User:ArthurOgawa/Rebecca Ann Parker

The Reverend
Rebecca Ann Parker
7th President of the Starr King School for the Ministry
In office
1990–2014
Preceded byRev. Til Evans
Succeeded byRev. Rosemary Bray McNatt
Personal details
Born1953
EducationUniversity of Puget Sound BA 1975, Claremont School of Theology D.Min. 1979, Northwest Theological Seminary DD
OccupationTheologian, Minister

Rebecca Ann Parker (born 1953) is an ordained United Methodist minister in dual fellowship with the Unitarian Universalist Association. She served as President of Starr King School for the Ministry from 1990 to 2014, the first woman to serve as the permanent head of an accredited theological school, and is emerita Professor of Theology at Starr King.[1]

Career

edit

Parker's theological roots are in the liberal Protestant traditions of the Social Gospel, Boston personalism, process- and feminist theology.[1] Her family heritage includes four generations of liberal Christian ministers and progressive churchwomen.[2]

She served as a parish minister for ten years in the Pacific Northwest and taught part-time at Northwest Theological Seminary in Seattle.[3]

Her doctoral studies focused on Alfred North Whitehead’s theory of consciousness as a basis for a spirituality that integrates aesthetics and social engagement.[4]

The focus of her work has been in critical analysis of the links between Christianity and violence, especially sexual abuse, and in the constructive creation of a post-patriarchal theology, using the methodologies of feminist theology and philosophical theology. Her wider concern is not just in theology: it is in progressive faith as a way of life, a way of community, and a way of social engagement.[1]

Her current research interests include the gospel of John, the interpretation of the death of Jesus in early Christian art and ritual, and theologies of nonviolent resistance to oppression, injustice, and war.[5]

As a religious activist, she has engaged with Central American issues, women’s issues, and lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender concerns. She serves on the board of an interfaith think tank focused on progressive religion and politics called Faith Voices for the Common Good. Parker is also an accomplished cellist.[5]

Works

edit

Parker's theological work, sermons, and poetry have been published in academic journals, essay collections, and anthologies.

Thesis

edit
  • Parker, Rebecca Ann (1993). The effect of social roles on sex-role identity development in early and middle adulthood (Ph.D.). University of California, Davis.

Books

edit

Articles

edit

Poetry and Music

edit
  • Parker, Rebecca Ann (2002-03-03). "Choose to Bless the World". UU World. Retrieved 2018-06-08. Excerpt from Blessing the World.
  • Norton, Elizabeth H. "Bless the world". UUA. Retrieved 2018-06-08. Sheet music and audio for a hymn, based on a poem by Rev. Parker, composed by Ms. Norton.
  • Norton, Elizabeth H.; Parker, Rebecca Ann. "There is a love". UUA. Retrieved 2018-06-08. Sheet music and video for a hymn (a 4-part round), based on a meditation by Rev. Parker, composed by Ms. Norton.

Sermons

edit

Speeches

edit

Media

edit

See the Starr King School for the Ministry's Video & Podcast page for links to media featuring Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker, as well as:

  • Parker, Rebecca Ann (2006-04-29). "Keep the Circle Whole". Starr King School for the Ministry. Retrieved 2018-06-18. Sermon presented to a meeting of the UUA Pacific Central District, introduced by Rev. Dr. David Sammons, answering the question, "Is there a limit to Unitarian Universalist beliefs?"
  • Parker, Rebecca Ann; Brock, Rita Nakashima (2001). "Proverbs of Ashes". Starr King School for the Ministry. Retrieved 2018-06-18. The authors of Proverbs of Ashes read excerpts.
  • Parker, Rebecca Ann (2006-04-29). "Soul Music". Starr King School for the Ministry. Retrieved 2018-06-18. Excerpt from Blessing the World, read by Kathleen Young.
  • Parker, Rebecca Ann (2009-02-22). "Saving Paradise, part 1 of 4". All Souls Unitarian Church channel on YouTube. Retrieved 2018-06-08. Sermon delivered at All Souls Unitarian Church (Tulsa, Oklahoma). Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
  • Schumacher, Steve (2010-09-24). "Interview with Rebecca Ann Parker and John A. Buehrens". University of Illinois WILL. Retrieved 2018-06-08. Discussion of the book, A House for Hope by the authors, interviewed by Steve Schumacher.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Saving Paradise—About the Authors". Retrieved 2018-06-08.
  2. ^ "A house for hope: the promise of progressive religion for the twenty-first century". Boston: The Beacon Press. 2010. p. xvi. ISBN 978-0-8070-0150-9. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
  3. ^ "Rev. Dr. Rebecca Ann Parker". Unitarian Universalist Association. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
  4. ^ Parker, Rebecca Ann (1993). The effect of social roles on sex-role identity development in early and middle adulthood (Ph.D.). Univarsity of California, Davis.
  5. ^ a b "Rebecca Ann Parker, Emerita Professor of Theology". Starr King School for the Ministry. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
edit