The Wabash Center's Dialogue On Teaching

Eric Lewis Williams, Ph.D. is Director of the Office of Black Church Studies and Assistant Professor of Theology and Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School. Williams quotes Zora Neale Hurston, "I was born with God in my house." Hear a scholar's story of having been raised in a Pentecostal household, mentored into the scholarship of religion with no contradiction, and working as a professor, museum curator, and higher education administrator. Williams' journey is one of curiosity, boldness, and creativity.

Adam Bond, PhD is Associate Professor of Religion and African American Studies at Baylor University. 

Adam Bond, PhD is Associate Professor of Religion and African American Studies at Baylor University. Teaching to unlock new abilities to see. Imagining new futures, building new worlds, seeing new possibilities can be incorporated into our classrooms if teachers can unshackle their own creativity. Bond reflects on a recent Wabash cohort experience which challenged participants to move past nostalgia and toward the challenge of shaping of new futures.

Sailaja V. Krishnamurti, Ph.D. is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Gender Studies  at Queen's University.

Sailaja V. Krishnamurti, Ph.D. is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Gender Studies  at Queen's University.A sabbatical provides precious time but also points to exploitation, exhaustion, and rage. What is a generative sabbatical, especially when resisting dehumanizing patterns of productivity? What kinds of synergies are needed for a healthy work rhythm that resists burnout? How do sabbaticals assist with returning us to classrooms when we are feeling more rested, more centered, more ourselves? 

Sharon Higginbothan, PhD is the Founder and Principle of the Higginbothan and Associates LLC where they do coaching, group facilitation, and consultation. She is also Adjunct Professor of Liberation and Womanist Theology at Chatham University. For those who feel disillusioned by the professorate - even when having had accomplishments, for those who have invested in individualism over and against community, for those who cannot see the violences inherit in grind culture - this conversation is for you. The key is reconnection to community. 

Sarah Farmer and Rachelle Green are Associate Directors for the Wabash Center. If teaching is not about control, what approach is better? How do you create an environment for learning which takes into consideration the entire experience of the student? What is the prerequisite of learning for adult students? What does it mean to create an arc of learning across an entire semester? What kind of intentionality is needed to foster impactful learning experiences? 

Dr. Shatavia Wynn is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Rhodes College. 

Sharon Higginbothan, PhD is the Founder and Principle of the Higginbothan and Associates LLC where they do coaching, group facilitation, and consultation. She is also Adjunct Professor of Liberation and Womanist Theology at Chatham University. For those who feel disillusioned by the professorate - even when having had accomplishments, for those who have invested in individualism over and against community, for those who cannot see the violences inherit in grind culture - this conversation is for you. The key is reconnection to community. 

Dr. Shatavia Wynn is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Rhodes College. Our communities form us, but effort (to say nothing of time and distance) may be required to understand how. Wynn's folks taught through care, deep listening and storytelling. Wynn discusses the realization of just how formative those relationships are to current teaching approaches now and into the future.

Rev. Valerie Miles-Tribble, PhD DMin is Professor of Ministerial Leadership & Practical Theology at Berkeley School of Theology. 

Dr. Anne E. Streaty Wimberly is Professor Emerita of Christian Education at the Interdenominational Theological Center and Executive Director of the Youth Hope-Builders Academy, a youth theology program funded by the Lilly Endowment.

Sarah Farmer and Rachelle Green are Associate Directors for the Wabash Center. Pursuing one's curiosity, seeking adventure, being open to mystery and problem solving is the stuff of good teaching, even if structures of academia would disagree or discourage. Learning reminds us of our humanity. Students can be some of our best teachers. 

Rachelle R. Green is an Associate Director for the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion

Rolf R. Nolasco is the Rueben P. Job Professor of Spiritual Formation and Pastoral Theology and Director of the Rueben P. Job Institute for Spiritual Formation at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Since we are conditioned to believe that thinking is the best way of knowing, what would it mean to rethink what we consider to be knowledge? What if our students know more than we know, then how do we share our know-how? Teaching toward the cognitive, the social, the spiritual, the political, the cultural (etc.) demands a new understanding of meaning making for adult education. 

