Candler School of Theology - Emory University

The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada will host its 2024 annual conference at Emory University beginning this Sunday, July 14. The four-day event will include Candler faculty members James Abbington and Khalia Williams (both pictured) as plenary speakers. Learn more and register: https://thehymnsociety.org/event/

While the conference itself requires registration, free public hymn festivals will be offered at 7:30 p.m. each evening. Details are listed below:

Sunday, July 14 in Cannon Chapel: "Singing in the Spirit: Congregational Singing in the African American Tradition" with Dr. Raymond Wise & HBCU Choir

Monday, July 15 at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church: "The Seasonality of Black Sacred Music Education" with Dr. Alisha Lola Jones

Tuesday, July 16 in Cannon Chapel: "Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs: Music from the Black Holiness and Holiness-Pentecostal Traditions" with Dr. Donté Ford

Wednesday, July 17 at Friendship Baptist Church: "Come, We that Love the Lord…Join in a Song with Sweet Accord: Isaac Watts and the Black Church" with Dr. James Abbington

(Top photo: Cristha Lea; bottom photo: BowTie Photos, LLC)

Heads up, prospective students! When Candler classes begin in August, this could be you—if you submit your application to Candler by our new extended deadline of Monday, July 22! (That's just under three weeks if you're checking your calendar.) Questions? Concerns? You can reach our trusty Candler School of Theology Admissions team at [email protected] or 404-727-6326. We look forward to hearing from you! Apply here: https://bit.ly/candler-app-24

(Photos: Cindy Brown 09T; Marcus Gaut MDiv '26)

Candler is in the midst of hosting the 2024 Summer Institute for Global Charismatic-Pentecostal Studies, which brings together esteemed scholars, pastors, and key leaders in the field of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in partnership with the Society for Pentecostal Studies and funded by a generous grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. On Thursday, participants heard a keynote plenary address from the Rev. Younghoon Lee, pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea, the largest Pentecostal church in the world with approximately 480,000 members. The institute continues through Saturday with worship opportunities, plenary sessions, and a Q&A with scholars and pastors.

Learn more about the Summer Institute: https://bit.ly/the-summer-institute-gcps

(Photo: Mengfei Su, MDiv '26)

Need a new podcast rec? Check out these 10 Emory University-based series, including The Candler Foundry's "Candler in Conversation," which brings different themes around faith, theology and vocation to the forefront as Candler staff, faculty, alumni and students share their stories. Look for a new slate of episodes focused on chaplaincy to drop later this summer!

Tune into these Emory podcasts this summer | Emory University | Atlanta GA The academic year may be on a break, but summer is the perfect time to tap into new perspectives with podcasts from the Emory community, whether you want to learn about sports analytics, health tips or anything in between.

Emory University Provost Ravi V. Bellamkonda has announced the appointment of Jonathan Strom as the next dean of Candler School of Theology. A member of Candler’s faculty since 1997, Strom will begin a two-year term as dean on August 1. “Throughout the search process, we heard a desire from faculty, staff, students, alumni and church leaders for a dean who understands the school’s needs, strengths and vision at this dynamic moment,” the announcement read. “In Jonathan Strom, we have a well-known and seasoned leader who is ideally positioned to work with the Candler community to advance the wide variety of ambitious initiatives now underway and move the school forward toward its shared vision.” Read more at the Emory News Center: https://bit.ly/strom-new-candler-dean

Last week, Dean Jan Love addressed the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church during its annual conference in Athens. Love steps down from the deanship this summer after leading Candler for nearly 18 years.

"Candler educates faithful and creative leaders for the church’s ministries throughout the world, and we’ve been doing that for 110 years. …All of you [alumni] who faithfully serve congregations, chaplaincies, and other ministries demonstrate the power of a Candler education, and that’s where the rubber hits the road. Thank you for working hard to make known the love and grace of Christ faithfully where you are. It's been one of the greatest joys of my life to lead Candler School of Theology."

(Photos: North Georgia Annual Conference)

First day of summer vibes. ☀️

Today we commemorate the Juneteenth holiday and share these words from Associate Professor in the Practice of Religion and Society and Candler Black Church Studies Program Director Nichole R. Phillips: "Juneteenth comes in a long line of historical freedom celebrations by Black people in America, including January 1, as a remembrance of Lincoln’s pronouncement, and observation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the third Monday of January. While many Black people patriotically recognize July 4th as America’s Independence Day, they also know the masses were not free. America’s independence did not apply to them. So Juneteenth is experienced in Black communities, more generally and in faith communities alike, as the realization of Black freedom, dignity and humanity. This profound conviction grounds practices of Black faith and religion, yesteryear and today, cultivating in African Americans a 'deep sense of somebodiness' in the United States."

