Wisdom, Knowledge, and Faith

Robert MacSwain is Associate Professor of Theology at the School of Theology of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. He holds graduate degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.), the University of Edinburgh (M.Th.), and the University of St. Andrews (Ph.D.), as well as a postgraduate diploma in Anglican studies from Virginia Theological Seminary. He is a priest of the Oratory of the Good Shepherd and has authored and edited ten books, including Solved by Sacrifice: Austin Farrer, Fideism, and the Evidence of Faith, Essays Anglican and Analytic: Explorations in Critical Catholicism, and Saints as Divine Evidence: The Hagiological Argument for the Existence of God. He lives in Sewanee, Tennessee. Kelli Joyce is a candidate for the Ph.D. in Theological Studies at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds graduate degrees from Yale University (M.Div.) and the University of Durham (M.A.), and her research focuses on the development, reception, and rhetorical uses of the baptismal theology of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. She has previously served as a parish priest in the Diocese of Arizona and as a member of General Convention’s Task Force on Communion Across Difference. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee. The Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe was elected presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church in June 2024 and took office on Nov. 1 for a nine-year term. In this role, he serves as the church’s chief pastor and CEO. Known for his expertise in organizational learning and adaptive change, Rowe is committed to strengthening support for local ministry and mission.   He was ordained bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania in 2007 after serving as rector of St. John’s in Franklin, Pennsylvania, for seven years. From 2014 to 2018, he served as bishop provisional of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, and from 2019 to 2024, he led a partnership between the Episcopal Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York.  Rowe holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Grove City College, a Master of Divinity degree from Virginia Theological Seminary, and a doctorate in organizational learning and leadership from Gannon University. He has served as a leader of many civic and churchwide organizations and governance bodies, and as parliamentarian for the House of Bishops.

"This is a timely collection of thoughtful essays by Episcopal theologians that should spark a robust and creative conversation on theological formation in The Episcopal Church. The essays in this volume are not detached academic exercises; rather, they are grounded in pastoral realities and in the moral and social challenges faced by local communities and their people. The rich diversity of personal narratives and theological themes explored in this volume is striking. What results is a theological vision that is as diverse as the number of contributors yet deeply rooted in Anglican spirituality. This collection itself reflects the characteristic nature of Anglican theological tradition lived out by these theologians in the contemporary time. This is a must read for bishops, church leaders and really anyone who is concerned with theological formation in The Episcopal Church."

• ContributorsForeword Sean RoweIntroductionRobert MacSwain The Anglican Way in My WorkKathryn TannerAccounting for the Movement: The Vocation of the Theologian Anthony D. BakerReflections on God’s Presence Thomas HoltzenMy Theological Formation Katherine SondereggerTheology, Damage, AffordanceMaxine King“He Must Increase, and I Must Decrease”: Jesus Christ as the Center of ProclamationKara N. SladeThe Promise and Perils of Theological Imagination in The Episcopal Church Scott MacDougallDouglas Adams, Chuck D, and the Making of a Theologian Jason A. FoutAn Anglican Theology of Hope for a Common FutureJoy Ann McDougallToward An Embodied and Transformative Theology Olufemi GonsalvesTheologizing and Organizing Together: Constructing Liberative Anglican Ecclesiologies Francisco J. García Jr.The Water of Life: Baptismal Faith, Theological Plumbing, and Encounter with the Living God Kelli JoyceBecoming (Still) a Theologian James W. FarwellThe Future of the Via Media in The Episcopal Church Sameer YadavAfterword Matthew Ichihashi Potts