gather the different cultures into
dialogical exchange about what it
means to be Christian in the twenty-
first century. I am excited about
Columbia's becoming known as a
place where cross-cultural study and
ministry is being done."

Kathleen O'Connor, professor of
Old Testament and part of the cross-
cultural specialization committee,
believes that cross-cultural ministry is
at the heart of the call to believers in
the next century. "This specialization
addresses the circumstances of U.S.
churches that are undergoing great
change with regard to their
congregants. Groups that have been
marginalized are a significant pres-
ence among believers. In the next
century, more mainline churches will
find themselves in cross-cultural
situations, and theological reflection
on the reality of our mixed cultural
worlds will allow conversation across
cultures. An underlying assumption
of this program is that we must re-
interpret the good news of the gospel
in light of our mixed cultural worlds."

She continues, "A cross-cultural
approach teaches mutual respect and
regard for diverse communities of
faith and different experiences of faith
within our own communities. It
teaches all of us to reflect theologically
on the significance of this diversity
and encourages us to learn how to
minister in these situations. Our own
perspectives grow and expand when
confronted by people who enter the
faith from different cultures and with
different languages. What might
seem to be confusion or chaos is
actually a rich set of treasures which
will help us better understand the
Spirit at work in our world."

Columbia's specialization seeks to
foster critical thinking and develop a
theology of cross-cultural understand-
ing that will inform and reform the
practice of ministry in the life of
congregations. The program aims to
equip ministers with biblical models
for interpreting local contexts and for
dialogue across cultures. Issues
considered include theological
sources, missiological and ethical
models for cross-cultural ministries,
and anthropological and social
theories for the interpretation of
religious and cultural diversity.

A highlight of the program is a
doctoral practicum which involves a
cross-cultural ministry exchange
among the participants. Ministers will
enter into a different cultural context

The committee for the cross-cultural specialization consists oj /<" nlhi members I arlos
Cardoza-Orlandi, chair and Kathleen O'Conno) {seated) andMarcia Riggsand
George Stroup (standing).

and spend six weeks doing cross
cultural ministry. Locations tor the
ministry exchanges will be deter-
mined by the composition of the
participant groups.

A continuing education introduc-
tory weekend, March 2-3, 1998, will
initiate participants into the theoi\ ot
cross-cultural ministry ^\n\ present
the issues, identifying what is .it stake
in cross-cultural ministry. This even!
is open to all who are interested in this
dynamic field ol inquiry ^mc\ praxis
For information on the event; see the
article on page 6.

For more information on the
cross-cultural specialization 01 Othei
D.Min. programs, call the Office of
Advanced Studies at 404/687-4534. D

Also under development by
Columbia's faculty arc plans foi
a Doctor of Ministry specializa-
tion in New Church I develop-
ment. Other D.Min. programs
include the general program
and specializations in Christian
Spirituality and in ( iospel and
Culture.

Doctor of Ministry calendar of events

March2-3 UNDERSTANDING YOUR NEIGHBOR DIFFERENT CULTURES ilNTBB n I , . . IN

. Lin o Cm R< ii Leaders: Carlos Cardoza-Orlandi, Kathleen C< onnoi

and Marcia Riggs. Cost: $7S. (See article on page 6.)

April 13-21 Cuba Sojourn

July 6-17 Session I Summer ScHooi

1 EvANc.ii. m ism in mi Un. no S. Ai.s taught by limothyFulop

2. Old Dan. a ft us Texts/ N. w D \ I '"> s taught by Walter Brueggemann

3. TBA - in pastoral care field

lulv 20-31 Session II Summi r Schooi

1. Mission oi me< hurchfof i-heTwi Fi i ry taught by Carlos

Cardoza-Orlandi , .

2. The Theology and Ministry oi mi Missionary Congregation taught by

Darrell Guder

September 14-16, October 12-14, November 9-11, December 7-9 [ntR0DU< n m

Core Seminar for Doctor of Ministry Sum

October 5-9 Introductory Seminar for GOSPBL and Culture Doctor of Ministry
Specialization

November 16-24 Introductory Sfm.nar for CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY Doc tOR< .1

Ministry Specialization

WINTER 1998

Continuing education
offers lifelong learning

Understanding your neighbor

\\n\i is mi church's mission m a time
when it no longer holds the attenti< m
of the culture-" \\ hal are strategies for
being a faithful church in the midst ol
change? How do we understand
ourselves to be the church and so be
faithful in our leadership 1 I hese are
some of the questions and concerns
that underlie the offerings and pro-
grams Of the Office Of Continuing
Education as it works to strengthen
and support the diverse ministries of
the church.

Often, continuing education has
been conceptualized as retooling or
adding courses not taken in seminar)
This assumes the basic foundation for
one's ministry was completed in
seminary. As the culture in which the
church exists undergoes profound
changes, as does our understanding of
human process and development,
continuing education is shifting from
luxury status to being an integral part
of one's continuing ministr) It is not
possible to gather all the know ledge,
skills, and spiritual resources for a
lifetime of ministry in three years;
rather, continuing education is an
ongoing process.

Continuing education at Colum-
bia is working to build a program to
support persons in ministry, thereby
providing resources to the church for
its work in the world. Three empha-
ses are being built into the existing
program, which is rooted in the classic
traditions. Every other fall, Columbia
will offer a clergy assessment work-
shop to assist pastors, educators, and
church professionals to take stock of
their ministry, assessing what their
goals, hopes, and dreams .ire tor
themselves and their place of minis-

assessing their strengths and
weaknesses, and taking intentional
steps to build their ministry skills.

The second area of emphasis is to

assist pastors at the transitions in their
lil, long ministry. The current focus is
on tin- first five years of ministr)
where the greatest stress occurs
I iiiiire workshops will locus on the
later transitions m ministry, the
maturation, mid-career, and pre-
retirement stage's

I oy the first five years of ministry,
a series has been developed to assist
pastors at three critical |unctures.
They are the initial entry into a
congregation from seminary, 18
months mto the ministry, and at three
years when a person is making critical
decisions. These transitions are
natural in the life cycle oi a ministry,
and the workshops will help persons
know what they can expect and give
them tools for the transitions. Dates
for these three workshops are listed in
the calendar.

The third area of emphasis is
leadership, which is an art and a skill.
The goal oi the leadership initiative is
two fold: to educate pastors about the
changes in the culture and to address
these issues through the lens of
leadership. Programs in this area will
focus on skill development, under-
standing the dynamics of leadership,
spiritual formation, and congrega-
tional theory.

