Some of the best minds in theological education are gathering at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology this March to consider pressing theological issues facing the world in the coming century. As part of Candler’s yearlong Centennial Celebration, the school is marking the spring of its 100th year with a forward-looking academic conference, “Prophetic Voices: Confronting Theological Challenges of the Next Century,” March 18-20, 2015.

“Prophetic Voices” brings together a dozen renowned theologians from Candler and beyond, including Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson (Gilead, Lila), Janet Soskice, chair of the faculty of divinity at the University of Cambridge, and ecologist Norman Wirzba of The Divinity School at Duke University, among others. The conference is co-sponsored by the McDonald Agape Foundation.

Despite the common definition of the word ‘prophecy’ as forecasting the future, conference organizer and Candler professor Luke Timothy Johnson explains that this event is not an exercise in prognostication, but in truth-telling.

“By prophecy, we don’t mean predicting the future, but speaking a vision to the present,” he says. “We’re speaking of prophecy in biblical terms, as discerning in the complex circumstances of everyday life a Word from God, and speaking that Word to a world most desperately needing to hear it.”

Johnson, who serves as R.W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins and chair of Candler’s Centennial Celebration, opens the conference on the evening of March 18 with the keynote, “Meeting the Theological Challenges of the New Century.”  Then over the next two days, four other Candler faculty members will deliver major presentations on the themes outlined in the keynote: theological imagination and the issue of secularization, the image of God in contemporary society, creation and care of the earth, and the kingdom of God and global pluralism.

Candler faculty presenters include Ted A. Smith, associate professor of preaching and ethics, who will consider questions about secularization through the lens of the sermon story; Ellen Ott Marshall, associate professor of Christian ethics and conflict transformation, who will explore the theological, political and rhetorical power of imago dei, the concept that humans are created in the image of God; Carol A. Newsom, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Old Testament, who will reflect on threats to the environment in biblical and theological terms; and Jehu J. Hanciles, D.W. and Ruth Brooks Associate Professor of World Christianity, who will examine elements of global pluralism and its expanding religious dimensions, including its implications for western theological education in the 21st century.

Following each presentation will be two shorter talks by guest panelists. In addition to Robinson, Soskice and Wirzba, panelists include M. Shawn Copeland, Boston College; Steven J. Kraftchick, Candler; Sally G. Bingham, Interfaith Power and Light and The Regeneration Project; Dana L. Robert, Boston University; and Daniel Jeyaraj, Liverpool Hope University. Candler faculty members Elizabeth M. Bounds, Ian A. McFarland, Jonathan Strom and Elizabeth Corrie will serve as moderators.

Thomas G. Long, Bandy Professor of Preaching, and Teresa L. Fry Brown, professor of homiletics, will preach at two worship services during the conference.  

The conference themes were carefully crafted and selected by Candler’s Centennial Committee and are being integrated into classroom instruction at Candler throughout the school year. During the conference, students will gather in formal discussion groups with faculty to reflect on the ideas being presented.

“These four themes were identified as issues that are distinctive to our age in a way that they weren’t when Candler was founded 100 years ago,” says Johnson.

And the hope is that “Prophetic Voices” will encourage dialogue about these themes far beyond the walls of Candler, long after the conference has ended.

“Thinking through the Christian reality in light of these pressing concerns is what we want to initiate in a formal fashion, and make this a signature statement as we move forward into the next century.”

Who Should Attend
“Prophetic Voices” is designed for students and faculty of Candler and Emory University as well as theologians and church leaders who want to engage in conversation with renowned scholars and activists about the critical issues facing the future of theology and theological education.

The conference has reached capacity and registration is closed. Stay tuned to the website, Facebook, or Twitter for links to video recordings of the sessions.

Schedule Overview

Wednesday, March 18

7:00 p.m. – Keynote Address: “Meeting the Theological Challenges of the New Century”

Luke Timothy Johnson, Candler School of Theology

Thursday, March 19

9:00 a.m. – Logos: Theological Imagination and Secularization

                  Speaker: Ted A. Smith, Candler School of Theology
                  Panelists: Marilynne Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author; Janet Soskice,

                  Cambridge University

11:00 a.m. – Worship Service
                  Preacher: Thomas G. Long, Candler School of Theology

1:30 p.m. – Person: The Image of God in the Contemporary World
                  Speaker: Ellen Ott Marshall, Candler School of Theology
                  Panelists: M. Shawn Copeland, Boston College; Steven J. Kraftchick, Candler

3:30 p.m. – Cosmos: God’s Creation and the Care of the Earth
                  Speaker: Carol A. Newsom, Candler School of Theology
                  Panelists: Sally G. Bingham, President and Founder, Interfaith Power and Light;                 Norman Wirzba, Duke Divinity School

Friday, March 20
 9:00 a.m. – Polity: The Kingdom of God and Global Pluralism
                 Speaker: Jehu J. Hanciles, Candler School of Theology
                  Panelists: Daniel Jeyaraj, Liverpool Hope University; Dana L. Robert, Boston      University

11:00 a.m. – Worship Service
                  Preacher: Teresa L. Fry Brown, Candler School of Theology

Page through the digital conference program. Download the pdf. 

About the McDonald Agape Foundation
The Honorable Alonzo L. McDonald founded the McDonald Agape Foundation to encourage distinguished scholars and scholarship for Jesus Christ. Prior to forming the Foundation, he enjoyed distinguished careers in business, government, and academia. An alumnus of Emory College, McDonald served for many years on the Board of Trustees of Emory University.

About Candler School of Theology

Candler School of Theology, Emory University, prepares real people to make a real difference in the real world. An intellectually vital, internationally distinguished and intentionally diverse university-based school of theology, its mission is to educate faithful and creative leaders for the church’s ministries in the world. Candler is dedicated to expanding knowledge of religion and theology, deepening spiritual life, strengthening the public witness of the churches, and building upon the breadth of Christian traditions, particularly the Wesleyan heritage, for the positive transformation of church and world. It is one of 13 United Methodist Church seminaries, with an enrollment of nearly 500 students representing over 40 denominations and more than 7,500 alumni worldwide.