New Dean for SFTS

**Marrow Man** · #1 (**permalink**) 07-03-2009, 04:59 PM

I found this news tidbit on the PC(USA) website:

Quote:

Elizabeth Liebert will become the first Roman Catholic sister named as dean of a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seminary this summer when she takes over the position at San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS). ... “We are particularly pleased to be attaining a historic ecumenical milestone,” SFTS President Phil Butin said. “Dr. Liebert's deanship is a sterling example of SFTS's thoroughgoing commitment to ecumenical theological education.”

Also at the same link, you can find this seminary news:

Quote:

The 2009 Worship and Arts Conference co-sponsored by Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s will be held July 22-25 on the seminary’s campus here. The conference, “Borders and Beyond,” offers pastors, worship leaders, liturgical artists, church members and seminarians ideas and inspiration for creative approaches to worship planning and leadership. The program includes lectures, workshops with professional artists and creative worship experiences. ... Workshops in liturgical arts will be offered by Marie McCanless, visual arts; Jennifer Thalman Kepler, drama; Kimberly Bracken Long, writing; Harry Pickens, music; and Judith Rock, dance.

All of the workshops, save one, are being led by women.

I wonder if the lady featured in Chris' pic from earlier will be attending.

Edward · #2 (**permalink**) 07-03-2009, 05:22 PM

The sad thing is that a Catholic nun may not mark a decline.

**Marrow Man** · #3 (**permalink**) 07-03-2009, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edward

The sad thing is that a Catholic nun may not mark a decline.

Hmmm ... you may have a point.

Reformed Thomist · #4 (**permalink**) 07-03-2009, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edward

The sad thing is that a Catholic nun may not mark a decline.

No; a nun heading up any seminary is always a mark of decline.

That she is working at a mainline Protestant school means that she is so liberal that even the liberal Roman Catholic schools want nothing to do with her. In the RCC, it is almost always a sign of banishment. Now she can rail against official Church teaching (for all the wrong reasons, of course -- liberal/secular reasons, i.e., denying the doctrine of Hell because 'God loves us', etc.) without it being her Archbishop's problem anymore.

**Marrow Man** · #5 (**permalink**) 07-03-2009, 10:38 PM

Interesting! Would it be possible for a nun to become so "liberal" (or to be so black-balled/banished) that it is because she is becoming more "Protestant" in her beliefs?

We have a young man who recently joined our church after leaving an RC church. He was banished (everything except excommunicated) after discovering Reformed theology and teaching it to a youth class.

Of course, if the nun was actually being even remotely conservative, I don't suppose that SFTS would have anything to do with her...

Reformed Thomist · #6 (**permalink**) 07-03-2009, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marrow Man

Interesting! Would it be possible for a nun to become so "liberal" (or to be so black-balled/banished) that it is because she is becoming more "Protestant" in her beliefs?

Possible, but very, very unlikely. It just doesn't seem to ever happen that way, especially with professors who happen to be nuns; when they reject RC teaching, you can bank on it not being over having accepted Sola Fide or Sola Scriptura, the Reformed doctrine of Predestination, etc. More like embracing the splendors of sodomy.

It would be very interesting to see how such a scenario would pan out, though. I have often wondered whether some bishops in charge of seminaries might just be happy to have a nun-theologian who is actually a conservative Christian on board, Protestant or not. As I say, those are few and far between in our day.