THE DIVINITY SCHOOL at WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY
William Sloan Coffin said that “the longest, most arduous trip in the world is often the journey from head to heart. Until that round-trip is complete, we remain at war with ourselves.” (Credo, 2004) I think we make that trip often here at Wake Forest University Divinity School. We move from “head to heart” and back again with great frequency, visiting (even tarrying amid) the great ideas that have shaped and divided the church and the world. The journey is invigorating, frustrating, and challenging all at once. And through it all we also explore what Robert Bellah once referred to as “the habits of the heart,” wondering what in the world this three-year graduate program has to do with the classic Christian graces of faith, hope, and love. And, to make things even more complicated, we do it in community with people who often read the same books, encounter the same ideas and interpret them from different, even contradictory, perspectives. We also gather for weekly worship, eat meals together, and, when life takes a turn, are compelled to “bear one another’s burdens” and so fulfill the way of Christ.
The bulletin sets the framework of our work together, detailing classes and procedures that shape the journey. It is an invitation to community in the Divinity school and the larger University. Together we begin a new academic year with joy and anticipation, nurturing our heads, our hearts, and an unfailing sense of humor through it all.
Blessings,
Bill J. Leonard
