Yale Bulletin and Calendar

September 28, 2001

Volume 30, Number 4

Convocation to celebrate Yale's long tradition of theological education and ministerial training

When Yale College was founded in 1701, one of the school's primary functions was theological and ministerial training.

Three hundred years later, the Yale Divinity School, Berkeley Divinity School and the Institute of Sacred Music will celebrate the Tercentennial of Yale by showcasing some of America's most distinguished theologians at the annual Fall Convocation and Reunion, taking place Monday-Thursday, Oct. 1-4.

"For the Love of God: Three Hundred Years of Theological Education" will feature talks by current and former Yale scholars, who will convene to reflect on and continue the tradition of theological education at Yale. Other Convocation events include the dedication of a newly renovated building at the Divinity School, reunion class gatherings and a ceremony honoring four prominent Episcopal Church leaders.

The Convocation will officially begin at 4 p.m. on Monday with the first of three Beecher Lectures, the longest-running series on preaching and ministry in the United States. This year's lectures will be delivered by David L. Bartlett, dean of academic affairs and the J. Edward and Ruth Lantz Professor of Christian Communication at the Divinity School, on the theme "What's Good About This News?" Bartlett earned his Ph.D. in New Testament studies from Yale's Department of Religious Studies and lectures throughout the country on preaching and the relevance of the Christian message.

The three-part Taylor Lectures will be given by Nicholas P. Wolterstorff, the Noah Porter Professor of Philosophical Theology at the Divinity School, on the theme "The Place of Religion in the Secular University." He will explore religion's place in the past and reconsider its future role during his talks.

This year's Loring Sabin Ensign and Margaret Lindquist Sorensen Lectures will be a dialogue between Margaret A. Farley, the Gilbert L. Stark Professor of Christian Ethics at the Divinity School, and Dr. Thomas P. Duffy, professor of internal medicine. The Ensign Lecture is titled "Death Be Not Humble: Ought We To Take Life in the Clinical Setting?" It will be followed by the Sorensen Lecture on "Death Be Not Proud: Should We Sometimes Let Life Go, But Not Ever Take It?"

"Antislavery for the Love of God: New Haven and the Campaign for Africa" is the topic of this year's Roland Bainton Lecture, which will be presented by Lamin Sanneh, the D. Willis James Professor of World Christianity and professor of history.

Bryan D. Spinks, professor of liturgical studies at the Divinity School, will present the Pitt Lecture on the topic "Berkeley, Liturgical Scholars and the Liturgical Movement." Spinks is also chair of the Liturgy Program at the Institute of Sacred Music and the Berkeley Divinity School.

The Aidan J. Kavanagh Lecture, titled "Lo, the Full Final Sacrifice: On the Seriousness of Christian Liturgy," will be given by John F. Baldovin, S.J., who earned his Ph.D. in theology under the direction of Kavanagh, professor emeritus of liturgics at Yale. Baldwin is now professor of historical and liturgical theology at Weston Jesuit School of Theology.

A highlight of the Convocation will be the dedication of the H. Richard Niebuhr Hall, signaling the completion of the first phase of the Divinity School renovation. World-renowned ethicist and theologian James M. Gustafson will offer an appreciative interpretation of H. Richard Niebuhr's seminal "Christ and Culture." Niebuhr taught at the Divinity School from 1931 until the time of his death in 1962 as Sterling Professor of Theology and Christian ethics.

The Berkeley Divinity School will present honorary doctorates to four prominent church Episcopal church leaders. They are the Reverend Canon John Andrew, rector emeritus of St. Thomas Church in New York City; Caroline Bynum, University Professor of History at Columbia University; the Right Reverend Michael Curry, bishop of North Carolina; and the Reverend Martha Overall, vicar-in-charge of St. Ann's Church in Bronx, New York.

Daily chapel will be held at 9:15 a.m. in Niebuhr Hall during Convocation week. All events are free and open to the public. Admission to the Convocation is free for Yale students and $35 for members of the general public. The fee includes all lectures, coffee breaks and receptions. Walk-in registrants are welcome.

Times and locations of all lectures appear in the Calendar section of this newspaper. For further information on the Convocation, call (203) 432-5303.

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Yale will proceed with Tercentennial celebration

Peabody's insects inspire fascination in scholars far and near

Talk by philanthropist surgeon to open United Way appeal

Service of Remembrance

J. Lloyd Suttle is appointed deputy provost

Benefit concert to help families of tragedy's fallen

Convocation to celebrate Yale's long tradition of theological education . . .

Grant supports professors' study of dwindling voter turnout

Panelists share experiences on matters of gender

Famed Bolshoi Theatre ballerina describes a life devoted to dance

Forest management certification program is launched

Students win grants for environmental research around the world

Insects are special of the day on Peabody Museum menu

Remembering the struggle

Trumbull Lecture will examine 1828 treatise on liberal education

Employee Day at the Bowl

Campus Notes