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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS & FEATURED MUSICIANS
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Dr. Diana Butler Bass
Diana Butler Bass holds a Ph.D. in American religious history from Duke University and is the author of critically acclaimed books on American religious practice including: Broken We Kneel: Reflections on Faith and Citizenship; Strength for the Journey: A Pilgrimage of Faith in Community (named one of the best religion books of 2002); and Christianity for the Rest of Us (Harper San Francisco, September 2006). Her best-selling book, The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church (Alban, 2004), has been lauded as one of the most important books on mainline Protestantism in the last two decades and has been featured in The Christian Century, Sojourners, and The Door. Although her work specializes in mainstream and liberal Protestantism, she also serves as a member of the national board of directors for Emergent Village (www.emergentvillage.com) and as an advisory board member of Synagogue 3000 (www.synagogue3000.org), a Jewish renewal organization. She is currently Senior Fellow at the Cathedral College of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. For more about Dr. Butler Bass, visit www.dianabutlerbass.com.
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The Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell
Dr. Campbell is truly a "first woman." From the Cleveland Council of Churches to the World Council of Churches to the National Council of Churches, she blazed a trail as the first ordained woman in executive leadership in many of our most revered ecumenical institutions. And today she is the first woman Director of Religion at the historic Chautauqua Institution, a 131-year old center for art, education, religion and recreation. Archbishop Desmond Tutu referred to her as "a woman of courage and compassion," and said, “Her voice helped to bring an end to the evil of apartheid." She worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and sought throughout her ministry to bring reconciliation and hope to people from South Africa to Serbia to South Florida and beyond. Dr. Campbell is an ordained minister with standing in the American Baptist Church and the Christian Church Disciples of Christ. For more about Dr. Campbell, visit: religion.ciweb.org/campbell.html
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Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño
Two years ago, Minerva Carcaño became the first Hispanic woman to be elected to the episcopacy of The United Methodist Church. A native of Edinburg, Texas, Bishop Carcaño spent her early years of life aspiring to make a difference in the lives of persons who faced poverty and discrimination. She has served congregations in Texas, New Mexico, and California and in 1986 she became the first Hispanic woman to be appointed a United Methodist district superintendent, serving in that capacity in West Texas and New Mexico and later in Portland, Oregon. Carcaño also was the director of the Mexican American Program at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. Not forgetting her roots and early hopes, her ministry has always involved work with the poor, with farm workers, immigrants, and refugees, even as she encourages congregations to work ecumenically and to be active in community organizing.
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Dr. Anthony (Tony) Campolo
Tony Campolo, professor emeritus of sociology at Eastern University in St. Davids, PA, is an ordained American Baptist minister frequently heard as a media commentator on religious, social and political matters. Founder and President of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE), Dr. Campolo’s passion is to create, nurture and support programs for “at-risk” children in cities across North America, a vision that has helped establish schools and universities in many third world countries as well. Author of over thirty books, the most recent of which are Speaking My Mind; The Church Enslaved: A Spirituality of Racial Reconciliation (co-authored with Michael Battle); Which Jesus? Choosing Between Love and Power; and Revolution and Renewal: How Churches Are Saving Our Cities. For more information about Dr. Campolo, visit the EAPE web site at www.tonycampolo.org.
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The Rev. Dr. William Sloan Coffin, Jr.
Senior Minister at The Riverside Church from 1977 to 1987, William Sloan Coffin, Jr. was a beacon for Christian leadership during some of the most turbulent times of the country’s history. At the inaugural Fosdick Convocation in 1978, Coffin’s first address was on a subject near to him throughout his ministry – The Challenge of Disarmament to the Churches. “The only framework that makes any sense,” he said at that dinner meeting, “is to reverse the arms race. We may not succeed, but we have no right to act as if failure is morally justified.” And yet much of what followed in the de-escalation of the arms race may be credited to the success of Coffin’s commitment and vision through SANE/FREEZE: Campaign for Global Security. Infamous for his opposition to the Vietnam War while university chaplain at Yale, jailed as a civil rights “Freedom Rider,” indicted by the government in the Benjamin Spock conspiracy trial, Coffin was even immortalized in cartoons as Rev. Sloan in the Doonesbury comic strip. His was a profound ministry, some great glimpses of which can be seen in his 2003 book, Credo, and in his collection, The Heart Is a Little to the Left: Essays on Public Morality (1999).
