What if learning—that is, discerning, debating, reaching to make sense of ourselves, our communities, our cosmos and our Creator, and then considering and ordering our relationships and our responsibilities to all of these things—what if such learning is the very essence of our personhood, of life in community, of our worship of God?
Cynthia Lindner, 2023 Distinguished Alumna Address
Calling Seattle. Alums and friends in the Seattle-Tacoma area, save Saturday, March 9 at 1:30pm for gathering with good food and good company. You'll have a chance to hear from Justin Carlson about his student internship at First Christian Church in Tacoma with alumnus Doug Collins and to talk with Dean Kris Culp about the latest good news from DDH. RSVP
Bon appetit. House Scholar Charlie Platt makes lunch on the new induction ranges. They are set in new cabinets with a new stove hood and new lighting. Hidden from sight is a massive air handler and ductwork that ensure adequate airflow in the dining room. The design team used environmentally friendly ways to reduce the heat without introducing air conditioning and also addressed safety concerns associated with gas stoves and ovens.
Spiritual cartographies. Can one's spiritual life be mapped? What connections can be traced between cultural and spiritual geographies? Shaundra Cunningham, Associate Dean for Community Life at Rockefeller Chapel, spoke on February 26.
Global theologies. At its February 1-8 meeting, held in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, Kris Culp was elected one of five vice moderators of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches. Comprised of scholars and church leaders from Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Pentecostal traditions, the global commission seeks to address theological matters that are church dividing and to promote visible unity. Theological anthropology and technology, contextuality and decolonialism, ecclesiology, and moral discernment are among current study topics.
Building Community: At a Monday forum on February 19, Beau Underwood, Senior Minister of Allisonville Christian Church in Indianapolis, explored "Cultivating faith communities in a secular age." He engaged a conversation about whether and how a sense of belonging and of transcendence can be renewed in congregational life.
In memoriam. Cynthia Rice McCrae died on February 18 in Indianapolis. She was 97. Known as a person filled with gratitude, love, deep caring, and joy for life, she was a teacher, church and community leader, friend, partner, and mother. She is survived by five children, Bruce, Doug, Carol, Linda, and Maureen, plus grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Ian, in 2011. He was honored by DDH's Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2007; Cynthia remained part of the wider DDH community until her death.