Columbia's continuing education
program is designed to look at the
entirety of a person's ministi \ ^nd its
complexities. The program is
grounded in the belief that sound
theology, historical background, and
biblical insight undergird the practice
of ministry and should be part of the
daily exercise of ministry. Workshops
and seminars build on the strong
academic foundations laid in semi-
nary and support pastors, educators,
chaplains, and other church profes-
sionals as they seek to serve God. D

1 1 ii title of the workshop, "Under-
standing \ our Neighbor: Different
Cultures Intersecting in the I ife of the
Church." might lead one to think the
workshop is primarily for people who
live in large cities or urban areas, but
this is not so. This workshop is
designed to help participants under-
stand that in any town, suburb, or
, itv. a variety of cultures come
together. This intersection of cultures
is integral to the environment in
which the church does mission and
..tiers ministrj

In this March 2-3 workshop,
Participants will explore how the

intersection of cultures occurs in one's
local setting and engage in biblical
and ethical reflection that can provide
insights for doing cross-cultural
ministry and mission.

Workshop leaders come from
Columbia's faculty: Carlos Cardoza-
Orlandi, instructor in world Christian
ity; Kathleen O'Connor, professor of
Old Testament: and Marcia Riggs,
associate professor of Christian ethics
Cost is $75.

For more information, contact the
Office of Continuing Education, 404/
687-4562. D

Cecil Murphey, left, and Roy Oswald led publishing and self-assessment workshops,

respectively, which were very well attended. Both will return to Columbia this fall to
lead workshops, this time in writing and visioning for the long pastorate.

Continuing education calendar

February 10 Certification FOR Administrative Personnel Leaders: Carlos
Cardoza-Orlandi and Stoncil Boyette. Cost: $40.

March 2-3 Understanding Your Neighbor: Different Cultures Intersecting inthj
Lifeoi mi Church See article above.

March 5 Looking at Genesis An evening with Walter Brucggcmann and Elaine
Pagels at Columbia. Cost: $15.

March 28 Women's Leadership: The Conflict Between Private and Public Life
Leaders: Maggie Harney and Rebecca Parker. Cost $25.

April 13-21 Cuba Sojourn

April 19-24 Contemplative Retreat for Men Monastery of the Holy Spirit.
Conyers, Georgia. Facilitator: David Guthrie. Cost: $210.

April 19-23 Contemplative Retreat for Women Benedictine Spirituality Center,
Cullman, Alabama. Facilitator: Charlotte Keller. Cost: $225.

May 4-7 Revisiting Your Call After Three Years in Ministry Leaders: Training
and Survival Skills Training Experience (TAS : TE). Cost: $160.

July 6-10 Summer Session

July 13-17 Summer Session

September 10-12 Skii ls for Youth Ministry: Building Creative Collecial
Communities Learn basic skills for youth ministry, explore the needs of youth,
and develop strategies to meet those needs. Leaders: Aimee and Bill Buchanan
and Jodi Martin. Cost: $100.

September 26 Womi n's Li \dership: Shaping the Places Where We Live This
workshop will help women to address both their public and private responsi-
bilities for leadership. Panel of speakers. Cost: $50.

October 5-6 Writing for Publication A look at writing skills as well as publica-
tion. Leader: Cecil Murphey. Cost: $85.

October 21-23 New Visions for the Lonc Pastorate Designed to examine
ministry and congregational dynamics during a pastorate of seven or more
years and to look at the five critical areas for attention if long pastorates are to
thrive. Leader: Roy Oswald. Cost: $225.

November 9-12 When The Honeymoon Is Over: Eighteen Months into Congre-
gational Ministry Designed to help ministers assess what is happening in their
congregations and to themselves as they develop their styles of ministry.
Leaders: TAS-TE. Cost: $150.

December 4 Advent Retreat Liturgically, advent is a season for waiting and
reflection, but often pastors and church folk are so busy preparing for others,
they find little time for their own preparation. This workshop offers rime for
clergy and lay persons to dwell in advent time. Cost: $30.

December 10-12 Campls Ministry Designed to provide resources, fellowship,
and guidance to persons in campus ministry. Cost: $100.

VANTAGE

Photos highlight offerings from the Lay Institute Winter Lay

. School offerings

Poet Delisa Mulkey read at the
Arts Week festival, sponsored by the
Lav Institute of Faith and Life.
Mulkey, literary editor for the Atlanta
Review, was a finalist in the competi-
tion for this year's Pablo Neruda Prize
for poetry and recipient of a Ruth
Lilly Fellowship from Poetry maga-
zine. The fellowship carries with it a
stipend of $15,000. Also reading at
the Tuesday evening event were
Maudelle Driskell, and Rick Dietrich,
director of the Lay Institute.

In addition, the ArtsWeek cel-
ebration featured gallery talks by
artists featured in the juried exhibi-
tion, "Faith and Doubt," an evening
of jazz, and workshops in "Art and
Social Justice," "Art and The Spiritual
Life," "Liturgical Dance," and other
hands-on topics.

David Fraley's A Cross for William Blake was first-prize winner at the exhibition,
"Faith and Doubt." Fraley, whose work has been displayed in I enues as
different as Atlanta's Hartsf.eld Airport and the Children s Hospital C hapelin
Cincinnati, has long been interested in religious subjects. Other winners >m the
exhibition included Victor Balaban, Cara Mont-Clan e. and 1 eolaScott I he
exhibition ran from November 1 - December 15 at Co umbia and featured the
u ork of 21 artists. The Lav [hstitute sponsored the exhibition as a wav Oi
bringing fine visual art to the seminary and of recognizing that many artists
work as "lav theologians," struggling with issues of life and faith.

Associate Director of the Library and Reference Librarian Clay Hule (MATS
TOt only knows his reference; he plays a mean set of drums. Hulet joined
with Emory faculty-member Dwight Andrews on tenor and "?*
bassist George Crier, and pianist Richard Drexler for an evening of J*
Columbia Presbyterian Church I he event was another part of the ArtsWeek
celebration sponsored by the Lay Institute.

Also part of the exhibition was Tom
Fergusons "Holy Water." "Let go the
limb, boy!" the balloon reads "That's
holy water " Ferguson's political
cartoons will be exhibited in the
Harrington Center in April. ^^^

Lav Institute of Faith and Life spring calendar

J . ~ ^ MB April 16, 23, 30, May 7 Po\

March 3, 10, 17, 24 A Grown-Up Look
at Childhood Stories Leaders:
Kathleen O'Connor, Will Coleman,
Ann Clay Adams, Stan Saunders. At
McDonough Presbyterian Church,

WINTER 1998

McDonough, Georgia. Cost: $45.

