Episode Details

The secret is out. Find out what professional theologians really think about being theologians.

In this episode we: quest for answers to the biggest questions in life; create a just world by being an activist-intellectual; free people from internal, not just external, restraints; help our beliefs make a difference in the world; put the words 'Pentecostal' and 'theologian' together; and bring back the prophetic church. Plus, you'll hear about what it's like to teach at Hogwarts.

During Enfolding Theology, Josh Linton, from Philips Theological Seminary, asked Tom Oord, Keith Ward, Adam Clark, Cindy Rigby, Amos Yong, and Barbara Holmes:

1. Why do you do what you do?  You know, why actually be a theologian?
2. Why study and not just act?
3. What is the return on investment for theological education?
4. How will the shape of ministry change in the future?

A big thanks to Philips Theological Seminary for sponsoring the podcast! Theological higher education continues to change. What it looks like and how it works constantly evolves but it's not going away. Phillips Seminary in Tulsa, OK has tuned into these changes and has responded with accessible, flexible, and creative programming. And it's why students from all over the nation enroll in their programs. And it's why so many HBC Deacons resonate with who they are and what they're about. I

Adam Clark, Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University, is committed to the idea that theological education in the twenty first century must function as a counter-story. One that equips students to read against the grain of the dominant culture and inspires them to live into the Ignatian dictum of going forth “to set the world on fire.” He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. 

Barbara Holmes is a writer and scholar, who publishes books about the intersection of ethics, spirituality, mysticism, cosmology and African American religious culture. She is the President of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, and the former Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Memphis Theological Seminary. She says, "I have been called to work in diverse settings, where the call to serve also invites the human spirit to engage in radical creativity." In addition to her work with law firms, she has worked with homeless missions, HIV/AIDS ministries, and international ministries in Kenya (the Presbyterian Church of East Africa) and Japan.

Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. He is the author or editor of more than twenty books and professor in the American northwest. A gifted speaker, Oord is known for his contributions to research on love, open and relational theology, science and religion,  and theologies exploring the implications of freedom and relationships for transformation. See more here.

Cindy Rigby joined the faculty of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 1995. Dr. Rigby’s special area of interest is setting Reformed theologies in conversation with theologies of liberation, particularly feminist theologies. An energetic scholar, Dr. Rigby is the author of more than thirty articles and book chapters and is also working on two additional projects, one focused on the doctrines of “sin and salvation” and the other on developing a systematic theology especially for pastors. Professor Rigby is the co-chair of the Christian Sys