NEW YORK – There are as many “conversion” and “come to Jesus” stories as there are stars in the night sky. From a distance they can look very much the same, but on closer inspection each one has its own peculiarities and incongruities that separate it from the others. The story of Naresh Babu Gullapalli is one of these kinds of stories – oddly similar to so many others, yet so unique and different that it can’t really be called a story of faith, but, in fact, just the opposite, a story of non-faith, non-belief. A story of someone not running to Jesus, but running away from...

Dr. Ronald J. Brown, currently an adjunct professor with the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) at the Manhattan, NYC campus, is now in his fourth decade of teaching and his fifteenth year at UTS. NEW YORK – Whether instructing a large class of Orthodox Jewish students, a smaller, more intimate class of diverse seminary students, or leading a group on a tour of New York City, Dr. Ronald Brown can be counted on to enlighten and entertain his audience with his vast experience and knowledge of the world, and the world’s religions. A world traveler with a Ph.D. in...

First published in the New York Times, Sunday Review, February 14 2016 | photo: Dadu Shin Durham, N.C. — ON a Thursday morning a few months ago, I got a call from my doctor’s assistant telling me that I have Stage 4 cancer. The stomach cramps I was suffering from were not caused by a faulty gallbladder, but by a massive tumor. I am 35. I did the things you might expect of someone whose world has suddenly become very small. I sank to my knees and cried. I called my husband at our home nearby. I waited until he arrived so we could wrap our arms around each other and say the things that...

Innovation is a logical response to pressure. It is not surprising, then, that theological educators at ATS member schools have become innovative generators of new ideas. Many of those good ideas have found their way into some of the more than 60 petitions for new degree programs, experiments, and exceptions in the past year alone. But a good idea does not guarantee a sustainable business model. Before committing to a new venture, due diligence calls for a systematic process of planning and analysis. These steps do not have to be taken in sequence, but each one is critical. ...

First published in the Huffington Post  February 12, 2016 Theological education is in crisis. By itself, that’s not new news. What’s newsworthy is exciting new progress on the problems that’s now coming up with solutions — real, viable solutions. Tinkering with the old structures isn’t enough anymore. Admittedly, such analyses are few and far between. Actually, that’s not surprising: the people who have been proposing solutions up until now have usually been working within the very system that’s broken. Yet the problems are serious...

Several UTS alumni have become chaplains: Marilyn Morris (UTS'83) was the first UTS graduate to successfully become a Professional Hospital Chaplain, others are: William Selig (UTS'81,'12 D.Min.), Donna Ferrantello Ph.D.(UTS'82), Gillian Corcoran (UTS'86), Larry Haft (UTS'92), Chris Antal (UTS'04), Kate Korda (UTS'10), Michael Amalfitano (UTS'12). First published in Common Weal Magazine, November 23, 2015 The Daytona 500 may not usually spark road-to-Damascus moments. But it did so for Nick Terry, who spent over a decade as a member of a NASCAR pit crew. The Monday after his team won...

Donors make bequests to make a difference after they are gone. Mary Goodman, a New Haven laundress who bequeathed her life savings (nearly $5,000) to Yale Divinity School to provide scholarships for African Americans, was especially successful in this regard: her bequest supported the school’s first black students, and continues to support students today, nearly 144 years later. Goodman saw the critical need for education among African Americans following the Civil War, and her vision led her to become the first person of color to make a gift to Yale University. The Divinity School...

We are in the middle of a very significant year: September 20, 2015 was the beginning of the 40th year of theological education at UTS. I hope that you will join with me this anniversary year by contributing to the Annual Fund and the 40/40 Campaign. The annual fund is “the cornerstone” of fundraising. Support for the annual fund is the first and best gift that you can give to the Seminary. It keeps you, our loyal donors, front and center in the ongoing work of UTS. We want you to be involved, informed, and bonded to our Seminary. The annual fund supports the budgeted expenses of the...

I was born in the Netherlands, stereotypically known as the land of windmills, tulips, bicycles and cheese. Among intellectual types, the Netherlands is also known as the land of Rembrandt and Van Gogh, of Erasmus and Spinoza. In modern popular culture, people are mostly familiar with Dutch corporate giants Phillips and ING, and football prodigies Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten. In my youth, I was not interested in the economy and ignorant about football, and I would not have believed it if a fortuneteller had told me that I eventually would become the author of sports biographies that...