This past week, two significant figures in the Christian academic world died, both at 92 years old. Holmes Rolston III and Walter Brueggemann had very different, long, and influential careers, for which I want to give thanks today.
From Union Presbyterian Seminary, where I attended, is this writeup about Holmes Rolston: “Rolston has been a part of the UPSem story for decades. Born November 19, 1932, in Staunton, Virginia, Rolston was raised in a family deeply rooted in Presbyterian ministry. After earning a B.S. in physics and mathematics from Davidson College in 1953, he followed in his father's and grandfather's footsteps by enrolling at Union Theological Seminary (VA), where he received a Bachelor of Divinity in 1956. His wife, Jane Wilson Rolston, earned an M.A. from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education in 1955. Rolston went on to complete a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Edinburgh (1958), and an M.A. in the philosophy of science from the University of Pittsburgh (1968).
Rolston is widely considered the 'Father of Environmental Ethics' for his work in recognizing the intersections between nature, religion, philosophy, and ethics. In addition to teaching for over 40 years at Colorado State University, Dr. Rolston published multiple works, including Philosophy Gone Wild (1986), Environmental Ethics: Values in and Duties to the Natural World (1988), Conserving Natural Value (1994), Genes, Genesis, and God(1999), Three Big Bangs: Matter-Energy, Life, and Mind (2010) and A New Environmental Ethics (2012, 2020). His argument that nature possesses intrinsic value beyond human utility reshaped environmental philosophy and religious thought alike. His work served as a moral compass in an age of ecological crisis, offering a framework in which care for creation is not only a scientific necessity but also a sacred duty.”
Walter Brueggemann was one of the most influential biblical scholars of our time, for me and for a large host of students of the Bible. He retired as a Professor Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary, in Decatur, GA, after a widely published and sought out career as a preacher and teacher. I will share a prayer he wrote called, “On Controlling Our Borders.”
“Jesus – crucified and risen – draws us into his presence again, the one who had nowhere to lay his head, no safe place, no secure home, no passport or visa, no certified citizenship.
We gather around him in our safety, security, and well-being, and fret about ‘illegal immigrants.’ We fret because they are not like us and refuse our language. We worry that there are so many of them and their crossings do not stop. We are unsettled because it is our tax dollars that sustain them and provide services. We feel the hype about closing borders and heavy fines, because we imagine that our life is under threat.
And yet, as you know very well, we, all of us – early or late – are immigrants from elsewhere; we are glad for cheap labor and seasonal workers, who do tomatoes and apples and oranges to our savoring delight. And beyond that, even while we are beset by fears and aware of pragmatic costs, we know very well that you are the God who welcomes strangers, who loves aliens and protects sojourners.
As always, we feel the tension and the slippage between the deep truth of our faith and the easier settlements of our society.
We do not ask for an easy way out, but for courage and honesty and faithfulness. Give us ease in the presence of those unlike us; give us generosity amid demands of those in need, help us to honor those who trespass as you forgive our trespasses.
You are the God of all forgiveness. By your gracious forgiveness transpose us into agents of your will, that our habits and inclinations may more closely follow your majestic lead, that our lives may joyously conform to your vision of a new world.
We pray in the name of your holy Son, even Jesus."
Prayers for a Privileged People, Walter Brueggemann, Abingdon Press, ©2008
In life and in death, we belong to God.
Mark of St. Mark
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