March 13-14 COMMISSIONED La\ Pastor
Training Leader: Richard Dietrich.

April 16, 23, 30, May 7 POWI

Promise, Potential: Engaging mi Hoi -

Si'iuii Leader Robert H. Ramev, Jr. At
Roswell Presbyterian Church,
Rosvvell, Georgia. Cost: $45.

| | (.mi mbia's Winter Lay

School will offei opportunities to find
treasures in I lebrews w restle w ith the
plight ol the chur< h challenge one's
v iews about "fringe religions oi
learn from the< >ld restament proph-
ets Amos and l loses

I Laj ton * ro) v isiting assistant
professoi ol New restament will
uncovei I reasures in the I ettei to the
i lebrews I lebrews ma) be one ol
the least understood books ,t ilu' New
restament says ( roj Still this

book can be a magnificent 1 'I' I" l')i l1 '

and perseverance rhisclass will
explore the book s man) comparisons
to Jesus, it^ useol theOld restament,
an< j its methods ol encouraging and
exhorting its readers

c olumbia's professoi ol ministry,
( ameron Murchison, will Lead an

iminationol the i urrent circum-
stances >'l llir I hurch m North
Vmerii a in a i ourse whi h asks,
i >eath oi the Church oi Hope foi

i ransformation We will takea

close look at the health or decline ol
individual congregations and the
church/' Murchison says "We will
talk with participants about the kinds
1 1 ongregations from win. h the)
, ome and look .it possibilities fbra
more livel) and faithful chur< h in

those settings,"

Partw ipants are Irw ited to learn
what prompts new religious move
ments to spring up in Vmerit i and

W hat mainline chur< lies can learn

from them in a course > ailed i he
Religious Fringe in America taught
i n rimoth) i ulop, assist. nit dean ol
i, ultv .)\\d .i scholar in American
religion. "Religious experimentation
and innovation have been part "i il>'
American culture from itsbeginning
Fulop Bays rhe contemporar)
religious experiments which have
captured the publii imagination most

are those that have re lulled m trag-

such .^ [onestown, Waco oi

H t '.., >!' We will examine

u hether our opinions ol those groups

5nou ld coloi how we look at .ill new

nus movements," said I lllop
A morning course, taught by
Professoi I merirus Ludwig Dewitz,
i , .,, and i ove in Amos and Hosi
will examine what these two less
familiar prophets can teai li about fear
m ,l ^ve m on.-, relationship with

God The phrase, 'We shall learC.od
and love Him,' appears 10 times about
the Ten Commandments in Martin
Luther's catechism/' says Dewitz
"Amos and Hosea have much to sa)

about tear and love as they affect the

experience of God's people."
All but one of the Winter I a)

School classes meet on Monday
evenings, February 2, 9, 16, and 23

from 7.30-9.30 p.m. "Fear and Love in
Amos and I I- < ' meets on lhurs-
day mornings, February 5, 12, 19, and
26 'from 10:00-11 30 a m For more
information or to register, contact the
Lay Institute at 404/687-4577. U

Columbia offers non-degree Certificate in Spiritual Formation

Coli mm a Seminary is offering a non-
degree program winch responds to
the growing interest in Christian
spirituality.

This program is designed lor
ministers and committed l.u leaders
who desire to learn more about the
long spiritual tradition of the church,
to deepen their own faith, and to
prepare themselves to help others on
their spiritual journeys.

Many people today are making
serious inquiry into the nature;
practice, and significance of a life in
the Spirit of Christ. At Columbia,
more than 400 people have taken at
least one course in the certificate
program.

Program Leadership

Ben C. Johnson, professor of
Christian spirituality at Columbia,
envisioned and initiated the Certifi-
cate in Spiritual Formation. The Rev.
Julie A. [ohnson has ottered her
creative development of the certificate
since the program's inception two
years ago. A graduate of Princeton
Seminary- and a candidate in the
D.Min. program at Columbia, she
works with participants and course

Julie A Johnson, associate dim tor of the
spirituality program

instructors to provide leadership and
counsel.

Components of the Program

The Certificate in Spiritual Forma-
tion has four major components: an
Immersion Week, six elective courses,
a practicum, and a spiritual pilgrim-
age.

The certificate program currently
includes a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Plans are also underway to offer a
pilgrimage to Iona, Scotland

Web addresses:

www.CTSnet.edu, and then click on
the spirituality page; or
http://members.aol.com/sptyprog.

Upcoming Courses

January 25-30
Sabbath Rett
The Rev. Don Postema
Daytona Beach, FL

February 8-13
Prayer in Many Forms
Dr. Greta Reed
Detroit, MI

February 15-20 (closed)
Immersion Week
Columbia Faculty and Staff
Columbia Seminary

February 22-27 (closed) and
March 1-8

Personality and Spirituality
Dr. John Kloepfer
Columbia Seminary

March 15-20

The Holy Spirit and the Christian Life

Dr. George Stroup

Columbia Seminary

May 10-15

m Spiritual Direction
St. Rose Mary Dougherty
Columbia Seminary

May 17-22
Reformed Spirituality
The Rev. Don Postema
Williamsburg, VA

May 31-June5

Literature and Practice of Spiritual

Direction

Dr. John Kloepfer

Almont, MI

June 7-12

Teaching Spiritual Formation
Dr. E. Stanley Ott III
Columbia Seminary

Occasional students are welcome.
To inquire or register: fax: 404/687-
4591; phone: 404/687-4587; E-mail:
sptyprog@aol.com.

CTS Press presents new resources

New from Ben Johns. >\

for the whole church

CTS Press, a publishing arm of Colum-
bia Seminary/ is committed to produc-
ing dynamic, effective* and reasonably
priced materials suitable for every size
congregation.

I o order these resources, write CTS
Press, P.O. Box 520, Decatur, GA 30031.
Telephone 404/289-8952; fax 404/289-
1267; E-mail: ctspress@aol.com.

Prices listed do not include shipp
handling. All prices subject to change
without notice

Songs in the
Night: A Witness
to God's Love in
Life and in Death
by Lucy Rose

Lucy Rose was the beloved and
respected associate professor of preach-
ing and worship at Columbia. Before
her untimely death from cancer in 1997,
she kept a journal in which she recorded
her experiences and her struggles.

With refreshing honesty she deals
with her guilt, her doubts, and her pain,
but in a very real sense she deals more
with God than with her disease. Her
honesty and vulnerability lead to deep
insights into a loving God, human
suffering, and faithfulness and, underly-
ing it all, her overwhelming desire to
live and die for the glory of God. $9.95

Calming the Restless Spirit: A Journey
Toward God

"Do you know God? Or do you |iist
know about God?" That key question
informs this simply written, accessible
look at the "raw, human experience of
encountering God," says the author.

