Category: March 2019

What makes life together possible? One answer is law. Unquestionably, there is truth to that response. I am grateful for civil authorities who enforce just statutes. As they say, “Good fences make good neighbors.” Legal boundaries protect us from predatory behavior and help to curb our own self-centered instincts. Would I obey speed suggestions on I-35? Knowing that speed limits are enforced has a salutary effect on my inclination to get where I am going just that much faster.

However necessary for public order and safety, the framework of law or even rules is increasingly irrelevant as we draw closer to others. My spouse Robin and I did not require a prenuptial agreement to determine who does the dishes. One or the other of us takes the initiative, often in response to how one perceives the other is doing that day. Where there is growing mutual affection and concern, formal strictures govern less and less behavior. Jesus reduced the core commandments to only two, knowing that, were we to love God and love neighbor fully, we would fully do God’s will.

What makes life together possible? In a faith community as well as in a family, I would suggest that the answer is grace. It is important to note, however, that religion and grace do not always cohabit peaceably. It is an understandable tension: Religion offers a way of living, a path and a directive, even a code of law. For that very reason, religion is all too easily reduced to a system of performance and merit, to which grace is invariably a scandal.

It is striking that so much of what was scandalous about Jesus is what is scandalous about grace. Grace pays the late laborers as much as those who bore the heat of the day. It joyously receives the prodigal back into the home. It welcomes the publican, the adulterer and the Samaritan. It extends the bounds of fellowship. Like tables in the temple, it overturns rules and traditions when their implementation stands in the way of some higher good. Thus, it chooses to perform works of healing on the Sabbath.

Jesus spoke about and, more important, demonstrated the gracious reign of God. And this is something that many religious people found impossible to accept. Why?

For one thing, because grace is unfair. It disrupts our systems of merit and self-constructed identity. It offends our sense of justice – that is, if we regard ourselves as being among the just. To appreciate and to extend grace, you have to know that you are already its beneficiary, that you have been welcomed as you are, not because of your achievements. It meets us, not at the point of our virtue, but at the point of our vulnerability, which threatens our fragile self-assertion.

To receive grace requires a recognition of our own need, our own sinfulness. That is why Jesus could say that “the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little” (Luke 7:47), and why he could tell religious authorities, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes will enter God’s reign ahead of you” (Matt. 31:21). It is why we are asked to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” (Luke 11:4). Religion as a system of exchange does not operate within this economy. In fact, it actively, even violently, opposes it.

A faith community that is also an intellectual community proffers a double hazard. Not many lectures begin with the words, “I might be wrong, but…” In academia, to be right is to be righteous, and all the more so when the object of study is God. Once again, one’s identity is fused to one’s perceived performance, and so being wrong means being less.

People who have changed their minds in some significant way – especially over a period of time, not haphazardly or reactively – have experienced a kind of intellectual repentance. Thus, it is often easier for them to be aware of the limitations of their intellect and the imperfectability of their opinions. If they have received grace, they in turn may extend grace to others, and so live with humility as well as conviction.

Students quickly learn that they cannot agree with every Perkins professor about every issue, because faculty do not themselves always agree. But I think we all recognize that each of us is more than the sum of our opinions. That does not mean that anything goes. We care passionately about truth, but we also recognize that no one possesses the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We are all still students ourselves.

To extend such grace is scandalous to some, especially to those who have not yet seen that they themselves require it. I am grateful to be part of a diverse faith and academic community that attempts to live together graciously, especially at a time when so little grace is to be found elsewhere.

Jesus consistently resisted human prejudice and self-assertion. He was, as the Gospel of John so eloquently put it, “full of grace” (1:14). That is what makes him so challenging – and so wonderful.

On February 26, 2019, the Special Session of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church adopted the “Traditional Plan,” which continues to exclude “self–avowed practicing homosexuals” from ordained ministry and prohibits clergy from officiating at same-sex weddings.