Coffin’s recent death on April 12, 2006 makes this Convocation all the more poignant for us. In 1978, he changed his closing remarks of that first Convocation, deciding to retell the story of the hesitancy of the Israelites to enter the Promised Land. “Love seeks the truth, but fear seeks safety,” Coffin said. “I don’t believe there’s a Promised Land for anybody any longer, but there’s a promised time for everybody.” The words ring true today, as we seek wisdom and courage, and embrace the promised time before us.
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The Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr.
Forbes is the first African-American to serve as Senior Minister of one of the largest multicultural congregations in the nation, The Riverside Church in the City of New York. He is an ordained minister in the American Baptist Churches and the Original United Holy Church of America. A professor of preaching at Union Seminary until taking the Riverside pulpit in 1989, he was in that year named by Union the first Harry Emerson Fosdick Adjunct Professor of Preaching. Known as a preacher’s preacher for his extensive preaching career and his charismatic style, Forbes is recognized as well in wider circles, such as Newsweek magazine’s listing him as one of the 12 most effective preachers in the English-speaking world. He is author of The Holy Spirit and Preaching.
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The Right Rev. Barbara C. Harris
Barbara C. Harris was elected the first woman bishop in the Episcopal Church, and this, along with so many occasions of life-giving change explain why it is said that “transformation is the hallmark” of her ministry. A native of Philadelphia, Harris began her work life in public relations but gained prominence as a civil rights activist and moved into a number of diverse ministry venues, from Philadelphia County prison chaplain to counseling corporations on public policy issues and social concerns. In 1988, Harris was named suffragan (assisting) bishop of the Diocese of Massachusetts and a year later, she became the first woman ordained a bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion. A book for young people was written about this historic moment and called, The Miter Fits Just Fine. Harris’ books include, Parting Words: A Farewell Discourse; Women’s Ordination in the Episcopal Church: Twenty-five Years Later; and Beyond Powershift: Theological Questions in a Changing World.
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The Reverend Father Prof. Dr. Hans Küng
Eminent Swiss theologian, Dr. Hans Küng, led the first Fosdick Convocation in 1978 with a series of three lectures on the theme, How Can We Talk About God Today? He opened with an analysis of religious belief set against science and politics and concluded in the final lecture with reflections on faith and reason in words that remain stimulating and relevant today. For 36 years, Küng was professor of theology and ecumenical studies in Tubingen, Germany, but as a priest, he has had a special relationship to the Catholic Church, at once committed to it and standing against aspects that he claims are “man-made” rather than instituted by God. His book Infallible? An Inquiry (1971) challenged the notion of papal infallibility and resulted in removal of his license to teach as a Roman Catholic theologian. And yet Küng’s scholarship was undeniable: in 1962 he was appointed (interestingly, along with his colleague Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI) as peritus – an expert theological advisor – to Pope John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council. The New York Review of Books and Religion said of Küng’s landmark work, On Being a Christian: “Almost certainly [it] will become a classic of religious literature, one to read in decades, perhaps even centuries to come.” My Struggle for Freedom: Memoirs is Küng’s long-awaited autobiography that covers the first four decades of the life of this remarkable man.
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The Rev. Barbara K. Lundblad
Barbara Lundblad's insightful and compassionate preaching has placed her in constant demand as a conference leader, a guest preacher, and a teacher of preaching across the country. Currently the Joe R. Engle Associate Professor of Preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, she previously taught homiletics at Yale Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, and the Association of Chicago Theological Schools. Lundblad has served as Pastor of several Lutheran congregations, most recently, Our Saviour's Atonement Church in New York City. Her experience as pastor and teacher blend in Transforming the Stone: Preaching through Resistance to Change, an important book for all ministers who long to know how to lovingly guide and challenge a local congregation.