Yii-Jan Lin is Associate Professor of New Testament at Yale Divinity School. 

Stephanie M. Crumpton is Associate Professor of Practical Theology and Director of the Trauma Healing Initiative at McCormick Theological Seminary. At what season in your career, if ever, did you make time for your own thoughts and curiosities? Who do we become over time and while teaching? What choices about our teaching are made easier with time? Whose permission do we need to be less productive and more creative? 

Eric C. Smith is Associate Professor of Early Christian Texts and Traditions and Co-Director of the Doctor in Ministry Program at Iliff School of Theology.

Dr. Anne E. Streaty Wimberly is Professor Emerita of Christian Education at the Interdenominational Theological Center and Executive Director of the Youth Hope-Builders Academy, a youth theology program funded by the Lilly Endowment.The relationship bonds between faculty and student can be long-lasting and mutually lifegiving. What happens when, in the season post-teaching, former students become the teacher's mentor, teacher, and guide? When reverse-mentoring provides a sense of kinship, in what ways does it mean when former students offer hospitality to their "forever" teachers? 

Kelly Campbell is Associate Dean of Information Services and Senior Director of the John Bulow Campbell Library at Columbia Theological Seminary. 

Eric C. Smith is Associate Professor of Early Christian Texts and Traditions and Co-Director of the Doctor of Ministry in Prophetic Leadership Program at Iliff School of Theology. What does it mean to create and sustain learner centered approaches for courses in Bible? When Bible courses are not neutral nor benign, but acknowledge a political dynamism in the conversation, what is the role of the teacher? What does it take to develop relevant courses for Bible in this day and time? 

Almeda M. Wright is Assistant Professor of Religious Education at Yale Divinity School. Her research focuses on African American religion, adolescent spiritual development, and the interesections of religion and public life.

Laura Carlson Hasler is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Jewish Studies  and Alvin H. Rosen Chair of Hebrew Bible at Indiana University. What are teaching strategies when the religious identity of students presents obstacles to learning in religious study courses? How do you teach academic inquiry when curiosity is considered antithetical to faith? What does it mean to teach a student who cannot, by faith tradition, admit not knowing? When students have "ah-hah!" moments - what is the best way to acknowledge their learning and support their faith journey? 

Kelly Campbell is Associate Dean of Information Services and Senior Director of the John Bulow Campbell Library at Columbia Theological Seminary. A healthy ecology of teaching includes librarians and libraries. Libraries are magical nonjudgemental spaces. The responsibility of librarians for resourcing, teaching, and technology is invaluable and underacknowledged. The leadership role of librarians for needed shifts in educational systems is underestimated.  Librarians must be at the table. 

Almeda M. Wright is Assistant Professor of Religious Education at Yale Divinity School. Her research focuses on African American religion, adolescent spiritual development, and the interesections of religion and public life.We discuss Wrights' latest book entitled, Teaching to Live: Black Religion, Activist Educators and Radical Social Change. The book profiles eight distinguished African American teachers and the ways each made a unique contribution as social change agents through their teaching. This is a must-read for early career scholars, colleagues interested in the power of teaching, and those who want an exceptional example of scholarship through ethnographic methodology. 

Mindy McGarrah Sharp is Associate Professor of Practical Theology and Pastoral Care as well as Lead Faculty in the Master of Arts in Practical Theology Program at Columbia Theological School.

Willie James Jennings is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. The disappointment is real! Early career colleagues report their disappointment after joining a faculty.  Many excel during the doctoral program only to feel deflated, marginalized, or overlooked as a “junior” scholar. Many feel invisible, duped, or overworked on a faculty. How do you separate from the doctoral experience and step into your own voice as a teacher? What does it take to feel the joy and exhilaration of teaching? How do you overcome your fears and trust your own worth?  

The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Harvey is the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean at Garrett Evangelical Seminary.The New York Times bestselling author discusses why her scholarship of religion focuses upon issues of race and anti-racism.  She suggests that the work of translation, interpretation and meaning making (good teaching and good faith) is critical in the work of reconciliation and belonging. Through the use of storytelling, and with suggestions of daily habits and practices, Jen provides ways we might move from being overwhelmed to being in better relationships with one another. 