This decision has given birth to a great many uncertainties, but at least one thing is absolutely clear:  it in no way changes our institution’s historic stance of inclusion. From its inception, Perkins School of Theology has sought to serve the whole, undivided church, not simply one fraction or faction of it.  Perkins led the way in 1952 with the admission of five African-American students, resulting in the racial integration of Southern Methodist University two years before the landmark Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka. We are a diverse community that welcomes students, staff and faculty—including those who identify as LGBTQIA—from a wide range of traditions and perspectives. We see our inclusiveness as both an abiding strength and a positive goal. Perkins is one of an increasingly small number of places where individuals of differing background, experience, and opinion may come to know each other first as persons, not as positions. The aim is not to turn out students who all think alike, but to graduate leaders who think both deeply and broadly and who understand and care for others, however different they might be.

This is in concert with the commitments of the larger institution in which we are imbedded, Southern Methodist University, whose nondiscrimination statement reads as follows:

Southern Methodist University (SMU) will not discriminate in any employment practice, education program, education activity or admissions on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status. SMU’s commitment to equal opportunity includes nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.

Understandably, this week’s decision has caused a great deal of pain and confusion, both here at Perkins and at the twelve other United Methodist schools of theology. It is worth noting that the full implications of the General Conference action will continue to emerge in the weeks, months, and years ahead. Perkins School of Theology is a part of Southern Methodist University and related to a broad collection of theological seminaries, colleges, and universities affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Conversations will continue among these groups and their constituencies.  Read the statement from the Association of United Methodist Theological Schools.

In the interim, we claim this truth:  Inclusion of all persons, as beloved daughters and sons of God, is our history, our present and our future. It is our unalterable commitment as we educate the next generation of leadership for diverse expressions of Christ’s church throughout the world.

Grace and peace,

Craig C. Hill

Dean, Perkins School of Theology – SMU

I’m often asked, “What is enrollment management?”

Here is a broad explanation of the term and its components as practiced in the Office of Enrollment Management (OEM) at Perkins.

Enrollment management was first conceived in college admissions offices in the 1970s to address a projected decline in enrollment. By the late 1980s, the concept had grown to include all of the functions necessary to attract and retain students. By the late 1990s, systematic sets of activities were designed to enable educational institutions to exert more influence over their student enrollments and to encompass the totality of the student experience. By then, enrollment management had become an institution-wide, research-based implementation of activities to secure an institution’s future enrollment.

Given the nature of the breadth and scope of the many factors that impact enrollment –demographic trends, admission operations, institutional research – it became clear that institutions needed to connect the larger enrollment picture to the rest of the school, from facilities to data management. Doing so would add to the degree of success that an institution would have from recruitment to graduation.

In my early administrative years as Vice President of Enrollment Management at a college in Iowa in the early 1990s, this was precisely our approach: All departments were key participants in enacting strategies for the success of students, from recruitment to graduation.

The focus of the Office of Enrollment Management at Perkins is recruitment and admission. Financial aid and financial literacy are vital to our work. As important as it is getting students through the door, that is just the beginning. Our particular journey, as a department of enrollment management, began with staffing, review of the admission process and recruitment strategies and staff training. Now, our major emphasis is on optimizing recruitment strategies and making the admission process more efficient. Simply put, these are the building blocks where a significant amount of time must be spent: creating a foundation to grow enrollment and meet admissions goals. Knowing which students to recruit, and how best to help the ones we do, can be a challenge. Good data can help remove the guesswork, so our next step is to develop a roadmap that includes the use of our customer relation management program (Slate, which is employed University-wide) and other institutional data made available to us, in order to facilitate a greater return on our investment of resources.

I believe that, with the performance of current enrollment management elements, we are in a good place, but we understand that we cannot afford to be comfortable simply with the success we have had. We understand that it is naïve to think success is ensured. So we forge ahead to develop a culture that is more nimble and dynamic, to build a process and a mindset of strategic thinking to carry us forward and that will allow us to adjust and change as necessary. In my view, adjustment and change are the true underpinnings of successful enrollment management, essential for success to happen – and even more, to persist.

I hope this explanation is helpful. If you have questions, please contact me at 214-768-3332 or margot@smu.edu.

Peace and grace,

Margot

Rev. Dr. Margot Perez-Greene
Associate Dean of Enrollment Management

We all know that education is important. As the cost continues to rise, some sobering facts have emerged:

• Average student loan debt for the American college graduating class of 2017 was $39,400, up six percent from the previous year.
• Americans owe more than $1.48 trillion in student loan debt, spread out among 44 million borrowers. That’s about $620 billion more than the total U.S. credit card debt.