Written for searchers, for those wh( i
call themselves spiritual but not reli-
gious, and for those who are not even
pari of organized religion, Calming the
Restless Spirit guides the reader into a
relationship with God, then moves
beyond discovery to four crucial life-
transforming commitments. $9.95

Listening for God: Spiritual
Directives for Searching Christians

Believing that the Spiritual Exert ises
of St. Ignatius Loyola can be valuable
for Protestants as well as Catholics,
Professor Johnson has reworked them
into a helpful guide for all who hunger
for ways to listen to God's voice.

Ideal for retreats and for personal
use, the book contains 30 "directives"
that are meant to be done slowly,
enlivened bv prayer, meditation, and
journaling. A powerful resource for
praver group and retreat leaders,
spiritual directors, and individuals
seeking a more intensive spiritual
journey. $7.95

Ben Campbell Johnson is professor of
Christian spirituality at Columbia.

A NEW BOOK FOR LAITY FROM WlLLIAM

C. Martin

Tlie Way of the Word: Contemplative
Reflections on the Gospels

William Martin's first book, The Art
ofPastoring Contemplative Reflections,
generated such enthusiastic response
from clergy that he wanted to expand
his thoughts and write for lay persons
as well.

In The Way of the Word he offers 52
insightful, thought-provoking medita-
tions based on Scripture passages, and
followed by a reflection and a breath
prayer.

These meditations provide an
antidote to the often staid, impersonal
approach readers take to the Scriptures.
The Way of the Word encourages readers
to embark on a new journey with the
living Word of God. $9.95

Also available

The Art of Pastoring: Contemplative

Reflections

These 81 pungent reflections help
pastors rediscover God's grace in the
midst of spiritual gridlock, burnout, and
the incessant demands of pastoral
responsibilitii is

Written by a pastor to pastors, these
brief but potent selections will help
every Christian clergyperson re-
establish and maintain God-centered
priorities. $7.95

William C. Martin is an ordained
minister in private prat tice as a pastoral
counselor, spiritual director, and retreat

leader.

Leading a congregation in chang-
ing TIMES

1) Signs of the Times Eight-part
series examines icons of contemporary
American culture in 30-minute video
sessions: television, car, gun, game,
mall, body, and computer. $79 for two
two-hour videos and viewer's guide.

2) Growing Church Leaders Robert
Ramey.

Practical helps for developing lay
leaders in a changing age. $7.95

3) 95 Theses for the Church Ben

Johnson.

Summarizes the state of the church,
the context of ministry, seminaries,
pastors, and the denomination in
today's culture in 95 terse statements.

$8.95

4) New Day/New Church Ben
Johnson.

Guidebook for pastors and lay
leaders. Defines setting for ministry
today and offers practical suggestions
for evangelism. $11.95

5) Gathering the Church in the
Spirit

Walter Brueggemann explores eight
texts on the Spirit that guide the church
in changing times. Book $5; one-hour
video $30.

(Order all five resources for $99.99.)

VANTAGE

Columbia planning for new
church development "boom

//

In a recent article in Presbyterians
Today, the anticipated dramatic
growth in new church development
(NCD) is described as "a renaissance,"
and "a Pentecost experience."

Stanley H. Wood, director of
Columbia's Center for New Church
Development, says the last time the
Presbyterian Church (USA) experi-
enced growth in membership was the
late 1950s. More recently, the spark
that has gradually turned into a flame
of new church development in the
Presbyterian Church was fanned by
Helen and the late Sam Walton five
years ago when they established a
three million dollar endowment to
recognize and reward creative new
church developments in the denomi-
nation. The interest on that endow-
ment is given to outstanding new
church developments each year.
The number of new church
developments in the PC(USA) per
year is between 25 and 45. While the
boom has not yet happened, the
denomination is planning for it. The
mission plan goal is 150 new church
developments per year by 2007.
Columbia's Center for New
Church Development is participating
in the strategic planning for NCD
growth and providing leadership in a
number of ways. Included are a
research project in NCD funded by
Lilly Endowment, Inc.; annual
conferences for NCD organizing
pastors; working with search commit-
tees in profiling and selecting NCD
pastors; and proposing a doctor of
ministry program specialization in
NCD.

Why should Columbia engage the
theme of new church development?
According to Columbia's faculty
committee for the Center for New
Church Development, "the basic
reason is missiological and theologi-
cal. A commitment to a theology of
Missio Dei (the mission of God) makes
this endeavor necessary. . The
formation of new faith communities is
one essential aspect of that mission."

The faculty committee, which
includes Chair Darrell Guder, Stan
Wood, Cameron Murchison, Carlos
Cardoza-Orlandi, Ben Johnson, and
Dean of Faculty James Hudnut-
Beumler, has written about the
mission of God as it relates to new
church development:

The mission of God is the
healing of creation. For that
healing purpose, God calls,
gathers, and sends forth a
community of hope, witness,
and service. Jesus' life, death,
resurrection, and ascension are
the events in which God's saving
intention for the world is both
accomplished and universalized:
"As my Father has sent me, so I
send you." Thus, the mission
('sending') of God is shaped by
the biblical witness to Jesus as he

prepared his disciples for their
witness. To be obedient to theil
calling, these communities must
understand themselves as
missional, as 'sent.'

The facts of new church
development and the rapid
changes in our culture raise hard
questions. How do we discern
the presence of God's Spirit in a
particular place and respond
with the decision to form a
missional community there?
How do we go about NCD in
ways that are ecumenically
responsible and sensitive? How
shall we define and identify the
particular gifts for missionary
leadership that will characterize
the NCD pastor in our changing
context? How do we form new
churches in ways that. . . incar-
nate the gospel of God's love in
Jesus Christ? What are the
distinctive characteristics of a
new congregation explicitly
shaped by the Reformed tradi-
tion?

With the formation of the
Center for New Church Devel-
opment, Columbia has the
opportunity to draw on rich
resources already available in
our church: the many experi-
enced NCD pastors and the
growing number of NCD
congregations. We must inter-
pret what has been happening in
our society at large and in these
new congregations. . . . Also, we
must engage the experience of
cultural minorities as they form
mission communities in this
country.