Willie James Jennings is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. Administrative duties are a work of care for the thriving of all in the community. Being a good administrator requires the ability to think organizationally, and the willingness to prioritize nurturing faculty, students, and staff. Effective leaders are capable of visioning for the future of the institution. Good leaders have a heart for their people, even those people who they do not agree with or like. Good leaders have an exit strategy.

Roger S. Nam is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Emory University Candler School of Theology. What are the constructive aspects of being contract faculty?  If you spend your career as a contract faculty person have you failed as a scholar? How do you find your place on a faculty with tenure-track and tenured colleagues? What can administrators do to assist contract faculty in having longevity? For the good of the student experience, what are the issues of equity, dignity, and professionalism concerning contract faculty?

Dr. Steed Davidson is the Executive Director of the Society of Biblical Literature.Data show that the kinds of persons we bring into doctoral programs and hire onto faculty remain relatively unchanged. In what ways can directors of graduate divisions of religion attend to atrophying doctoral programs? What is the future of religious scholarship if our formation pipelines are stagnant? 

Roger S. Nam is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Emory University Candler School of Theology. When at the dawn of your career, how do you learn the institutional power dynamics, the unspoken social and professional obligations, the ways conflict is resolved or left open? How do you acquire agency, get accurate information, and gain the trust of colleagues? Who do you approach? How do you ask for help when you are an inexperienced beginner and need support?

Dr. Steed Davidson is the Executive Director of the Society of Biblical Literature.What does it mean to examen the influences of the bible upon contemporary society? In what ways can classrooms encourage understandings of the bible's complex roles in culture, now and into the future? 

Phillis Sheppard is E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Religion, Psychology, Culture and Womanist Thought, and Executive Director of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at Vanderbilt University. Our careers will have disappointments, injustices, events which are unfair and, even shaming. How do we avoid boundary crossing, blaming, isolation, and personal ruin? What are communal and personal habits of coping, survival and collegiality in moments of unexpected professional grief and unmanageable career debacles? 

Roger S. Nam is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Emory University Candler School of Theology. What makes for mediocre, good, and exceptional administrators? Who should consider administration as an occupation, and who should remain on faculty? How do you balance the call for transparency in communication and the need for confidentiality? What kinds of assistance might be beneficial to those in administrative duties?

Dr. Steed Davidson is the Executive Director of the Society of Biblical Literature.In what ways do faculty positions prepare you for administrative jobs? What kind of professional formation is needed to be an administrator? How important is your team to achieving an organizational vision?  What if imagination is the best skill of an administrator?

Phillis Sheppard is E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Religion, Psychology, Culture and Womanist Thought, and Executive Director of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at Vanderbilt University. Life is a series of transitions. Transitions of an academic career can leave one feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or agitated and angry. How might life transitions be negotiated for wellness, mental health, and thriving? 

Philip Butler is Assistant Professor of Theology and Black Post-Human Artificial Intelligence Systems at Iliff School of Theology. What if teaching had the audacity to pose questions which disrupts reality? What if the disruption was generative, imaginative, and healing? This conversation grapples with what it means to teach at the intersection of neuroscience, technology, spirituality, and Blackness to prepare futures and reimagine leaders.

Phillis Sheppard is E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Religion, Psychology, Culture and Womanist Thought, and Executive Director of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at Vanderbilt University. When adult learners have learning styles and processes which are not expected, what is the role of the Academic Dean, the role of the faculty person, the role of the student? What pedagogical innovations are needed to support learning? When you receive an "accommodation letter" - what should be done? 

Angela Parker, PhD is Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek with Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology.Adult students sometimes feel confronted or disrespected when their personal faith is disrupted in bible and theological courses. In what ways does a professor prepare students for deeper learning? How do professors cope with belligerent students? What does it take to build trust between teacher and students? What happens when no trust is to be found? 

