Our colleagues at United Lutheran Seminary have announced two faculty searches — one in Systematic/Constructive Theology and the other in Public Theology:
Position in Systematic/Constructive Theology
United Lutheran Seminary seeks applicants for a full-time, tenure-track position in Systematic/Constructive Theology, beginning July 1, 2021. The position is open in rank. The initial appointment is for three years. Review for renewal for a second three-year term will occur in the fall of the second year.
Applicants should have demonstrated excellence or strong potential in teaching and scholarship; and hold a PhD or ThD in Systematic/Constructive Theology or a closely related field by the time of appointment. Commitment to the mission of ULS as a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which understands its Lutheran identity as entailing strong ecumenical and multicultural commitments, is crucial in the position. The person in the position would be called upon to articulate a theological account of that mission. Applicants should be eager to advance our commitment to the dignity and solidarity of all persons and the value of intercultural understanding; and to articulate a theological account of the importance of those commitments.
The successful applicant should be prepared to: Offer five courses per year in a variety of degree programs (MA degrees, MDiv, DMin, STM), including in face-to-face, online, intensive, and hybrid modalities; Advise students in the variety of degree programs listed above; Learn and utilize technology in classroom and online teaching; Participate in administrative committee work; Participate in the life of the seminary community; Travel occasionally between the two physical campuses of Gettysburg and Philadelphia for some teaching and some administrative meetings; Engage in research and publication in the field of Systematic/Constructive Theology; contribute to theological education with populations beyond matriculated students of the seminary; and participate in curricular and institutional assessment processes.
The James Franklin Kelly and Hope Eyster Kelly Professor of Public Theology
United Lutheran Seminary seeks applicants for a tenure-track/tenured position as The James Franklin Kelly and Hope Eyster Kelly Professor of Public Theology, beginning July 1, 2021. This position is a full-time, open-rank professorship. The successful candidate will have academic and teaching experience appropriate to their rank. Applicants will have a Ph.D. or Th.D. in one of the theological fields or religious studies, although exceptional candidates from other disciplines may be considered.
The Kelly Professor of Public Theology will, through reasoned articulation of the Christian faith, informed and challenged by the diverse realities of this pluralistic world, focus on public issues of importance and concern. While all ULS faculty do work in public theology, that this colleague would help the faculty as a whole sharpen its understanding of public theology. Through theological engagement, the professor will exemplify Gospel values and public accountability in dialogical encounter with people and societal issues, with a view to “promoting the common good by witnessing to core values,” [de Gruchy] and creating “a more inclusive public sphere in which the public anger of the silenced and excluded voices of the oppressed and marginalized can be heard and addressed by policymakers and practitioners.” [Storrer]
Through its predecessor institutions, United Lutheran Seminary has been at the forefront of Public Theology, being an early member of the Global Institute for Public Theology in 2007. Drawing on the commitment of the Kelly Family to the common good, the Kelly Professor of Public Theology will have roles that face both the academy and the public sphere. ULS has an ongoing history of being engaged in issues of matters of conscience, economic justice, environmental concern and climate change, gun violence prevention, interfaith engagement, poverty, public policy, anti-racism, religious plurality, war and peace.
The teaching load for ULS faculty is typically 5 courses, which may be negotiated in this position in consultation with the faculty executive council and president. Working in partnership with local organizations, the professor and seminary community will have a role in unifying a common approach to issues of public life. This position encompasses ongoing publication in the academic and public spheres, and a public theology symposium, which will expand the learning environment beyond the walls of the seminary. The Kelly professor will also seek to serve and engage the local communities of Gettysburg and Philadelphia, by engaging in local issues of justice and the common good, modeling for students what it is to be a public theologian and agent for healing in a complex and pluralistic environment, working with those most marginalized by public policy and process.
The successful candidate will have strong academic and teaching experience, and evidence of scholarly and community engagement in issues of public life. The successful applicant should be prepared to: Advise students in the variety of degree programs listed above; Learn and utilize technology in classroom and online teaching; Participate in administrative committee work; Participate in the life of the seminary community; Travel occasionally between the two physical campuses of Gettysburg and Philadelphia for some teaching and some administrative meetings; contribute to theological education with populations beyond matriculated students of the seminary; and participate in curricular and institutional assessment processes.