What we face in the forma-
tion of the Center for New
Church Development is this
challenge: How will we become
a missional church in a changing
society without compromising
the Gospel itself?. . . .How can
we go about new church devel-
opment in ways that will renew
and revive existing congrega-
tions and assist in the re-orienta-
tion of our national church to its
missionary vocation under the
Mission of God?

from "The Case for a
Disciplined Theological Approach to
New Church Development," Colum-
bia Theological Seminary

These directions and questions are
forming the work of Columbia's
program.

For more information, contact the
Center for New Church Development
at 404/687-4585.

Participants visited Macland Presbyterian Church, <i newchurch development m
Powdei Springs, >rhcrc they talked with (back row, l 1 1 Ray ]ones '84 (DMin '92),
pastor, John Wells '96 and Wayne Thornton, associate pastors (front row I 1 1 Tanya
Alley and Jonnie Sheehan, deacons; Judy Jones, mush director I arol Thellen adminis
trative assistant; and Marion ><<>/( . elder and head </ missions (not pu tured)

Columbia hosts conference for
potential NCD organizing pastors

Columbia's Ci nu k pop New Church
i >< <\ elopment and the PC(USA) 's
General Assembly Evangelism and
Church Development Program area
co-sponsored at Columbia the second
annual Training Conference for
Potential Organizing Pastors of New
Church Developments. The Septem-
ber conference's primary purpose was
to provide an opportunity lor discern-
ment of call for pastors exploring new
church development ministry The
secondary purpose was to pro\ ide i
learning situation for those pastors
who are in their first six months of a
call to a new church development
(NCD).

Twenty-nine participants learned
from three NCD mentor pastors Brian
Clark, Riverside church, sterling.
Virginia; Mike Fit/e, Providence
church, Greenville, South Carolina,
and Kay Huggins, Rio Rancho church,
Rio Rancho, New Mexico In addi-

tion, Columbia fa< ultj presenters and
student presentei [amieGabler
rounded out tin- teaching team

I opii s presented in' ( lolumbia
faculty members included forming

mission i ommumties, pastoral
leadership in new I h.UT< li de\ <lop-
m.nts, and the convictions, COnversa

dons, ^^ contexts oi founding
churches I >ire< t<" Stan Wood offered
guidelines tor the effe< tive growing of

new . hun lies, the profile ol .ill

organizing pastor and discussed faith

sharing with the uiu hurched.

( i inferem e pai ii> ipants ><

Sponded with the following com-
ments:

i he i out. nn. e was grounded in
prayei and worship It was a le.irning
and -('ii itii.ii journe) fi >i me

"We leave tin onfereni with a
real sense ot ex< itemenl as we i on-

tmue in prayer for the PC(US \> and

these gitted participants/'

NCD organizing pastor profile

Ii is ESTIMATED that less than tour
percent of ministers in the PC'(USA)
have the spiritual gitts, personal
Characteristics, ^i\ training to be
effective new church development
pastors. Thus, in considering a
potential minister tor a new church
development, the organizing pastor
call i ommirtee must become familial

with the profile ol an organi/ing
pastor and the chara< teristu s which
are essential in this specialized form
of ministry.

I he following list ot 'characteris-
tics has been developed from the
experience ot effe tive new church
development organi/ing pastors
within the PC(USA).

A strong, vibrant commitment
to Christ.

Enthusiastic commitment to the
Reformed tradition and the
PC(USA).

Proven evangelism skills and
excitement about church growth.

Initially, much of the organizing
pastor's ministrj i enters on e\ an
lism among the unchurched. As tin
new . Inn. Ii development grows, more

of the pastor's time is spent in training
,\ul\ supporting Others who will do
evangelism ministry with the organiz-
ing pastor.

An excellent preacher and
worship leader, with a pastor's heart.

A self-starter who can deal with
loneliness and frustration.

An initiator and organizer more
than an operator. An initiator starts
groups from scratch, an organizer
brings organization out ol a jumble "t
parts, an operator keeps an orgam/a-

tion going.

If married, has spousal coopera-
tion and support.

A good match for the culture and
language of the NCD ministry area.

Has faith and vision for a new
church development. D

WINTER 1998

For the Record

If you have recent news you would like to contribute to this section,
please send it to the editor.

Darrell Guder, professor of evange-
lism and church growth, met with the
( ;eneral Assembly Spe< ial C ommittee

on the Relationship Between ( .roups
and the Church and led the annual
consultation of the Gospel and Our
Culture Network in Chicago. He
preached at South Highland church,
Birmingham, AL, and led a leadership
retreat and preached at First church,
Norfolk, VA. Guder represented the
American Society of Missiology at the
annual meeting of the Council of
Societies for the Study of Religion, St.
Louis, and participated in the Mission
c , inference of the PC(USA), also in St.
Louis. He taught a series on "God's
People Reaching Out" at Westminster
church, Snellville, GA, and led a
workshop on evangelistic ministry for
the Roswell, GA, church. Guder is
secretary-treasurer of the American
Society of Missiology, which has
moved its office to the Columbia
campus Evan Campbell '93 is
pastor of the Union church, Blasdell,

NY Shane Owens '80 (DMin '94) is

pastor of the Covenant church,
Gainesville, FL Ernestine Cole,
associate dean of students, partici-
pated in the Long-Range Planning
Team meeting of PC(USA) in Daytona
Beach, FL, and met with the Princeton
Seminary Health Ministries Planning
Team for their spring Health Fair. She
preached at the Interdenominational
Theological Seminary and at South-
west church, Atlanta. Cole partici-
pated in the Presbyterian Health
Network Leadership Team meeting in
Indianapolis and attended the annual
convention of the American Public
Health Association meeting, also in
Indianapolis.

Kathleen O'Connor, professor of
Old Testament, addressed the North
Carolina Baptist Professors of Religion
at Gardner-Webb University on the
book of Lamentations and spoke to
Atlanta Presbyterian Clergy Women
on Lamentations and Ministry. She
was theologian-on-line twice for
Luminet, a weekly on-line chat room
for preachers which helps them
prepare sermons. Her texts were
Hannahs Song and Job's reply to God

in the storm Todd Speed '93 is

pastor of First church, York,

SC Will Ormond '43, professor

emeritus, preached at the Gum Creek,
church, Oxford, GA, and at North
Avenue church, Atlanta, for the
installation of Scott Weimer (DMin
'91 ) as pastor. Ormond taught
Sunday school at First church, At-
lanta. CSS Publishing Company has
published a collection of 10 sermons
written by Ormond on the gospel
lectionary texts for Pentecost III for
Cycle C, 1998, called Good News

Among the Rubble Jane Harris,

facilities coordinator, and Linda Sabo,
registrar, were co-chairs of the 1997

Tour of Homes in Decatur, which was
one of the most successful tours in the
city's history. All proceeds benefit the
I >ei .ilur Youth Fund. Harris has been
named a I lometown Hero by the City

of Decatur Jim Cook '97 is youth

director at First church, Grand Haven,

MI Ben Johnson, professor of

Christian spirituality, spoke and led
workshops at fall presbytery meetings
for Memphis, South Louisiana,
Denver, Santa Barbara, and Philadel-
phia presbyteries. He has preached at
Second church, Knoxville; John Knox
church. Marietta, GA; First churches,
Greenville, KY, Bellevue, WA, and
San Antonio, TX; and the Madison,

NJ, church Rick Dietrich, director

of the Lay Institute of Faith and Life,
taught in Peachtree church's Tuesday
Nights Series and preached at Inde-
pendent church, Birmingham.

