But on Wednesday the seminary announced that the honor would be withdrawn. The honor is closely linked to the lecture. A condition of the prize is that the recipient deliver a lecture on a topic appropriate to the aims of the center. To many in the world of Presbyterian theology, the honor matters a great deal, and past lectures have been widely discussed. Traci Smith, a pastor who was educated at the seminary, wrote a widely circulated blog post questioning the idea that her alma mater would honor a theologian committed to the idea that she and many others should never have been ordained.
My personal soapbox is much less refined. The lecture is on church planting. Who can argue with church planting? Of course we can find common ground. Let me state clearly and without equivocation: I believe Reverend Keller loves Jesus. I believe he is a man of faith. I believe he works hard and has a respectable career. I would happily go to the church he pastors and listen to him preach. We can totally hold hands during the hymn sing.
This is a giant lecture with a giant whoop-de-doo factor. An assistant to Keller, who is the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, in Manhattan, said via email that he was not commenting on the situation. I love having access to such a wide variety of exegesis classes and an extensive library that allows me to go much deeper in biblical commentary research than I would otherwise.
Princeton Seminary has been a perfect fit for me because of the rich diversity and warm sense of community in which I thrive. Of course, I have experienced Princeton Seminary as the renowned pinnacle of academic excellence; however, this knowledge has been cultivated from a deep well of love and compassion, which has been pivotal in helping to refine not only my calling, but also my Christian theology.
Seminary has given me a space to be both challenged and encouraged by my professors, peers, and supervisors. This is the space where I have felt the most frustrated and also felt the most loved. I found lifelong friends alongside an education that I cannot even begin to express my gratitude for. I have been privileged to learn from some of the most brilliant minds, both at the front of the classroom and sitting next to me furiously taking notes.
The report found that the seminary, which is independent of Princeton University, did not own slaves and that its buildings were not constructed with slave labor. But the seminary did receive financial contributions from Southern sources, including slaveowners and congregations with ties to slavery. And for a time, a large portion of the seminary's endowment was connected to Southern banks that were financing the expansion of slavery in the Southwest.
The research found that several of the seminary's founders and early leaders used slave labor, despite speaking out against slavery. Additionally, many seminary faculty, board members and alumni were involved in the American Colonization Society, an organization that argued against immediate emancipation and advocated sending formerly enslaved people back to Africa.
Craig Barnes, the seminary's president, in a statement. Some say it doesn't go far enough. Leaders of the Association of Black Seminarians, a student group that developed its own recommendations for reparations, said they are glad that the seminary is taking steps to address the legacy of slavery.
0コメント