Just shy of 18 years ago, Jan Love was selected as the ninth dean of Candler School of Theology—the first woman, the first scholar outside of theology, and the first layperson to be appointed dean of the nearly 100-year-old institution. Naturally, some stakeholders were uncertain about her aptness for the job. Undaunted, Love got to work, gradually transforming those who were initially skeptical into some of her biggest champions through her gifts of connection, commitment and communication. Now, two decades later, you might say that Candler itself has been transformed. As Love steps down from the deanship this summer, we offer our appreciation. Read more about Dean Love:

With Deep Gratitude: Celebrating Dean Love As Jan Love steps down after nearly 18 years as Candler's dean, the community that bears her provident and lasting imprint reflects on her legacy.

Several Candler faculty members have received recent accolades for their publications and scholarship, including upcoming research sabbaticals with the support of grants or fellowships. Congratulations to all! Read more about their honors here: https://bit.ly/3VfPfLu

Two Candler faculty members were recently interviewed for Emory University's series of master classes known as The Platform, sharing the journeys that guided them to teach and lead in theological higher education. Tune in to watch Associate Professor of Transformative Leadership and Communal Care Gregory C. Ellison II discuss the bi-vocational work of ministry and entrepreneurship (Episode 6), while Professor of Hebrew Bible Roger Nam explores money, wealth, and the Bible (Episode 10): https://2036.emory.edu/the-platform

The Candler community joins with all those mourning world-renowned theologian Jürgen Moltmann, who died on June 3 in Germany at the age of 98. Moltmann served from 1983 to 1993 as Robert W. Woodruff Distinguished Visiting Professor of Systematic Theology at Candler, and remained a steadfast friend of the school in the decades that followed. "We are immensely grateful to have been able to count Jürgen as one of our own," writes Professor in the Practice of Systematic Theology Steffen Lösel. Read Lösel's full tribute to Moltmann here:

Remembering Jürgen Moltmann Candler School of Theology mourns the loss of Prof. Dr. Jürgen Moltmann, who died on June 3, 2024, in Tübingen, Germany, at the age of 98. We are immensely grateful […]

Congratulations to rising third-year MDiv student Meg Rooney, who has been named a 2024 Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) Vestal Scholar! Created in 2011, the Vestal Scholarship is the most prestigious CBF scholarship and honors Baptist students who have demonstrated academic excellence and displayed a deep commitment to the local church and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Meg has served as a CBF marketing and communications intern and freelance copywriter since 2022. At this year's Candler Honors Day Convocation, she won the Charles O. Smith Jr. Scholarship Award, which honors a rising senior who demonstrates exceptional commitment to ministry within the Baptist tradition. Read more about Meg's accomplishment: https://bit.ly/rooney-vestal-scholar

Candler's Pitts Theology Library has acquired the digital archives of the radio program Day1.org—formerly known as The Protestant Hour—which has been broadcasting sermons weekly since 1945. The Alliance for Christian Media (ACM), the nonprofit broadcasting organization that produces Day1, entrusted Pitts with the show’s full digital archives of more than 3,800 sermons as part of a partnership agreement this spring.

The partnership is the result of years of collaboration between Pitts and ACM and launches a three-year project that marks a big step in the effort to preserve and provide access to a sizeable portion of America’s Protestant broadcasted preaching history. Read more here: https://bit.ly/pitts-acm-archives

The Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church Summer Lecture Series returns on June 2 and runs through July 28. Join Candler faculty and alumni on Sundays at 9:45 a.m. in the church's Ward Fellowship Hall for engaging lessons and discussions:

June 2: "Migration/immigration and the Church's Witness" with D.W. and Ruth Brooks Professor of World Christianity Jehu Hanciles

June 9: "Methodism and Disability Justice: From Wesley to the UM Social Principles" with Kevin Lazarus 20T

June 16: "The March on Jerusalem: Considering Jesus' Journey Through the Lens of Nonviolent Action" with Professor in the Practice of Youth Education and Peacebuilding Beth Corrie

June 23: "Ezra-Nehemiah as Migration Literature: Reflecting on Present Realities" with Professor of Hebrew Bible Roger Nam