Louly Hay '96 is associate pastor

at the Conyers, GA, church Lucy

Scofield Bowerman '95 has been
ordained as an evangelist and is
preaching, teaching, and leading
retreats. Husband David Bowerman
'92 is chaplain at the 3-27 Field
Artillery Regiment of the 18th Air-
borne Corps at Ft. Bragg, NC Stan

Wood, director of the Center for New
Church Development, attended the
Smaller Membership Church Growth
Seminar and the Presbytery Consult-
ants Training and Demographics
Workshop for medium-size churches

BIRTHS

To Walter Dinkins '88 and Marilyn, a
daughter, Nikki Marie, Sept. 23, 1996.
To Glenn '91 and Kathy Gilstrap, a
son, Robert Stanton, Mar. 21, 1997.
To David '92and Lucy Scofield
Bowerman '95, a daughter, Alexa Lee,
Dec. 6, 1996.

To Paul '93 and Sarah Lang, a son,
Benjamin Hollingworth, May 17, 1997,
To Walt '93 and Jody Tennyson, a
daughter, Olivia Grace, July 22, 1997.
To Stephen '95 and Melissa Ratliff, a
, Jacob Christopher, July 9, 1997.
To Pablo (DMin '95) and Glorimar
Jimenez, former staff associate in the
Office of Development, a daughter,
Paola Margarita, July 24, 1997.

DEATHS

Francis B. Benton '41, Dec. 10, 1997.

Cliff H. McLeod '41, Nov. 1, 1997.

H. Paul Currie '54, July 14, 1997.

James W. Kershaw '61, May 11, 1997.

Charles W. Owens (DMin '85), Oct. 4,

1997.

Young Sun Yu (ThM '95), Sept. 28,

1997.

Jessie Graham, Oct. 2, 1997. Mr.

Graham was a member of Columbia's

buildings and grounds staff for 25

years. He retired in 1988.

for Southern Kansas Presbytery and
preached at First church, Hutchinson,
KS, and at Bethel church, Wichita, KS.
He was part of a new church develop-
ment consultation for Western Colo-
rado Presbytery and met with Lilly
grant research staff from mainline
denominations involved in "New
Church Development for the Twenty-
First Century" at the Society for the
Scientific Study of Religion in San
Diego. He has led demographics
seminars and workshops for Pueblo
and Missouri Union presbyteries and
preached at the Snowmass, CO,

Chapel.

Clark Simmons, former director
ot capital campaigns and church
relations at Columbia, is now a
regional representative for the Board

of Pensions, PC(USA) Wade Huie

'46, professor emeritus, led a Doctor of
Ministry class at Columbia and led
services of renewal at Lees-McRae
College and First church, Banner Elk,
NC. He has preached and taught at
First churches in Stockton, AL,
Milledgeville, GA, and Nashville, TN;
Trinity churches in Atlanta and
Satellite Beach, FL; First Baptist
Church, Eastman, GA; Columbia
church, Decatur; Pleasant Hill church,
Statham, GA; Church of the New

Covenant, Doraville Ron Cram,

associate professor of Christian
education, organized and taught a
nine-week series on inter-religious
dialogue for the Sunday adult class at
Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Atlanta.
Two CD ROM's on which he was on
the editorial board have been pub-
lished: "Daniel in the Lion's Den" and
"The Story of Creation." A chapter he
co-authored, "Curriculum and
Multicultural Education," in the book,
Multicultural Religious Education, has
been published. He presented a paper,
"Memory and Metaphor," at the
Association of Professors and Re-
searchers in Religious Education in
Oakland, CA, spoke on "The Child
Poet: The Poetry of Children as
Prophetic Text," and co-led an interest
group on "Children's Developing
Images of God." With the support of
the Spirituality Program at Columbia,
he continues to conduct research on
the relationship of adolescents and
faith. Cram participated in the
consultation for the Senior Adult
Ministries Committee of the
Presbytery of Greater Atlanta and was
officially delegated as an extraordi-
nary minister of the Holy Eucharist in
the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Marcia Riggs, associate professor
of Christian ethics, was keynote
speaker for a symposium, "Incarnat-
ing Justice: Anna's Unfinished Busi-
ness," at Boston University School of
Theology, preached at Spelman
College, and participated in an
Association of Theological Schools

consultation on leadership Walter

Brueggemann, professor of Old
Testament, preached at Plymouth
Congregational church, Seattle;
Covenant church, Atlanta; First
church, Asheville, NC; and North
Decatur, GA, church. He gave the
Laidlaw Lectures at Knox College,

Toronto, and led a clergy seminar at
Wake Forest University and clergy
conference at Second church, Chatta-
nooga. Brueggemann participated in
a consultation on eschatology at the
Center of Theological Inquiry,
Princeton, and a consultation of the
Association of Theological Schools,
Berkeley- His Theology of the Old
Testament: Testimony. Dispute, Advo-
cacy has been published by Fortress
Press and Cadences of Home: Preaching
Among Exiles by Westminster /John
Knox Press. His articles have ap-
peared in Journal of Stewardship and

Church and Society Grace Boyer '95

has been appointed to the chaplain's
staff at Centre College. She is continu-
ing to serve as associate pastor of the

Danville, KY, church Lisa Fulford

'96 is parish associate of pastoral care
at North Avenue church,

Atlanta Stephen Nelms '87 is a

counselor at the Roosevelt Warm
Springs Institute, Warm Springs,

GA Stacy Rector '96 is associate

pastor at Second church, Nashville,

TN Dan Sack, associate director of

the material History of American
Religion Project, gave a paper at the
American Academy of Religion
meeting in San Francisco on "On
Deciphering a Potluck: The Social
Meaning of Church Socials."

