McCormick Names Dr. Reggie Williams Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics

05-04-2012

By M. Edwards

The Board of Trustees of McCormick Theological Seminary announced on May 4, 2012, that it has approved the appointment of Dr. Reggie Williams as Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics. He will join the McCormick faculty in July and will begin teaching during the fall term.

Previously Dr. Williams was a full-time lecturer in the Religion Department at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He has taught as Adjunct Faculty at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California. Williams is affiliated with the American Baptist Church.

McCormick President Frank Yamada said, “Dr. Williams brings us a wealth of teaching experience and teaching interests including the incarnational ethics of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. He is a welcome addition to our faculty and his engaging teaching style will be valued by our students.”

Dr. Williams received his Ph.D. in Christian ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in 2011. His dissertation was entitled: “Christ-Centered Empathic Resistance: The Influence of Harlem Renaissance Theology on the Incarnational Ethic of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.” He earned a Master’s degree in Theology from Fuller in 2006 and a Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from Westmont College in 1995.

The Dean of Faculty Dr. Luis Rivera stated, “We are enthusiastic about Dr. Williams joining McCormick’s faculty. I want to highlight the Search Committee’s strong recommendation of Dr. Williams when they observed in their report that he exhibits a 'strong commitment to teaching and clear calling to prepare women and men for ministry.' As a Christian ethicist, Reggie takes seriously the congregation as a locus of ethical formation, deliberation, and action. His issue-oriented approach to ethical inquiry should resonate well with our students. Collegiality and civility mark Reggie’s personality.”

A member of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Christian Ethics, Dr. Williams was a key presenter at the International Dietrich Bonhoeffer Society which met in November 2011 at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. During this conference, there was a celebration of the publication of the 16 volumes of the new critical edition of Bonhoeffer’s works.

McCormick is one of 12 schools related to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and is an accredited member of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) and is affiliated with the University of Chicago, the Hyde Park Cluster of Theological Schools and the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS). As one of the nation’s most respected seminaries, it celebrates and prepares women and men from all denominations and backgrounds for Christian ministry and service, advancing a model of education that is cross-cultural, urban, Reformed and ecumenical.