Check in with what we've been up to on the Eden campus and beyond.
Enjoyed being part of the Juneteenth celebrations organized by St. John’s the Beloved Community UCC in St. Louis. Eden Seminary was well represented with alumni, Board members, students, faculty, staff, and some new friends. St. Louis mayor, Tishaura Jones and US House Representative, Cori Bush were both part of the festivities.
Award Details:
Eden Theological Seminary is proud to announce that the Application for Eden Scholarships is open for new and returning students for the 2021-2022 Academic Year.
If you are applying to Eden Seminary for any of our degree programs, you are encouraged to complete your application and arrange an interview no later than May 15, 2021 to qualify for scholarships.
Submission Details:
New and Returning Students, Please forward your complete application materials to [email protected] no later than 11:59 pm (CT) on May 31, 2021.
Eden Seminary is in the midst of saying farewell and best wishes to Professor Ben Sanders, Assistant Professor of Theology and Ethics. Dr. Sanders will be moving from Eden at the end of June to begin a new position with the City of Denver as their Race and Social Justice Learning and Development Specialist. The Eden community is saddened by this news, yet celebrates this opportunity for Dr. Sanders and the family.
Professor Sanders has made myriad contributions to the Eden faculty and the Seminary in his six years on the faculty. He has taught the introductory and first level Social Ethics course in the curriculum (where students have been affirmed and challenged to grapple with their embedded theology). He has enlivened the theological imaginations of faculty colleagues and students alike to the work of James Cone and Howard Thurman — deepening our understanding of Black Theology, the diversity and power of the Black Church, and its historical and theological traditions. Additionally, Professor Sanders has been an architect in the faculty of our emerging commitment to movement-based theologies of activism, solidarity, and social change.
While at Eden, Professor Sanders has shared his brilliant scholarship and teaching generously with Eden students in the classroom, and in the church and public square in many different forums. An excellent preacher, a compelling lecturer, a compassionate listener, Professor Sanders has mentored many and encouraged many more. The witness of his work and this new position is a harbinger of the kind of vocational resilience that Eden faculty seek to engender in our students — pursuing God’s redemptive purposes of social transformation in all kinds of forms — from congregations to city halls.
With appreciation for the great gifts and service Dr. Ben Sanders contributed to the Eden Community, we salute his achievements and his continued ministry in the public square.
Eden Theological Seminary celebrated its 171st Commencement Ceremony on May 14, 2021. You can watch the whole ceremony, Rev. Dr. Damayanthi Nile’s commencement address, and Rev. Dr. Deborah Krause’s power charge to the 2021 graduates below.
On May 21 and 22, Eden Seminary will be hosting its first annual plant sale. It will be located in the main parking lot on the Eden campus. The net proceeds of the sale will go to the Eden Gleaning and Gardening Project. Many types of plants will be available including tomatoes, basil, aloe and more! The sale will run from 10 AM – 6 PM CDT on May 21 and 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM CDT on May 22.
By action of the Board of Trustees and faculty, Eden Seminary is celebrating these faculty promotions and changes. Congratulations to our members on this amazing achievement!
Congratulations to these awardees selected by Eden’s Faculty for the following:
Eden Seminary is in the midst of saying farewell and best wishes to Professor Adam Ployd, assistant professor of church history and historical theology. Dr. Ployd has given the Seminary notice that he has accepted an offer to serve as the Vice Principal of Wesley House in Cambridge, UK (beginning summer 2021).
For over eight years Professor Ployd has pursued his calling as a teacher and scholar with passion and commitment to Eden Seminary in its mission to empower leaders for the Progressive Christian Movement. He is a brilliant historian, productive scholar, and a dedicated teacher. We are thankful for the gifts he has shared, and celebrate his call to serve in theological education in his own denominational tradition within the global context.
Wesley House, as the name makes plain, is a Methodist theological school with connections to Cambridge University and relationships with several US UMC theological schools. It has a storied history and is developing itself as a global resource in theological education, particularly for Methodist clergy from many different countries. As a Deacon in the UMC, Professor Ployd is excited for the opportunity to be a leader in Methodist theological formation and the family is thrilled at the opportunity to live, work, and learn in the UK.
Eden is wishing Dr. Ployd and his family well. In the remaining months of the term, there will be ways to celebrate his work with Eden and to send the Ployd family off with our best wishes and prayers.
Eden Seminary supports the Statement on Anti-Asian Violence of the Asian Descent Presidents and Deans Affinity Group of the Association of Theological Schools.