Charles Cousar '58, professor of
New Testament, taught a series of
church school classes during the fall in
several Atlanta churches: Decatur,
Trinity, and Northwest. He attended
the annual meeting of the Society of
Biblical Literature, where he is a
member of the steering committee of

the Pauline Epistles Section Judith

'92 and Aaron '92 Fulp-Eickstaedt are
co-pastors at the Concord church,

Statesville, NC John Wells '96 is

associate pastor for adult education
and evangelism at Macland church,

Powder Springs, GA Sarah Mark

'00 and David Parker were married
December 27 in Overland Park,

KS Carter Bearden '66 recently

retired as field consultant to the deaf
Continued on page 1 1

Vantage

Volume 89, No. 3, Winter 1998
Published quarterly by
Columbia Theological Seminary
Circulation: 25,000

The Office of Development/
Seminary Relations

Editor: Juliette Harper
Director of Publications
and Publicity

Postmaster: Send address

changes to Vantage

Columbia Theological Seminary

P.O. Box 520

Decatur, GA 30031-0520

VANTAGE

For the Record

con tin ued f rom page 10

for the Southern Baptist

Convention David Torrey '96 is

stated supply at the Helen, GA,
church Marvin Lindsay '94 is
pastor of John Calvin church,
Salisbury, NC Mary Katherine
Gregory '97 and Billy Robinson '97
were married December 6 in Quincy,

FL Glenn Gilstrap '91 is pastor of

Westminster church in Warner

Robbins, GA Courtney Wall '95 is

associate pastor of the Morrow, GA,

church Karen Estes '93 is associate

pastor of Raleigh church, Memphis,

TN Philip West (DMin '88) is pastor

of First church, Lebanon, TN Clay

Faulk '94 is pastor of First church,

Wharton, TX Tom Clymer '86 is

interim pastor of First church, Arkan-
sas City, KS Kathleen Davis '88 is

chaplain at Hartford Hospital, West

Hartford, CN Jon Faraone '88 is

pastor of First church, Mayfield,

KY Shirley Guthrie, professor

emeritus, taught and preached at

Santa Fe church, Edmond, OK; First
churches, Salisbury, NC, and Atlanta;
and Westminster church, Nashville,
TN. He led a family retreat for Trinity
church, Charlotte, NC, and a minis-
ters' retreat for East Tennessee
Presbytery.

Anne Graham-Johnson '89 is
pastor of Liberty church, Youngstown,

OH Martha Sexton '90 is pastor of

Kennedy Heights church, Cincinnati,

OH John Speering '83 is pastor of

Spring Hill church, Staunton,

VA Mary Jane Cornell '81 is pastor

of the Druid Hills church,

Atlanta James Rice '62 is pastor of

John Calvin church, Greenville,

SC Will Coleman '85, associate

professor of theology and hermeneu-
tics, preached at Oakhurst church,
Decatur, and gave a presentation on
"Race, Power, and Globalization" tor
the Association of Theological
Schools, Montreal. He gave a paper,
"African Americans in the Nine-
teenth-Century Trans-Atlantic Con-
text," at the American Studies Asso-
ciation, Washington, DC, and was

From the Bookstore

No. of
copies

New titles by Columbia faculty members:

Cadences of Home: Preaching anions Exiles
by Walter Brueggemann

Listening for God: Spiritual Directives
for Searching Christians
by Ben Campbell Johnson

Retail Columbia
price price

$15.95 $13.56
$ 7.95 $6.76

$25.00 $21.21

Many Voices, One God: Being Faithful
in a Pluralistic World.
In Honor of Shirley Guthrie
Ed. by Walter Brueggemann and
George W. Stroup.

Reflections by Walter Brueggemann, Brian H. Childs, Will Coleman,
Charles B. Cousar, Catherine Gunsalus Gonzalez, Douglas John Hall,
C. Benton Kline, Jr., Donald K. McKim, Daniel L. Migliore, Jurgen
Moltmann, Amy Plantinga Pauw, William C. Placher, Marcia Y. Riggs,
and George W. Stroup.

Total amount for books

Shipping and handling: orders under $20.00, add $4.50;
from $20.00 to $49.99, add $6.00; over $50.00, add $7.50.
All books shipped via United Parcel Service.

Georgia residents: add seven percent sales tax on books and
shipping

Total

interviewed on National Public Radio
on "What Does It Mean to Be an
American 7 " 1 lis chapter on
"Frederick Douglass as theologian
in Makers of Christian Theology m
{merit it has been published by
Abingdon.

Bob Henderson '54 had his fourth
book, A Diuu of Hope Spiritual Conflict

in Pastoral Ministry, published P.C.

Enniss '58 is theologian m residence

at Trinity church Atlanta Bill

Schotanus '53 has two articles in

Journal of the Medical Association o)

Georgia in the April '97 and January
'98 issues. After retiring from 1 1 mit\
church, Atlanta, and receiving a
certificate in gerontology from Geor-
gia State University, he has been
nu olved in senior adult rninistT)

around the Southeast James

Hudnut-Beumler. executive vice
president, dc^n ot fa( llltj . and asso* i
ate professor of religion and culture,
has taken on his most ditlu nil assign
mentyct: teaching a Sunday school
class of first graders I le preached at
Kelley church in McDonoUgh, CIA,
presented a response to tin' new book,
Missional Church, at the fall meeting ol
the C iospel ^no\ Our Culture Network,
chaired a panel on religious history of
the 1950s at the American Academy of
Religion, and gave a paper on "Myths
and Realities in the Financing ol
American Religion" at Indiana

University Ann Clay Adams,

director ol admissions, was keynote
and workshop leader tor Salem
Presbytery's Presbyterian Women's
Gathering

Julie Johnson, associate director
of the spirituality program, co-led the
first Spirituality Immersion Week at
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary,
which marked the beginning ol
Columbia's spirituality partnership
with Pittsburgh and San Fran. ISCO

Theologu al Seminary Timothy

Fulop, assistant dean of facultj
preached at Smyrna church, Conyers,
GA. He taught series on ( lultS and
Alternative Religions" at Decatur
church and on Amerii an Religious
History at First church, Atlanta I le
was interviewed on National Publii
Radio's "All Things Considered"
about the Promise Keepers meeting in