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The Rev. Dr. Brian McLaren
Author and speaker Brian McLaren is a senior fellow with emergent (www.emergentvillage.org), a growing generative friendship of missional Christian leaders. He is the author of A New Kind of Christian; More Ready Than You Realize; The Church of the Other Side; Adventures in Missing the Point (with Tony Campolo); Finding Faith; and most recently, The Last Word and the Word after That. His 2004 “personal confession,” called A Generous Orthodoxy, has been called a manifesto of the emerging church conversation. A frequent guest on radio and television, Time magazine cited McLaren last year as one of the 25 most influential evangelicals. McLaren is the founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church, an innovative nondenominational church in the Baltimore-Washington region, where he served until January 2006. For more about Dr. McLaren, go to www.brianmclaren.net
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The Rev. Otis Moss, III
This summer Dr. Moss moved north to Chicago where he now serves as Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ under the leadership of Senior Pastor, Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. Previously pastor of The Historic Tabernacle Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia, Moss shepherded a membership of 125 to 2100 in his nine years of ministry there. The African American Pulpit Journal recently named Reverend Moss one of the "20 to watch" young ministers who will shape the future of the African American church. Moss has done extensive research in the areas of African-American culture, theology and youth development. Four-G published his first book, Redemption in a Red Light District, in December of 1999. His essays, articles and poetry have appeared in The African American Pulpit journal, Sojourners magazine, and the Urban Spectrum. His passion for youth ministry led him to design the "Kabasia Rites of Passage Program" for youth development, a program of Christ-centered, Afro-centric curriculum designed to assist in the development of African-American youth. His love for God and young people has led him to speak and preach in churches, seminaries and colleges across the globe, including places such as South Africa, Bermuda, Puerto Rico and Egypt. Newsweek magazine recently cited Rev. Moss as one of "God's foot Soldiers” committed to transforming the lives of youth. He can currently be seen on the Hallmark Channel’s weekly series, Naomi’s New Morning with Naomi Judd. For more about Rev. Moss, visit: http://www.tucc.org/pastoral_staff.htm
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The Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper
Donna Schaper is a “spirited speaker, preacher, mother and gardener.” She is also one of the most widely published women ministers in the country - her books and articles touch on everything from becoming 40, to understanding Sabbath, to raising interfaith children, to spiritual rock gardening, to the differences between male and female ministerial styles. Schaper’s most recent of a series of prayers is Prayers for Lent, Easter and Pentecost, and her soon to be released book is The Shiver of Grace: Thirty Years of Ordained Ministry. She describes her ministry as providing “spiritual nurture for public capacity,” a commitment that draws her to creative development of clergy and lay leadership. Previously UCC Conference minister in Western Massachusetts and former Senior Minister of Coral Gables Congregational Church in Florida, in early 2006, Schaper began a new chapter of ministry as pastor of Judson Memorial Church in New York City. For more information about Dr. Schaper, visit www.donnaschaper.org.
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The Rev. Dr. Hal Taussig
Hal Taussig is Visiting Professor of New Testament at Union Theological Seminary and co-pastor of the Chestnut Hill United Methodist Church in Philadelphia. He is a founding member of the Jesus Seminar, and the co-chair of the Society of Biblical Literature's national seminar on Meals in the Greco-Roman World. Taussig’s most recent book, A New Spiritual Home: Progressive Christianity at the Grass Roots, has been called “essential reading” for those interested in religion in the U.S. today. His other works include: Reimagining Life Together in America: A New Gospel of Community; Jesus Before God: The Prayer Life of the Historical Jesus; Wisdom's Feast: Sophia in Study and Celebration (with Susan Cole and Marian Ronan): Reimagining Christian Origins (with Elizabeth Castelli); and Many Tables: The Eucharist in the New Testament and Liturgy Today. You may have seen Taussig in public appearances that include The Daily Show, Paula Zahn Live, People Magazine, and the History Channel.
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The Rev. Dr. Barbara Brown Taylor
Taylor, it has been said, “possesses a gift that is in short supply these days: the gift of conveying a living sense of the transcendent, the holy, and the grace-full in and through the stuff of our lives.” In her new book, Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith, Taylor tells the story of her decision to leave full-time parish ministry after fifteen years, trading her church for a college classroom and her Sunday vestments for plain clothes covered in chalk dust. An Episcopal priest since 1984, Taylor now teaches religion at Piedmont College in rural northeast Georgia and also serves as adjunct professor of Christian spirituality at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. A gifted writer and storyteller, Dr. Taylor’s intimate experience with parish life coupled with a compelling take on the nature of the spiritual brings us a preacher of great depth. To learn more about Dr. Taylor, visit www.barbarabrowntaylor.com.
