ROBERT J. SHERMAN
BANGOR THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
300 UNION STREET
BANGOR, MAINE 04401
TELEPHONE: (207) 942-6781, Ext. 134; FAX: (207) 990-1267
E-MAIL: RSherman@bts.edu
EDUCATION_________________________________________________________ __________
The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
Ph.D., Theology, 1992.
Dissertation: The Shift to Modernity: Christ in the Doctrine of Creation in the Theologies of Schleiermacher and Barth.
Committee: B. A. Gerrish, advisor; David Tracy and William Schweiker.
Doctoral Examinations: Systematic/Dogmatic Theology; Philosophical Theology; Theological Ethics; Selected Theologians: A Comparison of Calvin and Barth; and Selected Topics: Religious Institutions and Ethics, with a focus on Ecclesiology.
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California.
Graduate studies, academic year 1981-82, in Religious Studies and in Intellectual and Religious History.
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
M.Div., 1981.
Graduated cum laude; awarded the Day Fellowship "for academic excellence."
Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
B.A., History, 1976.
Graduated summa cum laude; inducted into Phi Beta Kappa; finalist, Danforth Foundation Fellowship.
Westminster & Cheshunt College, Cambridge, England.
Visiting student, academic year 1974-75, at the graduate theological school of the United Reformed Church of England. Included study in the Divinity Faculty of Cambridge University.
PUBLICATIONS______________________________________ ___________________________
King, Priest, and Prophet – A Trinitarian Theology of Atonement. New York: T. & T. Clark International, 2004.
Translation of Karl Barth’s sermon on Psalm 118:14-18, Advent 1919, with introduction. Letter from the Karl Barth Archives 5 (December 2003); http://www.unibas.ch/karlbarth/letter5.htm; Internet. Accessed December 10, 2003.
Review of Ever against the Stream – The Politics of Karl Barth, 1906-1968, by Frank Jehle. Theology Today 60 (October 2003): 464-465.
"The Catechetical Function of Reformed Hymnody." Scottish Journal of Theology 55, no.1 (2002): 79-99.
Translation of Karl Barth’s sermon on Luke 1:5-23, Advent 1917, reprinted in Watch for the Light – Readings for Advent and Christmas, Farmington, PA: Plough Publishing House, 2001. Originally appeared, with introduction, in Letter from the Karl Barth Archives 2 (December 1999); http://www.unibas.ch/ theologie/BarthNewsletter99.html#Sermon; Internet. Accessed December 13, 1999.
Review of The Seminary Student Writes, by Deborah Core. Teaching Theology and Religion 4 (June 2001): 118-119.
"Reclaiming a Theological Reading of the Bible: Barth’s Interpretation of Job as a Case Study." International Journal of Systematic Theology 2, no. 2 (2000): 175-188.
"The Authority of Scripture: Do We Still Affirm It?" Prism 15, no. 1 (2000): 46-58.
"Toward a Trinitarian Theology of the Atonement." Scottish Journal of Theology 52, no. 3 (1999): 346-374.
"What ‘Great Cloud of Witnesses’? Isn’t My Own Religious Experience Enough?" Teaching Theology and Religion 2 (October 1999): 163-168.
Review of The Modern Church – From the Dawn of the Reformation to the Eve of the Third Millenium, by Glenn T. Miller. Portland (Maine) Press-Herald, 28 February 1998.
Review of Die Frage nach Analogie, Natürlicher Theologie und Personenbegriff in der Trinitätslehre, by Christof Theilemann. Scottish Journal of Theology 50, no. 4 (1997): 510-511.
"Isaak August Dorner on Divine Immutability: A Missing Link between Schleiermacher and Barth." The Journal of Religion 77 (July 1997): 380-401.
"The Current Kairos Moment: What Tools Can We Offer?" Horizons 2, no. 1 (1996): 35-41.
PUBLIC TALKS, FORUMS AND PRESENTATIONS______ _________________________________
Presider, panel discussion on "The Legacy of Colin Gunton for Reformed Theology" (with John Webster, Katherine Sonderegger and Bruce McCormack), Reformed Theology and History Group, American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, November 2003.
"Christian Just War Theory." Presentation offered at a Bangor Theological Seminary Public Forum discussing the possibility of war with Iraq, October 2002. Offered again at the Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church (UCC), Dover-Foxcroft, ME and All Souls Congregational Church (UCC), Bangor, ME, March 2003.
"Resources of the Christian Tradition for Ecological Concerns." Talk presented at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Sangerville, ME, October 2002.
"The Catechetical Function of Reformed Hymnody: Teaching the Threefold Office through Song." Paper presented to the Reformed Theology and History Group at the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN, November 2000.
Moderator, panel discussion on "Living Trinitarian Faith" (with Ellen T. Charry, Colin E. Gunton and Cheryl Townsend Gilkes), Bangor Theological Seminary, January 1999.
Interviewed by Ruth Ellen Cohen for story "Teens Follow Different Paths to Crime – Seeking Solutions to a Growing Maine Problem," Bangor (Maine) Daily News, 16 November 1998.
Interviewed by Cindy Williams for a three-part report on evil, WCSH Channel 6 Portland (Maine) and WLBZ Channel 2 Bangor (Maine), March 1998.