June 30: "Biblical Witness in a Biblically Illiterate World - Part 1" with Dan and Lillian Hankey Associate Professor of World Evangelism Arun Jones

July 7: "Biblical Witness in a Biblically lliterate World- Part 2" with Dan and Lillian Hankey Associate Professor of World Evangelism Arun Jones

July 14: "What the Bible has to say about Poverty - Part 1" with Associate Professor in the Practice of Old Testament Ryan Bonfiglio

July 21: "What the Bible has to say about Poverty - Part 2" with Associate Professor in the Practice of Old Testament Ryan Bonfiglio

July 28: "Wesley's Primitive Physick and United Methodist Social Principles: Christian Faith and Public Health" with Professor in the Practice of Practical Theology and Methodist Studies Tom Elliott

Assistant Professor of Catholic Studies Susan Reynolds has won the New Scholar Essay Prize for Catholic Studies in the Americas, awarded by the Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies at Fordham University. As the award recipient, Reynolds will also deliver a lecture at Fordham this fall.

Her essay explores the complex histories of clergy abuse in marginalized immigrant communities.

Reynolds Wins Prize for 2023 Essay Assistant Professor of Catholic Studies Susan Reynolds has won the New Scholar Essay Prize for Catholic Studies in the Americas, awarded by the Francis and Ann Curran Center for American […]

Last week, Assistant Professor of Latinx Communities Jonathan Calvillo was interviewed by NPR affiliate KJZZ Phoenix on the religious and political shifts in the U.S.'s Latino population.

"I think we need to also recognize what's unique to this moment, which is the higher visibility. And so I would say it's not an illusion. I do think something is happening there. But I do think that if we actually look at the people in the pews, there is still somewhat more diversity."

The surprising reasons Latino Protestants are embracing Christian nationalism Both Democrats and Republicans will be vying for the Latino vote in this year’s election. The growing demographic is key to winning several key states this November, including Arizona. But the Latino vote is shifting. And, as our next guest describes, their religious affiliation is shifting as wel...

Our new alumni are already sharing their voices with the world! 2024 MTS grad Sara Augustin wrote the op-ed "Black Girls Are Dancing to Reclaim Their Sacred Worth" for Sojourners in her role as a member of the publication’s spring journalism cohort. In the piece, Sara cites the work of several womanist scholars, including Associate Dean of Worship and Music and Associate Professor in the Practice of Worship Khalia J. Williams.

Not only is Sara's work featured in Sojo, but at this year's Honors Day Convocation she won two awards, including the Pitts Theology Library Student Research Award for her project exploring speculative fiction as a framework for developing a liberation theology for Black women. Congratulations, Sara!

Black Girls Are Dancing to Reclaim Their Sacred Worth TikTok dancers are part of a long tradition of using dance to connect with the Divine.

Heads up, prospective students: The final deadline to apply to Candler for fall 2024 is July 1—and our Candler School of Theology Admissions team has several upcoming opportunities for you to ask your questions, see more of campus, and get your app submitted in time. Check out our Admissions Events listing for more info, and register for our Application Questions Info Session (tomorrow night!), our next Digital Info Session (May 30!), or any of our summer Express Campus Visits (Tuesdays and Fridays!). Learn more and sign up: https://bit.ly/VisitCandler

Calling all Candler alums: the 2024 slate of Candler Clubs begins next week! These gatherings of alumni during summer denominational meetings are the perfect opportu­nity to enjoy a meal with fellow alumni and friends, engage with faculty and staff members, and learn the latest news about Candler. See a full list of dates and locations and register for a Candler Club near you: https://bit.ly/44ORI3S
(Photos from last year's CCs courtesy of our intrepid Advancement and Alumni Engagement team. They'll see you there!)

Dean's Professor of Systematic Theology Kwok Pui Lan first joined Candler's faculty as a visiting professor in 2017, and won her first of two Faculty Person of the Year awards not long after. Over the last seven years, Kwok—who retires this spring—has served as a stalwart figure at Candler, her proactive presence a constant reminder of the power of Christian community—to celebrate, to mourn, to call for change, to make room at the table. Read a tribute to Kwok here:

Kwok Pui Lan: Groundbreaking Scholarship, Grounded in Community In the spring of 2018, the Candler community gathered in Cannon Chapel for the school’s annual Honors Day Convocation. Applause burst forth for each student recipient, energy building until the […]