Richelle White, PhD is Professor of Youth Ministry and Director of Field Practicum and Internships and Kuyper College. Questioning as a tool of teaching is a skill to be developed and honed. Facilitating dialogue with provocative, poignant, even powerful questions takes consideration and practice.  Connecting students with the right questions, especially about turbulent issues and during challenging experiences, can be the precursor to insights and more caring communities. 

Angela Parker, PhD is Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek with Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology.People in the public are curious about, and hungry for, conversations on bible and religion. What if scholars intentionally created public-facing scholarship on, of all places, social media? What if public policy and national discourse could be impacted through teaching the bible on TikTok? 

Sarah Farmer is Associate Director of the Wabash Center. What happens when scholarship is the work of passion and social change? What happens when learning mobilizes persons for liberation? What if theological education focused upon who we are to become - what then, would that curriculum look like? 

Sarah Farmer is Associate Director of the Wabash Center. A conversation on Dr. Farmer's latest book pointing toward the ways hope is life giving. Hope is not sanitized - not a luxury. Hope is about possibility, survival, creativity and resilience. Learning from and with incarcerated women is life changing.

Emily O. Gravett is the Assistant Director of the Teaching Area in the Center for Faculty Innovation and Associate Professor of Religion at James Madison University. The power dynamics of classrooms are as varied as the teachers and the learners. Building classroom communities means being attentive to and curious about students, while allowing students the space to be eager, afraid, anxious, disagreeable, and sometimes, tired. Approaching students as real, whole people, who themselves possess considerable classroom power, must be considered and critically reflected upon. 

Rev. Dr. Aizaiah G. Yong  is Assistant Professor of Spirituality at Claremont School of Theology. What does it take to create a classroom experience where the relational ethos among diverse learners is that we belong to one another? Learner-centered pedagogies become especially complex when learners are from a wide range of backgrounds, theologies, communities, and also possess a wide variety of aspirations and intents. What does it mean to take seriously the ways diversity of learners challenges, enriches, and creates risk in a classroom? What if teaching in diversity means humility is a primary pedagogical practice? What is the finitude of our teaching and what are our personal limits while teaching in all-kinds diversity?

The Rev. Dr. Luke Powery is Dean of Duke University Chapel and Professor of Homiletics and African and African American Studies at Duke Divinity School. In this conversation, hear stories of what happened when teaching spirituals in a federal prison, and the ways prisoners became teachers and "outside" teachers and students became learners. Hear how the Spirit can move in a classroom and make such spaces sites of Divine Encounter. What if the remedy for oppression is unleashing the power of teaching as theopathy in classrooms? 

Dr. Kenneth Ngwa is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Director of Religion and Global Health Forum at Drew University Theological School.Dreams are states of the awake and the asleep. Dreaming is a pedagogical space for vibrancy, nurturing, healing, new knowledges, creativity, and protection and should be centered inside the development of new pedagogies. Pedagogical austerity and bankruptcy can be helped with pedagogies that heal and repair through dreaming. Dreams help humanity understand existence, reality, and freedom. Such notions as the necessity of co-dreamers, risk-sharing, and reigniting a sense of mystery are explored. 

Dr. Ted A. Smith is Associate Dean of Faculty and the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Divinity.What could happen if several scholars, writing in community, grappled with the shifting of theological education then made their learnings accessible? The book series Theological Education Between the Times, is just that. Hear one of the series' editors discuss the generative, challenging, and joyful process of writing in community.  He also discusses his own book and his hope for the future of theological education. 

Sophfronia Scott is Director of the Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Alma College in Alma, MI and author a numerous books including Wild Beautiful and Free and The Seeker and the Monk.Teaching scholars to write better undoubtedly fosters better teaching. What does it take to pivot away from the stale conventions of scholarly writing, and move toward writing that expresses genuine and needed ideas? How do we learn to write what we are thinking and challenged by? 

Elías Ortega is President and Professor of Religion, Ethics, and Leadership at Meadville Lombard Theological School.What would it take for theological education to become an agent of social impact? How could theological education help us learn to be better human beings? What would it mean for theological education to teach students to meet the challenges of their communities of origin? What if the scholarly contribution was synthesizing theory for the creation of the good community in regions across the country and around the world?