William H. Willimon
Encyclopedia
William Henry Willimon (born May 15, 1946) is a bishop
in the United Methodist Church
in the U.S.
, currently serving in North Alabama. He is best known as a theologian
, writer, former Dean of the Chapel at Duke University
, and as one of America
's best known preachers. A Pew Foundation Survey said he was one of the two most frequently read writers by pastors in mainline Protestantism (Henri Nouwen also noted). His books have sold over a million copies. Bishop Willimon is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society
.
in 1968, an M. Div. from Yale Divinity School
in 1971, and an S.T.D. from Emory University
in 1973. He has also received several honorary doctorates. He married Patricia Parker on June 7, 1969. They have two children: Harriet and William.
With his stress on the wisdom of the Church through the centuries, he is sometimes associated with the post-liberal movement and narrative theology
.
He was elected to the episcopacy in 2004 and has written more than 50 books, garnering a reputation as an outstanding preacher, being named in a 1996 Baylor University
survey along with Billy Graham
as one of the 12 best preachers in the English-speaking world.
He was, with Prof. Joel B. Green, the general editor of The Wesley Study Bible
, published in 2009.
A former student, Michael A. Turner, says about Willimon in the book A Peculiar Prophet which he co-authored with William F. Malambri: "First and foremost Willimon is a pastoral theologian whose primary message is that the God revealed in Jesus matters for everything in life. Thus his most influential work has been in calling the Church to be a faithful witness to the God revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ." In the same book, they also say: "Willimon, it seems, never tires of telling the Church just how distinctive our way of life should be because of the particular God who has captured us."
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
in the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, currently serving in North Alabama. He is best known as a theologian
Christian theology
- Divisions of Christian theology :There are many methods of categorizing different approaches to Christian theology. For a historical analysis, see the main article on the History of Christian theology.- Sub-disciplines :...
, writer, former Dean of the Chapel at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, and as one of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
's best known preachers. A Pew Foundation Survey said he was one of the two most frequently read writers by pastors in mainline Protestantism (Henri Nouwen also noted). His books have sold over a million copies. Bishop Willimon is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society
Phi Beta Kappa Society
The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society. Its mission is to "celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences"; and induct "the most outstanding students of arts and sciences at America’s leading colleges and universities." Founded at The College of William and...
.
Biography
Bishop Willimon, originally from South Carolina and raised at Buncombe Street UMC in Greenville, SC, received a B.A. from Wofford CollegeWofford College
Established in 1854 and related to the United Methodist Church, Wofford College is an independent, Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts college of 1,525 students located in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. The historic campus is recognized as a national arboretum and features “The...
in 1968, an M. Div. from Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School is a professional school at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. preparing students for ordained or lay ministry, or for the academy...
in 1971, and an S.T.D. from Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
in 1973. He has also received several honorary doctorates. He married Patricia Parker on June 7, 1969. They have two children: Harriet and William.
With his stress on the wisdom of the Church through the centuries, he is sometimes associated with the post-liberal movement and narrative theology
Narrative theology
Postliberal theology began as a late 20th-century development in Christian Theology. It proposes that the Church's use of the Bible should focus on a narrative presentation of the faith as regulative for the development of a coherent systematic theology...
.
He was elected to the episcopacy in 2004 and has written more than 50 books, garnering a reputation as an outstanding preacher, being named in a 1996 Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
survey along with Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
as one of the 12 best preachers in the English-speaking world.
He was, with Prof. Joel B. Green, the general editor of The Wesley Study Bible
The Wesley Study Bible
The Wesley Study Bible was released February 1, 2009 by its publisher Abingdon Press. It is a New Revised Standard Version edition of the Bible, without the Apocrypha books....
, published in 2009.
A former student, Michael A. Turner, says about Willimon in the book A Peculiar Prophet which he co-authored with William F. Malambri: "First and foremost Willimon is a pastoral theologian whose primary message is that the God revealed in Jesus matters for everything in life. Thus his most influential work has been in calling the Church to be a faithful witness to the God revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ." In the same book, they also say: "Willimon, it seems, never tires of telling the Church just how distinctive our way of life should be because of the particular God who has captured us."
Important Works
- Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry ISBN 0-687-04532-0
- Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian ColonyResident AliensResident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony is a 1989 book by Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon which argues that Christian churches should focus on developing Christian life and community rather than attempting to reform the secular culture...
(with Stanley HauerwasStanley HauerwasStanley Hauerwas is a Christian theologian and ethicist. He has taught at the University of Notre Dame and is currently the Gilbert T...
) ISBN 0-687-36159-1 - Calling & Character: Virtues of the Ordained Life ISBN 0-687-09033-4
- Acts in the Interpretation commentary series ISBN 0-8042-3119-2
- Rekindling the Flame: Strategies for a Vital United Methodism (with Robert L. Wilson) ISBN 0-687-35932-5
- "To the Church Called Mainline" in Christianity TodayChristianity TodayChristianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...
(Oct. 25, 1999 issue)
Ordained Ministry
- Pastor, Level Creek UMC, Buford, GA, 1971
- Associate Pastor, Broad St. UMC, Clinton, SC 1971–73
- Pastor, Trinity UMC, North Myrtle Beach, SC, 1973–76
- Pastor, Northside UMC, Greenville, SC, 1980–84
- Duke University, Durham, NC, 1984-2004 (one of the youngest professors in the history of Duke Divinty School)
- Dean, Duke Chapel, Duke University, Durham, NC, 1989-2004
External links
- "A Peculiar Prophet" (Bishop Willimon's blog)
- Bishop Willimon's podcast
- 2004 Photo of Bishop Willimon
- Example of William Willimon sermon