Thursday, March 13, 2003
Theologian from Harvard Divinity School speaks at Goshen College March 27-28
GOSHEN, Ind. Gordon Kaufman has spent his life studying how theology is done, the role of the theologian in the church and the significance of contemporary pluralism.Gordon Kaufman has distinguished himself as a leading American philosophical theologian, primarily for his lifelong study of the meaning of transcendence as applied to the uniqueness and mystery of God,” said J. Lawrence Burkholder, president emeritus. “I look forward to seeing him again as a friend and former colleague at Harvard Divinity School.”
On March 27 and 28, Kaufman, from Harvard Divinity School, will speak at Goshen College.
His first public lecture on campus as part of his visit, “Today’s Evolutionary/Ecological World and the Theological Structure of Christian Faith,” is at 7 p.m. March 27 in Goshen College’s Church-Chapel. This will be followed by a time for questions and answers.
On March 28, during an extended convocation at 10 a.m. in the Church-Chapel, Kaufman will speak on, “How Shall We Do Theology Today?” At 3 p.m., he will speak to the Christian Faith class on “My Life and Theological Reflection” in Room 104 in the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center. These are all free and open to the public.
“Gordon Kaufman is among the most provocative living theologians, and his work has had an impact on many others both within and far beyond Mennonite circles,” said Keith Graber Miller, professor of Bible, religion and philosophy. “In his presentations here, he will articulate his understanding of how theology is a constructive, human activity, one fundamentally concerned with how life is to be lived.”
Among his many publications are “God, Mystery, Diversity: Christian Theology in a Pluralistic World” (Fortress, 1996); “In Face of Mystery: A Constructive Theology” (1993); “Theology for a Nuclear Age” (1985); “Nonresistance and Responsibility, and Other Mennonite Essays” (1979); and “Systematic Theology: A Historicist Perspective” (1968).
Kaufman received a bachelor’s degree from Bethel College, Newton, Kan., and a master’s degree from Northwestern University (Chicago); he earned a doctorate from Yale University. He served as a Fulbright Fellow in Germany in 1961 and a Guggenheim Fellow in England in 1969. From 1963 to 1969, he served as professor of theology at Harvard Divinity School, and from 1969 to 1995 he served as the school’s Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Professor of Divinity.
In 1953 Kaufman was ordained as a minister in the General Conference Mennonite Church, and he has periodically served as pastor at Mennonite Congregation of Boston. Kaufman has been a visiting professor at universities in Japan, South Africa, England, India and Hong Kong, and he is a past president of the American Academy of Religion and the American Theological Society.
Kaufman’s visit is funded by the Miller-Jeschke Program for Christian Faith and the Natural Sciences, a grant given by Elizabeth Miller Jeschke to stimulate conversation and scholarship around the topic of Christian faith and the natural sciences.
Goshen College is a national liberal arts college known for leadership in international education, service-learning and peace and justice issues in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program and exceptional educational value, GC serves about 1,000 students in both traditional and nontraditional programs. The college earned citations of excellence among U.S.News & World Report and Barron’s Best Buys in Higher Education. For more information, visit www.goshen.edu.
Editors: For information, contact Jodi Hochstedler at (574) 535-7572 or jodih@goshen.edu.
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