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A Note of Thanks from Our Team Dear Perspective Online Community: This academic year is fast coming to its close, but our recruitment season continues with anticipation of one last push this summer as we head into fall 2021 and welcome another new class. In this last issue of the year, we wish to express our sense of appreciation for all you do for Perkins. It is with a deep gratitude that we pay tribute to our extraordinary Perspective [...]

What a school year we have had!  A killer virus, tornados in Dallas, a record-breaking ice storm and freeze—I was waiting for the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse! But, we made it through all of the chaos.  As President Turner recently told SMU Staff at the annual staff picnic, “We rallied, worked together, made adjustments, and persevered.  And we did it!” And Perkins' faithful donors “did it” too, responding to appeals and opportunities in a miraculous way. Let me [...]

May 14, 2021   The Dr. and Mrs. J. P. Bray Award in Hebrew, given to the student who ranks highest in Hebrew scholarship: Chris Gelwick Faculty Award in Greek, awarded to the student who ranks highest in New Testament Greek scholarship: Marissa Neil The Charley T. and Jesse James Bible Awards, awarded to students on the basis of academic achievement in biblical courses and overall scholastic performance. The ranked awards went to 1) Shandon Klein and 2) Jennifer [...]

Following an agreement announced in April, the World Methodist Museum in Lake Junaluska, N.C., is sending its entire collection to Bridwell Library at Perkins. A portion of the collection already has arrived at the library in time for Aldersgate Day, the anniversary of John Wesley’s spiritual awakening on May 24, 1738. The remainder is scheduled to arrive in July. The addition of the artifacts to Bridwell’s already-extensive collection, coupled with two world-renowned Wesley scholars named as new Perkins faculty [...]

On May 3, Perkins faculty approved a proposal to launch an SMU Perkins Black/ Africana Church Studies (BACS) Program. Tamara Lewis, Assistant Professor of the History of Christianity, will serve as the program’s director. “The program will critically explore Black theology, Black Biblical studies and interpretation, history, pastoral theology, preaching, worship, religious education, ethics, and other practices in conjunction with African American, African, and other African Diasporic churches, non-profit organizations, and social justice ministries,” said Lewis. The BACS program [...]

One of the highlights of the annual conference sessions of The United Methodist Church, particularly within the South Central Jurisdiction, is the annual gathering of alums from Perkins School of Theology for a meal and conversation with Perkins representatives.  This year, because of ongoing concerns about COVID-19 and the ability to gather safely, annual conference sessions are not yet back to “normal” and alumni/ae gatherings have been impacted. However, Perkins alumni/ae will have the chance to connect virtually at the [...]

Applications Now Open for First Cohort of Perkins Testimony HQ Congregational Initiative Applications will be accepted from June 1 until July 1 from congregations interested in joining Perkins School of Theology’s Testimony HQ grant-funded initiative. Ten churches will be selected for the first cohort, which launches January 1, 2022.  Churches within a 350-mile radius of Dallas, Texas, are eligible to apply. The program, supported by a $999,975 grant made through Lilly Endowment’s nationwide Thriving Congregations Initiative, aims to increase the practice of testimony as community [...]

Two things convinced the Rev. Dr. Edmund Robb III (M.T.S., 1976) to come to Perkins for his theological education: a job offer, and a desire for a change of scenery. Robb had decided to pursue full-time seminary studies after taking a few courses as a part-time student at Asbury Theological Seminary. Robb loved Asbury but was ready for a new challenge. Then he was offered a job as a youth minister at First Methodist Church in Waxahachie.  Perkins School [...]