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The Rev. Dr. Gardner Taylor
Gardner Taylor is regarded as one of the “deans of preachers.” Famed for his compelling delivery and rich imagery, Dr. Taylor is one of Newsweek magazine’s twelve most effective preachers in the English-speaking world. In 2000, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award. Of his many writings, six volumes of his sermons and other reflections from over fifty years in the ministry can now be found in The Words of Gardner Taylor. He is pastor emeritus of Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, NY and currently lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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Dr. Cornel West
One of America’s most gifted and provocative public intellectuals, Dr. Cornel West's writing, speaking, and teaching weaves together the American traditions of the Black Baptist Church, progressive politics, and jazz. In his major bestseller and now contemporary classic, Race Matters, West delivers a searing analysis of the scars of racism in American democracy. Praised by The New York Times for his “ferocious moral vision,” Dr. West speaks with an utterly distinctive voice about the thorniest social and political issues of our day and bridges the gap between black and white opinion. In his 2004 book, Democracy Matters, Dr. West returns to the analysis of the arrested development of democracy—both in America and in the crisis-ridden Middle East. In his original diagnosis, he argues that if America is to become a better steward of democratization around the world, we must first wake up to the long history of imperialist corruption that has plagued our own democracy. He is currently Professor of Religion at Princeton University.
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The Rev. Canon Dr. Samuel Wells
In the summer of 2005, Sam Wells became Dean of Duke University Chapel with the task of “keeping the heart of the university listening to the heart of God.” A Canadian who grew up in England, Wells has degrees in history, systematic theology and Christian ethics, an educational depth that makes him well suited to academic engagement. But Wells also embodies the heart, mind, soul and strength of Christianity at its best. Before training for ordination, he was a community worker in inner-city Liverpool and later helped establish the first organization in the East of England devoted to community-led urban regeneration. Of his many publications, his most recent book is God’s Companions: Reimagining Christian Ethics, published in early 2006. For more about Dr. Wells, visit: www.chapel.duke.edu/staff.
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The Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.
Senior minister of the 10,000-member Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Jeremiah Wright, Jr. is an outspoken community leader who has made political and social activism a key aspect of his church’s mission. His commitment to the kind of social ministry inspired by King, coupled with his dedication to the African-American sermonic tradition, has made him a highly sought-after speaker nationally and internationally. An accomplished musician and author, Wright has written four books, numerous articles and countless sermons and was named one of Ebony's top fifteen preachers. Reflective of the international outreach and mission of the church, in August 2003, Pastor Wright was enstooled by the Ga-Dangme People of Ghana as Chief Afotey Oblum, II.
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SPECIAL MUSICAL GUESTS:
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Kate Campbell
As the daughter of a Baptist preacher from Sledge, Mississippi, Kate’s formative years were spent in the crucible of the changing south through the civil rights movement and under the influence of the great story-telling tradition of Southern writers. Coming from a musical family, her years in Nashville deepened her musical tastes to include soul, R&B, Southern rock, country and folk music. In the past ten years, she has recorded over a dozen CDs, the most recent – a surprising coincidence for us – is in fact titled For the Living of These Days (release date 9/5/06). Time Out London says of Kate: “Possessed of the lyrical grasp of Lucinda Williams and the eloquent vocal timbre of Emmylou Harris, she is a major talent.” And as Music Row Magazine puts it, “You need this woman’s music in your life.” For more about Kate, go to: www.katecampbell.com
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Ken Medema
For the past 33 years, Ken Medema has used his extraordinary poetic and musical gifts to speak a prophetic word to audiences near and far. Blind since birth, he began playing and improvising at the piano at the age of 5, an ability that often results in impromptu songs within his concerts and in response to featured speakers. In 1985, he founded Brier Patch Music, an independent recording, publishing, and performance-booking company. Through a variety of formats, from his own CDs to choral music to “personalized” songs, Ken memorably explores all aspects of the human experience, with an emphasis on spirituality, humor, and such universal concerns as peace, justice and the environment. Ken lives in San Francisco with his wife Jane (a Union Seminary graduate). For more about Ken and to hear his music, visit www.kenmedema.com
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