The Troublesome Subject of Theology

Professor Harvey Cox wants HDS students and his fellow faculty members to be troublemakers. After all, it's part of the job.

"Theology by its very nature is, or should be, troublesome. If theology is doing its job applying the teachings of the prophets—from Jeremiah to Jesus to current issues—it will inevitably vex the guardians of the status quo. It is part of theology's job description," he said.

In kicking off the 2015-16 academic year, Cox, the Hollis Research Professor Divinity, delivered the annual Convocation address August 31 on the HDS Campus Green.

(View the 2015 Convocation and Professor Cox's address online.)

In his speech, Cox recounted the founding the Divinity School and referred to former HDS Dean Francis Greenwood Peabody's 1915 address on the spiritual history of Divinity Hall. In his remarks, Peabody noted that that the building's 1826 erection, the first to be constructed outside of Harvard Yard, was in part "to remove the troublesome subject of theology from among the responsibilities of the University."

Over time, there have been many attempts to keep theology at arm's length, Cox noted. Besides the separation of the Divinity School, there has been the deification of the market—as the sound of cash registers drowned out exultations of preachers and moralists—and the reduction of theology to internal spirituality.

Despite the separation, there have always been theologians as troublemakers. Cox pointed out how churches formed the epicenter of the abolitionist movement; how HDS students were involved in protests against bombings during the Vietnam War; and that current Divinity School students are taking action on issues around climate change.

Cox sees the possibility of the expatriation of theology coming to an end now that religions and theologies are playing much larger roles in public life than anybody expected 50 years ago.

"We cannot ignore religion and theology and understand our world," he said. "There is much to be troubled about, and we should be troubled about it. We should be troublemakers, but collegial troublemakers…and let us be ready to call into question any ideology and world view that tries to be the only one, the ultimate one."

This year's Convocation also marked the start of Cox's 51st year of teaching at HDS. During his tenure, he taught the first Liberation Theology class and the first course on Pentecostalism at Harvard.

Before his talk, Cox was introduced by colleague and friend Davíd Carrasco, Neil L. Rudenstine Professor of the Study of Latin America.

"His teaching of innovative courses, mentoring of generations of undergraduate and graduate students, and his significant and even famous writings as a historian and theologian between 1965 and 2015 made him, as he still is today, the most widely-known and respected public face of Harvard Divinity School," said Carrasco.

Before his retirement in 2009, Cox served as the Hollis Professor of Divinity, the oldest endowed chair in American higher education. His Convocation address may have been the only Harvard speech delivered from behind a podium adorned with inflatable cows, which alluded to Cox's retirement celebration when he brought a live cow to graze in Harvard Yard—one of the original privileges that came with being the Hollis Professor.

Cox was given a standing ovation after finishing his address. Before those in attendance retired to Rockefeller Hall for a reception, Dean David N. Hempton offered congratulations and also read a letter to Cox from Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust.

"I feel privileged to count myself as one of the five Harvard presidents who has worked with you," Faust wrote. "I'm deeply honored to have this opportunity to tell you how much you mean to this university. Since 1965, the Harvard community has benefited from your much coveted and frequently over-enrolled classes, your thought-provoking books, your great talent on the saxophone, and your spirited sense of humor."

—by Michael Naughton