Washington, DC Pablo Jimenez

(DMin '95) is instructor in homiletii
at Episcopal Theological Seminary of

the Southwest in Austin Tim

Arnold '97 is associate pastor ol First

church, Carter i IU-. < ,A Wayne

Hoffman '62 has retired from the

chaplaincy after 35 years and received
the Distinguished Service Medal upon

Ins retirement Steve Mann '94 is

\ ice president tor media services at
Citibank in l ong Island City,
NY Carlos Cardoza-Orlandi,
instructor in world Christianity, was a
small group leader for the I iospel .\na\

t Nil Culture Network C onsultation on
"Missional Congregations'' in Chicago

and spoke at Presh\ terian < ollege on

" rhe New 1 .u e oi Christianity I he

Faith Beyond the West " I lis arti< le,

u. Be or Not to Be \ i Iispani(

I atino Scholar in a North Ameru an

Seminary," w .is printed in the w inter
issue ot [puntes i heologii >ti Reflet '/ens
from the / lispanit Margin

John McLean '90 is pi i i ol

'.., ond > huu h !A .i\ nesboro

VA David Gibbs '90 is asso< iate

minster tor youth ministT) it the

I aPorte, IV hur< l> kathy Dawson

'94 has receh ed a graduate fellowship

and is in the Ph I ) program ii

Pnn. eton Seminar) [ennifer Lee '96

is coordinate] ol Atlanta ( itizen

\,l\.u.u\ lm Charles Evans '78 is
interim pastor ol I irsl church

t Iberton i . \ loi tli.' pasl five \<mis,

he was a missionai J m
Uganda Molly Campbell Clark '96
is chaplain at Universitj ->i Alabama
in Birmingham I lospital Linda
Dickerson '88, pastor ol Buffalo
. lunch m Sanford, Nc , ,\no\ I louglas
Rathjen, a I utheran pastor, were
married Octobei '- Philip Gehman
'68 \ u president i*>i student life ^nd
dean of students/ served on the
leadership team <>i > * ommittee on
Preparation for Ministry leadership
conference, "Reformed ResponsibUi
ties and Reforming Realities/" al
Union PS< I i le participated in
leadership conference, "Journeying
[bgethei Spiritual Formation foi the
Process ol Preparation foi Ministry,"
at Zephyr Point NV, Confereni e
Center. Cameron Murchison,
professor of ministry, led a Steward

ship workshop tor Northeasl < leorgia
Presbytery, a retreat foi i hur< h
professionals in St. Augustine
Presbytery, three overnighl i ontinu-

ing education events foi ministers ot
St. Andrew. Presbyterj and >\n
officers retreat for Trinity Presbyterian

Church, Atlanta I le poached and led
a workshop i<n a vision statement for
Mount Vernon church, Atlanta,
preai hed at the Miii.<i;/,.\ ill.-, GA,

church, .ui.l . ontmues as a membei ol

the teaching team foi the Brotherhood
Class af Centra] church, Atlanta.

Method of payment (please check one):

check payable to CTS Bookstore (included with order)

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Please send this completed order form to: CTS Bookstore, P.O. Box 520,

Decatur, GA 30031. _^^^_^_^_

WINTER 1998

Alumni/ae Directory update

Harris Publishing Company will be mailing the Columbia Seminary Alumni/ae
Directory by mid-March to everyone who has purchased a copy. Although
Harris had hoped to release the directory in February, the company has taken
care to check the accuracy of the information to he m. lud.-d. ilus made it
necessary to extend the release date a few weeks. While it is too late to update
personal information, a limited number of the directories are still available tor
purchase by calling the Harris Customer Service Department at 800/877-6554.

Columbia Seminary will not receive any funds from the purchase of
directories.

Winter reading recommendations
from Columbia's faculty

Shall We Witness? Faithful Evangelism in a Reformat Tradition ed. by Milt, m
J. Coalter and Virgil Cruz
like a Free Planted An I tploration of Psalms and Parables through Metaphor by

Barbara Green
Theology Of the Old Testament Ic-timonv, Dilute. \d\ v, a, 1/ by Walter

Brueggemann

Multicultural Religious I ducation ed. by Barbara Wilkerson

How to Ben Perfect Stranger: A Guide to Etiquette in Other People s Religious

( eremonies ed by Arthur J. Magida
Forbidden Knowledge: 1 row Prometheus to Pornography by Roger Snattuck

( ollected Poems of Amy Clampitt
Reading in the Dark bv Seamus Dean

The Body in Pain: The Making and Unmaking of the World by Elaine Scarry
Listening fbi Cod Spiritual Directives fbi Searching Christians by Ben Campbell

lohnson ,

Believing in the I uture toward a Missiology of Western Culture by David Bosch
Write the \ ision: The Church Renewed by Wilbert R. Shenk
Why I ord ' Suffering and Evil in Black Theology by Anthony B. Pinn
/ iteration I heologies, Postmodernity t and the Americas ed. by David Batstone, et al.
The Missionary Movement in Christian History: Studies in the Transmission of Faith

by Andrew F. Walls
Women Encounter Cod Theology Across the Boundaries of Difference^ Linda A.

Moody
The Age of Reform (1250-1550 ): An Intellectual and Religious History of Late

Medieval and Reformation Europe by Steven E. Ozment
Practicing Our Faith: A Way of Life for a Searching People ed. by Dorothy Bass et al.
/ ived Religion in America: toward a History of Practice ed. by David O. Hall
Theological Issues in the 1 tilers of Paul by J. Louis Martyn
/ aithful Witnesses Mm/course, Participants Workbook and Leader's Guide: An

Evangelism Training Course for Presbyterians by Richard Stoll Armstrong
Conspiracy of Kindness A Refreshing New Approach to Sharing the I ove 0} Jesus with

Others by Steve Sjogren

Come See Columbia Day
Thursday, April 16, 1998

9:00 - Registration

10:00 - Worship, led by Martha Blount,
one of the first women to attend Columbia

11:00 - Meet the six CFC scholarship recipients

After lunch - Attend a seminary class

and
tour the campus

All Presbyterian Women are encouraged to attend.
For more information, call 404/687-4566.

Sponsored by the Columbia Friendship? Circle

10

Vantage

P.O. Box 520

Decatur, Georgia 30031

404/378-8821

CONTENTS

Colloquium '98 *

President Oldenburg endorsed as candidate 2

Q&A with candidate for moderator Oldenburg 2

Tribute to Shirley Guthrie 3

Guthrie Scholars Program announced 3

A faculty for the twenty-first century 4

Columbia seeking ministers' libraries 4

D.Min. Cross-Cultural Specialization 5

Continuing education offers lifelong learning 6

Lav Institute offers variety of courses 7

Certificate in Spiritual Formation, CTS Press 8

Center for New Church Development 9

For the Record 10

Faculty reading recommendations 12

Periodicals
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Publication No. 124160

COLUMBIA
THEOLOGICAL
SEMINARY