On Thursday, November 13, the Candler community held a service of remembrance honoring James Abbington, who served as Associate Professor of Church Music and Worship from 2005 to 2025. Abbington died on September 27. Learn more and watch a recording of the service.
During October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Candler’s Director of Alumni Engagement Raushanah Butler DMin ’26 had several opportunities to share more widely the focus of her DMin studies at Candler: reshaping how clergy are taught to address domestic violence.
- Butler was selected to present at the 2025 National Conference on Domestic Violence, held in Kansas City, Missouri, where her presentation, “Sacred Duty, Collective Power: Addressing Domestic Violence Through Faith and Community,” offered strategies to create survivor-centered, spiritually grounded spaces of safety, healing, and justice.
- In addition, Butler was interviewed for Emory University’s Impact in Progress podcast and for the WABE News show “Closer Look with Rose Scott,” sharing more about her work to equip faith leaders to respond holistically to domestic violence.
Associate Professor of Transformative Leadership and Communal Care Gregory C. Ellison II 99C was featured in an article about Emory’s Voices of Inner Strength gospel choir, which is celebrating 40 years. As an undergraduate at Emory, Ellison was a member of the choir. Additionally, on October 26, Ellison preached at the homecoming service for Beloved Community, the undergraduate Christian fellowship on campus.
On October 11, Robert M. Franklin, Jr., Candler’s James T. and Berta R. Laney Professor in Moral Leadership and senior advisor to Emory University’s president, was inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences on October 11 at the Academy’s annual ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts. One of nearly 250 individuals—and the sole scholar from Emory—elected to the Academy’s class of 2025 earlier this year, Franklin joins Candler emeriti faculty Carol Newsom, Carl Holladay, and Brooks Holifield as a recipient of this illustrious honor. Read more here.
On October 25, Franklin spoke as part of a panel discussion hosted by Emory’s James Weldon Johnson Institute which posed the question, “How Relevant is Post-Reconstruction to Understanding 21st Century America?”
Professor in the Practice of Systematic Theology Steffen Lösel penned an article about the legacy of Jürgen Moltmann and his theology of hope and transformation for The Presbyterian Outlook.
Associate Professor in the Practice of Religion and Society Nichole R. Phillips was quoted in a story for Christianity Today about churches throughout the South that have received grants from the Preserving Black Churches initiative of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.
On November 3, Phillips spoke at a session of the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting. Titled, “Faithful Dancing with the Bears: Christian Nationalism’s Impact on the Public’s Health,” the session examined how Christian nationalist ideology may influence public health outcomes and policy.
Associate Professor of Catholic Studies Susan B. Reynolds discussed Pope Leo XIV’s call for a consistent “pro-life” stance with 11Alive News.
Associate Dean of La Mesa Academy for Theological Studies Joanne Solis-Walker penned an article for the National Association of Evangelicals on how immigrants contribute to society and the church. In the piece, she quoted Associate Professor of Latinx Communities Jonathan Calvillo.
Associate Professor of Practical Theology and Spiritual Care Danielle Tumminio Hansen authored an op-ed for The Christian Century about Sarah Mullally, the first woman to become the archbishop of Canterbury.
Director of Career Services Marielle Thomas has been selected to chair the 2026 Georgia Association of Colleges & Employers Annual Conference, taking place in May. The conference brings together career services professionals, university leaders, and employer partners to strengthen recruiting pipelines and workforce development across the state.