Most graduates from Perkins, or any theological seminary, do not enter high-paying careers. The type of education that Perkins provides is not inexpensive because it is personal, intensive and comprehensive. In spite of that, we do not want our graduates to be saddled with overwhelming debt.

That is why many donors have helped raise scholarship money for Perkins students. We have three scholarship emphases:

• Endowment scholarships often bear the name of a person, family or organization that gave the gift. By SMU policy, these scholarships must be at least $100,000 so that, when mature, they produce approximately $5,000 per year. In order to mature, they must be in effect for four or five years so that the value will not fall below the size of the original gift. During those initial years, donors who give this scholarship sometimes give a yearly equivalent of the money that the scholarship will produce once it matures. The scholarship endowment funds are invested carefully and managed by SMU. Donors of endowed scholarships receive yearly reports about the endowment performance and for what it is being used.
• Specific program scholarships, such as Perkins Scholars ($7,000 per year for three years for a total of $21,000), or music scholarships ($10,000 per year for two years for a total of $20,000), are very important.
• General student scholarships are gathered in several accounts that are donated through the annual fund. These funds are awarded at the discretion of the Office of Financial Aid and the Business Manager. Money raised through the successful Public Life Personal Faith Scholarship Luncheon is used in this way. Also, some donors have contributed funds from estates, not large enough to create an endowment, which are used in the family’s name to provide aid over a specific number of years.

Dean Craig Hill has often stated that the highest fundraising priority at Perkins is obtaining money for student scholarships so Perkins can fulfill the mission of educating women and men for faithful leadership in Christian ministry.

I would be glad to talk with you about how you can help the next generation of pastors, leaders and nonprofit workers by donating to one of the scholarship efforts at Perkins. Please contact me at johnma@smu.edu or visit online.

John Martin
Director of Development
Perkins School of Theology

Perkins School of Theology – Southern Methodist University will offer a Spanish-language Master of Theology (Th.M.) degree to a second cohort of students beginning in the fall of 2019. Once selected, the next group will follow the same path as the first cohort of seven students, who began in the fall of 2017 and will graduate in May. Perkins is the only institution in the United States offering this type of program.

Read the full release here.

As featured guest for the 2019 Bolin Family Public Life Personal Faith Scholarship Luncheon, Judy Woodruff shared how her personal faith informs her work in the public arena, as anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour.

“I don’t talk about my faith on television; it’s not part of my job, but it does inform who I am, and it certainly does inform my work,” Woodruff said.

Woodruff was interviewed by Peggy Wehmeyer, former religion correspondent for ABC World News Tonight, at the February 8 event at SMU.

The Public Life Personal Faith series, inaugurated in 2010, is a fundraising and outreach event of Perkins School of Theology in service to the larger community. The lecture provides an opportunity for guests to hear prominent people in the public sphere on topics related to how and why personal faith shapes public life. This luncheon is a major fundraiser for student scholarships.

The Public Life Personal Faith Scholarship Luncheon is sponsored by the family of Pat and Jane Bolin. Pat Bolin, chairman and chief executive officer at Eagle Corp and Eagle Oil & Gas Co. in Dallas, is a graduate of SMU (B.A. ’73) and a 2010 recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the SMU Cox School of Business. Jane Bolin is a member of the Perkins Executive Board.

Woodruff talked about growing up in a military family and attending seven different schools by the time she was in the 7th grade. When a professor encouraged her to consider journalism covering politics, she said, “I could ask people questions, I could be nosy and get paid for it.”

She also shared her personal faith journey. Her mother came from a strong Freewill Baptist background; her father’s family was Baptist and Methodist; her childhood caregivers were a family of Pentecostals who took her to church services. After a period of searching, she met her husband, who grew up “high church Episcopalian,” and together they joined a “regular Episcopal church,” St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.

While work keeps her from attending regularly – “It’s constant; all of us put in long days” – St. Columba’s is an important part of her life.

“When I do go to church, I come away with my faith restored,” she said. “It’s the place that brings me the strength I need.

She also expressed her worries about the current state of the media in the U.S.