Statement on Anti-Asian Violence by The Asian Descent Presidents and Deans Affinity Group of the Association of Theological Schools
March 24, 2021
We, the Asian Descent Presidents and Deans, of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) condemn and denounce every form of attack against Asians and Asian Americans in the strongest possible terms. As a minoritized group, Asian Americans have been historically subject to harassment, discrimination, violence, and mass incarceration. The recent targeted violent and brutal attacks on the members of our community are abhorrent manifestations of perennial racism against the Americans of Asian descent in our country. The targeted violence unto killing of the most vulnerable—women and the elderly—is especially deplorable. It is a direct assault on our community that honors and values family deeply. We reject white supremacy and xenophobia and urge an end to the scapegoating of Asian and Asian Americans for the pandemic.
The Asian and Asian American community is an ethnically and culturally diverse group that has made valuable contributions to our society—particularly so during this pandemic. We claim our rightful place in our country and demand to be treated equally and with dignity. We ask all of us to respect and protect the life of every member of our community.
We call upon all members of ATS to speak against anti-Asian racism in our institution and nation. We ask you to join in our fight for justice and the equal rights of people of Asian descent, as each and every one of us is called to bear witness to God’s justice and mercy for all people.
The members and friends of the Asian Descent Presidents and Deans Affinity Group at the Association of Theological Schools listed below do hereby stand in solidarity as the signatories of the Statement:
Dr. Susan Abraham, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, Pacific School of Religion | Vice-Chair, ATS Asian Descent Presidents and Deans Affinity Group
Dr. Deborah H. C. Gin, Director of Research and Faculty Development, The Association of Theological Schools | The Commission on Accrediting
Rev. Dr. David S. Han, Dean of the Faculty and Vice-President for Academics, Pentecostal Theological Seminary | Chair, ATS Asian Descent Presidents and Deans Affinity Group
Rev. Dr. Jin K. Hwang, The School of Divinity, Georgia Central University
Dr. Hyunwan Kim, Academic Dean of the Graduate School, Grace Mission University
Dr. Uriah Y. Kim, President, Graduate Theological Union
Rev. Dr. Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan, President, Claremont School of Theology
Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, Iliff School of Theology
Rev. Dr. James Seung-Hyun Lee, President, International Theological Seminary | Steering Committee Member, Asian Descent Presidents and Deans Affinity Group
Rev. Dr. John Y. Lee, Academic Dean, John Leland Center for Theological Studies
Dr. Sanghoon Lee, President, America Evangelical University Graduate School of Theology
Dr. Sang Meyng Lee, President, Presbyterian Theological Seminary in America
Dr. Katheryn Leung, President, China Evangelical Seminary North America
Rev. Dr. Kuo-Liang Lin, President, Logos Evangelical Seminary
Dr. Amir Hussain, Chair of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University
Rev. Dr. Wonsuk Ma, Dean of the College of Theology and Ministry, Oral Roberts University
Rev. Dr. Deborah Flemister Mullen, Columbia Theological Seminary | Past Co-Convener of the ATS African American Presidents and Deans Group
Rev. Dr. Damayanthi Niles, Interim Academic Dean, Eden Theological Seminary
Rev. Dr. Alvin Padilla, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Director of Advanced Degrees, Western Theological Seminary
Dr. Rollin A. Ramsaran, Academic Dean, Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan
Dr. Lester Edwin J. Ruiz, Director of Accreditation and Global Engagement, The Association of Theological Schools | The Commission on Accrediting
Rev. Dr. J. Jayakiran Sebastian, Dean of the Seminary, United Lutheran Seminary
Rev. Seon Mook Shin, Vice President, World Mission University School of Theology
Dr. Chloe Sun, Academic Dean, Logos Evangelical Seminary | Steering Committee Member, Asian Descent Presidents and Deans Affinity Group
Rev. Christopher M. The, PhD Cand., Director of Commission Information Services, The Association of Theological Schools | The Commission on Accrediting
Dr. Felix Theonugraha, President, Western Theological Seminary
Dr. Mai-Anh Le Tran, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
Dr. David Vásquez-Levy, President, Pacific School of Religion | Convener of the ATS LatinX Presidents and Deans
Dr. Frank Yamada, Executive Director, The Association of Theological Schools | The Commission on Accrediting
Dr. Mary H. Young, Director of Leadership Education, The Association of Theological Schools | The Commission on Accrediting
Dr. Amos Yong, Dean of the School of Theology and the School of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary
