Please watch this video lecture by author Rev. Dr. James Calvin Davis before the Saturday, October 3 Zoom workshop. To learn more about the Rev. Dr. James Calvin Davis, please scroll down the page.
INTRODUCING REV. DR. JAMES CALVIN DAVIS
The Rev. Dr. James Calvin Davis has all the proper credentials: B.S. from Dickinson College, M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, PhD from University of Virginia; ordained by Redstone Presbytery in 1997. James served as Designated Pastor in Scottsville, VA, between his ordination and arrival at Middlebury College. He began teaching ethics and Christian Studies there, where he was appointed George Adams Ellis Chair of Liberal Arts in 2019. He has served in a variety of administrative positions at Middlebury as well as faculty member.
All of that is true, as attested to by Middlebury College and the PC (U.S.A.). But equally important to us is that he arrived at Middlebury and at the Hudson Falls Presbyterian Church in 2001. I met James and his wife Elizabeth at HFPC while I was interim pastor there. One can tell that James is a good teacher, because he listens to others with focus and responds with compassion. He also has a sometimes (pardon me, James) wicked sense of humor. He will be leading us in our workshop on his book Forbearance: A Theological Ethic for a Disagreeable Church, which though serious and somewhat complex, is a thoroughly readable explication of how we might help ourselves and perhaps the surrounding communities out of the current division and divisiveness in our society. Since we met in 2001 James and Elizabeth have adopted two sons, native South Koreans. Before the pandemic hit us, the Davises planned a trip back to the boys’ homeland – the first time the young Davises would have been there since infancy.
James has published four books to date:
- The Moral Theology of Roger Williams (2004)
- On Religious Liberty: Selections from the Works of Roger Williams (2008)
- In Defense of Civility: How Religion Can Unite America on Seven Moral Issues that Divide Us (2010)
- Forbearance: A Theological Ethic for a Disagreeable Church (2017)
His next book, I understand, is at least tentatively titled Why God Loves Football: Theological Reflections on the Holy Days of American Culture. It may be obvious that James is by no means a strictly academic person, who has interest in religion, ethics, and politics in the United States, not to mention an interest in sports.
Lois Ann Wolff
for the Koinonia Team
