Stephanie Paulsell Named 2015–16 Luce Fellow
Stephanie Paulsell, Susan Shallcross Swartz Professor of the Practice of Christian Studies, has been named one of six Henry Luce III Fellows in Theology for 2015–16 by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and the Henry Luce Foundation.
Paulsell's project will explore the idea of being "lost in the mystery of God" in relation to the human experience of losing things that were once familiar to us.
"Lost in the Mystery of God" is the title of a sermon Paulsell heard her father preach in pulpits around eastern North Carolina when she was a child. She recalls that it was a sermon she loved, but it is a sermon that is now lost to her in almost every way.
It was part of her childhood, now long past. She cannot remember the words of it, and her father did not save a copy. The sermon exists now as a memory of the world opening up around her and a feeling of connection to devoted people everywhere.
Paulsell imagines a book that explores Christian interpretations of being "lost in God" in relation to the lost sermons, lost communities, lost beliefs, and lost memories that slip away over a lifetime. She is inspired by Augustine of Hippo's conviction that, since only God can remember what we have forgotten, we cannot fully know ourselves without cultivating a life with God.
It is her hope that by bringing our ordinary losses into conversation with traditions of being lost in God, she will be able to articulate a Christian spirituality in which our losses and bewilderments open unexpected paths toward God and one another.
Luce Fellows are selected on the basis of the strength of their proposals to conduct creative and innovative theological research, and engage in yearlong research in various areas of theological inquiry.
At the conclusion of their research year, the fellows will gather at the annual Luce Fellows Conference to present and critique their work and to discuss with both current and past Luce Fellows how their work may impact the life of the church and the broader society.
Since 2005, eight other HDS faculty members have been awarded Luce Fellowships: Francis Schüssler Fiorenza (2005–06), Kevin Madigan and Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza (2006–07), Amy Hollywood (2007–08), Francis X. Clooney, S.J. (2010–11), Mark D. Jordan (2011–12), Karen L. King (2012–13), and, most recently, Laura Nasrallah (2013–14).
—Jonathan Beasley