Robert McAfee Brown
Encyclopedia
Robert McAfee Brown was an American
theologian and activist
.
Brown earned a bachelor's degree
from Amherst College
in 1943 and was ordained
as a Presbyterian minister in 1944. Brown earned a bachelor of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary
in New York
in 1945 and served as a United States Navy
chaplain from 1945 to 1946. The recipient of a Fulbright program
grant, Brown studied at University of Oxford
before completing a doctorate in the philosophy of religion at Columbia University
in 1951. He married Sydney Thomson, and had four children.
Brown taught initially at his alma mater Union Theological Seminary before accepting an appointment as Professor of Religion at Stanford University
in 1962. There he became an international leader in civil rights
, ecumenical and social justice causes. Brown campaigned against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War
and was a co-founder of the group Clergy and Laity Concerned About Vietnam. He was also a Protestant observer at the Second Vatican Council
.
He left Stanford in 1975 to return to Union as Professor of World Christianity and Ecumenism, but quickly found his new post unfulfilling. He resigned and moved back to the Bay Area, where he taught at the Pacific School of Religion
in Berkeley
until his retirement in 1984. Brown was the author of 29 books. He died on September 4, 2001, being survived by his wife.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
theologian and activist
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
.
Brown earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
in 1943 and was ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
as a Presbyterian minister in 1944. Brown earned a bachelor of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1945 and served as a United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
chaplain from 1945 to 1946. The recipient of a Fulbright program
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
grant, Brown studied at University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
before completing a doctorate in the philosophy of religion at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1951. He married Sydney Thomson, and had four children.
Brown taught initially at his alma mater Union Theological Seminary before accepting an appointment as Professor of Religion at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1962. There he became an international leader in civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
, ecumenical and social justice causes. Brown campaigned against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and was a co-founder of the group Clergy and Laity Concerned About Vietnam. He was also a Protestant observer at the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
.
He left Stanford in 1975 to return to Union as Professor of World Christianity and Ecumenism, but quickly found his new post unfulfilling. He resigned and moved back to the Bay Area, where he taught at the Pacific School of Religion
Pacific School of Religion
Pacific School of Religion is an ecumenical seminary located in Berkeley, California. It maintains covenantal relationships with the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church and the Disciples of Christ, providing all necessary expectations for candidates to their ordained ministries....
in Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
until his retirement in 1984. Brown was the author of 29 books. He died on September 4, 2001, being survived by his wife.
Published works
- P. T. Forsyth: Prophet for Today (1952)
- The Bible Speaks to You (1955, new ed. 1985)
- Observer in Rome: A Protestant Report on the Vatican Council (1964)
- The collect'd writings of St. Hereticus (1964)
- The Ecumenical Revolution: An Interpretation of the Catholic-Protestant Dialogue (1973)
- Religion and Violence: A Primer for White Americans (1973)
- Is Faith Obsolete? (1974)
- Frontiers for the Church Today (1974)
- Theology in a New Key: Responding to Liberation Theology (1978)
- The Hereticus papers: (being Volume II of "The collect'd writings of St. Hereticus") (1979)
- Gustavo Gutierrez: An Introduction to Liberation Theology (1980)
- Making Peace in the Global Village (1981)
- Unexpected News: Reading the Bible with Third World Eyes (1984)
- Saying Yes and Saying No: On Rendering to God and Caesar (1986)
- Spirituality and Liberation: Overcoming the Great Fallacy (1988)
- Elie Wiesel: Messenger to All Humanity (1989)
- Persuade Us to Rejoice: The Liberating Power of Fiction (1992)
- Liberation Theology: An Introductory Guide (1993)
- Dark the Night, Wild the Sea (1998)
- Reflections Over The Long Haul: A Memoir (2005)
External links
- Robert McAfee Brown obituary Stanford University.
- Robert McAfee Brown obituary Los Angeles Times.