“I can’t overemphasize how dangerous it is,” she said. “If we get to the point in this country where we don’t have a robust news media, a robust press, to ask questions, to hold public officials accountable … we can’t make good decisions as American citizens.”

With newspapers downsizing and many reporters losing their jobs, she added, “We are in a tough place. The bleeding continues, and I really do worry.”

Noting that trust in the media is at an all-time low, Wehmeyer, asked, “Are we as journalists responsible for that?”

“Yes, we are, but it’s also bigger than that,” Woodruff replied. “The country is so polarized. Some of us in the press have clearly played into that polarization by giving people what they think they want to hear. At the NewsHour, we’re trying to cover the news and let the viewers decide.”

While on campus, Woodruff also spent time with Meadows School of the Arts journalism students, and was interviewed by SMU TV.

John M. Esquivel was named recipient of the 2019 Woodrow B. Seals Laity Award, honoring a U.S. layperson for service to Christ in the church, community and world. Esquivel is a member of First United Methodist of Houston. Elected in 2016 as Lay Leader for the Texas Annual Conference, he serves actively on the Bishop’s Extended Cabinet. Esquivel will be recognized on March 28 during the opening worship service of the three-day Perkins Theological School for the Laity.

Read the full release here.

Although Katie Pryor M.Div. ’19 won’t graduate until May, her career is well underway. She recently began her new role in the North Texas Conference as the executive director of GO Camp, a program of summer and year-round camping that complements the current camping and retreat ministry offerings of the conference, reaches underserved communities and provides new opportunities to develop young leaders. Pryor sat down with conference staff to discuss her background and vision for GO Camp; read the story here.

Hannah Cruse was still in high school when she landed her first position as music director at a church.

“I attended a Presbyterian church in my small hometown in Arkansas,” she said. “Almost everyone there was of retirement age, including the organist.”

When the organist retired, Cruse learned how to play the organ and stepped in. By the end of high school, she was the church’s music director.

“That was a formative experience that sparked a love for sacred music for me,” she said. “I learned an appreciation of what music can be, beyond just performance and enjoyment, which is how the secular world looks at music.”

Hannah came to SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts to pursue her undergraduate degree in oboe and organ performance. While there, she realized that Perkins’ Sacred Music program was the best place for the next phase of her education.

“I got to know Chris Anderson a little bit while taking an improvisation class with him,” she said. “When he learned about my interest in sacred music, he encouraged me to check out the Master of Sacred Music (M.S.M.) degree program.”

She discovered that Perkins’ program offered the right mix of theological study and music for her. Cruse will graduate in May.

“I didn’t see many other programs that have same balance between theology and music that Perkins has,” she said. “Perkins’ M.S.M. is not just a performance degree, it’s also an academic degree. My feeling is that you can’t separate the two if you’re going to work on the music staff in a church setting.”

At Perkins, she’s taking the same basic courses in theology as M.Div. students, such as Old Testament, New Testament, Christian heritage and Christian worship, as well as courses designed specifically for M.S.M. students that link theology and music, such as classes in hymnology, ritual studies and the history of music in the church. She’s also a member of the Seminary Singers choir and takes organ lessons and music theory.

On top of her school work, Cruse serves as music director and organist at West Plano Presbyterian Church, which she describes as a small but liturgically minded church. The church is a member congregation in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that worships in the Reformed liturgical tradition; the church’s pastor, the Rev. Dr. David Batchelder, is a liturgical scholar.

While her exact career plans aren’t yet final, Cruse says she’s very interested in composition.

“I arrange a lot of pieces for the choir, and I see a number of little niches that need compositions,” she said. She noted a need for cyclical songs, new psalmody and a wider array of anthems for choirs of different sizes and ability levels.

As music director, Cruse especially enjoys finding music that works in the liturgy, blending and expanding the teaching and accompanying ritual action.

“Liturgy is the embodiment of worship in community,” she said. “I look for music that enhances the liturgy and help it move forward.”

Cruse cites 1 Corinthians 13:1 as a guiding principle in work in sacred music: “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

“It’s the same reason why music is so important, other than just for enjoyment,” she said. “That love has to be there all the time – or music can turn into a ‘me, me, me’ performance kind of thing.”