Bishop Larry Goodpaster 73T 82T retires from Candler this spring after eight years as the school's bishop-in-residence and director of its Early Career Pastoral Leadership Program, leaving a legacy of leadership and encouragement for a new generation of pastors as they guide the church into its hope-filled future. Read a tribute to Goodpaster here:

A ‘Pastor to Pastors’ Retires Bishop-in-Residence Larry Goodpaster’s wisdom and vast biblical knowledge made him the perfect guide for a group of Candler students and faculty immersing themselves in a trip to Israel and Palestine. […]

Three big cheers for the Candler Class of 2024! 🎓🎉 Read more about Saturday's celebration: https://bit.ly/candler-grads-2024

📷: Cindy Brown 09T

They made it! The Candler community is thrilled to celebrate our outstanding Class of 2024 during our graduate recognition ceremony tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. EDT. Watch the livestream at the link in the comments!

Among Candler’s graduating class is Sangeon Kim, who was pursuing pastoral leadership in his native South Korea when he set his sights on becoming an MDiv student at Candler. We’re honored for Sangeon to represent our Candler Class of 2024 in the Emory Report commencement issue! Read his story: https://bit.ly/sangeon-kim-candler-grad-2024

Congratulations, grads! 🎓

Finding courage, context and community through practical theology | Emory University | Atlanta GA Sangeon Kim was pursuing pastoral leadership in South Korea when he set his sights on becoming a master of divinity student. At Emory, he built community and realized there’s a thin line between success and failure.

Last week, Candler's Office of Methodist Studies hosted a worship service in response to the decision at The UMC General Conference to remove all exclusionary language from the Book of Discipline blocking ordinations and marriages of those in the LGBTQIA community. Dean Jan Love wrote, "Together we rejoiced over the news we were receiving from Charlotte, cried over all the pain, loss, and damage done for five decades, and gave thanks to God for this historic moment of profound change." Read Love's full letter to the Candler community: https://bit.ly/dean-love-umcgc-2024

Dean Jan Love sent these thoughts in an email to the Candler community today about events surrounding protests at Emory this week.

Dean Love’s Message on Recent Protest Events at Emory Dear members of the Candler community: Thank you for your patience in hearing from me during this exceedingly difficult time on campus. The situation across the past 30+ hours has […]

United Methodists worldwide have convened in Charlotte for General Conference this week. This includes a class of 20 Candler students led by retired Associate Dean of Methodist Studies Anne Burkholder and Professor in the Practice of Practical Theology and Methodist Studies Tom Elliott. Not only will the students observe the decision-making process, they will also research and track legislation and meet with legislative committees, delegates, and petition sponsors. According to Assistant Dean of Methodist Studies Brett Opalinski (a clergy delegate from the Florida Annual Conference), “It is an important opportunity for students to interact and work with United Methodists from across the world. There are also daily class meetings for students to connect and reflect on what they are experiencing.” (Thanks to second-year MDiv student Nicholle Hansen for the photo of a few class members!)

In addition, the Candler Singers will perform in conjunction with General Conference at several locations throughout North Carolina this weekend:
Saturday, April 27, 3 p.m.: Brooks Howell Retirement Community, Asheville
Sunday, April 28, 8:45 and 11:00 a.m. worship: Brevard First UMC, Brevard
Sunday, April 28, 4:00 p.m., St. Paul’s UMC, Charlotte
(Photo: Cecelia Annette Photography)

We lift up prayers for these and all members of the Candler community—alumni, faculty, staff, and students—taking part in the work of General Conference.

William Ragsdale Cannon Distinguished Professor of New Testament Musa Dube is the featured speaker at tonight's Earth Day Vigil in conjunction with the General Conference of The United Methodist Church, which begins tomorrow in Charlotte, North Carolina. Take part in the vigil in person at First United Methodist Church Charlotte, NC or online tonight at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Learn more + register:

Join us for a special Earth Day Vigil on April 22 at First United Methodist Church Charlotte, NC, or tune in online!

Register for either in-person or livestream attendance: https://bit.ly/4aIbZKG

Candler's 2024 Honors Day Convocation is in the books! Congratulations to all of our amazing student, faculty, and staff award winners. Learn more about them and the influence Candler has had in shaping their callings—and how they've helped to shape Candler!

Celebrating Candler Excellence: Honors Day Highlights On April 18, the Candler community gathered in Cannon Chapel to celebrate vocational and academic excellence in the annual Honors Day Convocation. Learn more about the award recipients and the […]