Moderator, panel discussion on "Christianity in a Post-Christian Age" (with Christopher Morse, Pamela Dickey Young and Daniel F. Romero), Bangor Theological Seminary, January 1998.
"Recognizing the Obvious, But Not Jumping to Conclusions." Paper presented at "Whose God? A Symposium on Tolerance and Interfaith Relations," Bates College, Lewiston, ME, October 1997.
Moderator, panel discussion on "The Ongoing Search for the Historical Jesus" (with N. T. Wright, Karen Jo Torjesen and Christine Marie Smith), Bangor Theological Seminary, January 1997.
"Promise, Blessing, Expectation." Talk presented at People’s/Shirley United Methodist Church, Greenville, ME, December 1996.
"Religious Perspectives on Environmentalism." Panel member for inter-religious Earth Day Forum discussing faith tradition resources for current ecological concerns. University of Maine, Orono, ME, April 1995.
"Isaak August Dorner on Divine Immutability: A Bridge from Schleiermacher to Barth." Paper presented to the Nineteenth Century Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, November 1994.
"Christology and the Fundamental Feeling: Asserting the Community’s Identity, Limiting the Community’s Assertions." Paper presented to the International Schleiermacher Society at the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., November 1993.
"What is Reformed Theology? What Does It Mean to Do Theology Confessionally?" Lecture presented at McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL, October 1993.
ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES, ASSOCIATIONS AND AWARDS__________________________________
Resource Theologian – Western Regional Group, Pastor-Theologian Program of the Center of Theological Inquiry. Scottsdale, AZ, January, 2003.
Resource Theologian – North Central Regional Group, Pastor-Theologian Program of the Center of Theological Inquiry. West Cornwall, CT, September, 2001.
Member-in-Residence – Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, NJ, January to June 2001.
Awarded a "Christian Faith & Life Sabbatical Grant" of $45,000 (Louisville Institute),
Academic year 2000 – 2001.
Awarded a "Wabash Summer Grant" of $7000 (Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning),
Summer 1998.
Participant – Workshop on Teaching and Learning for Seminary Faculty, Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning, Crawfordsville, IN
August 1997, January and June 1998.
The Reformed Theology and History Group AAR
Co-chair, 2001 – present.
Steering Committee Member, 1999 – present.
The Nineteenth Century Theology Working Group AAR, 1992 – present.
Treasurer and Newsletter Editor, 1994 – 2000.
The Karl Barth Society of North America, 1990 – present.
The International Schleiermacher Society, 1988 – present.
The American Academy of Religion, 1988 – present.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE______________________________________ ____________________
Bangor Theological Seminary, Bangor, Maine.
Professor of Christian Theology. Courses in the Liberal Studies, Masters level and Doctor of Ministry programs. September 1994 to present.
McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, Illinois.
Lecturer in Theology. Hired for academic year, 1993-94.
Illinois Benedictine College, Lisle, Illinois.
Instructor, course on New Testament. Summer 1993.
Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois.
Instructor, courses in Theology and Bible. Fall 1989 – Summer 1991; Summer 1987; and Fall 1986.
DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois.
Instructor, course on World Religions. Fall 1988 and Winter 1989.
COURSES DEVELOPED AND OFFERED________________ _______________________________
At Bangor Theological Seminary, Fall 1994 – Fall 2003
Master’s Level Courses (3 credit hours)
IT 1002: "Self, Church and Culture"
ST 1501: "Introduction to Christian Doctrine I"
ST 1502: "Introduction to Christian Doctrine II"
ST 1601: "Living Trinitarian Faith"
ST 1701: "The Knowledge and Reality of God"
ST 1702: "The Person and Work of Christ"
ST 1704: "The Holy Spirit and the Christian Church"
ST 1711: "The Theology of Karl Barth"
ST 1719: "Creation, Ecology and the Christian Tradition"
ST 1720: "Readings in Contemporary Christian Ecology"
ST 1724: "Reformed Theology"
ST 1725: "Issues in Modern Theology"
ST 1730: "Credo: A Summary of Christian Doctrine"
Master’s Level Courses (1 credit hour)
CMU 343: "Orientation to Leading Worship and Supply Preaching"
CMU 398: "The Ongoing Search for the Historical Jesus"
CMU 409: "The Journey to Bangalore"
Liberal Studies Courses (3 credit hours)
PHIL 1101: "Introduction to Philosophy"
PHIL 1102: "Introduction to Philosophical Ethics"
Doctor of Ministry Program (6 credit hours)
Seminar 3: "The Integrity of the Congregation"
Seminar 3: "Values, Conflicts, and Visions"
At Other Institutions
Undergraduate Level Courses (3 credit hours):
THEO 100: "Introduction to Christian Theology"
THEO 110: "Introduction to the Bible."
THEO 112: "Introduction to the New Testament"
RS 100: "Introduction to Religion"
ECCLESIASTICAL ASSOCIATIONS AND ACTIVITIES______________________________________
Consultation on Globalization and Partnership in Theological Education
United Church Board for World Ministries
Debua, Fiji. July 7-11, 1999.
Bangalore, India. June 9-13, 1997.
UCC Scripture Project – United Church Board for Homeland Ministries
Committee member, 1996 – 1999.
Author of "Some Summary Observations by a UCC Theologian," a segment of the final report presented at UCC General Synod, Providence, Rhode Island, July 1999.
Spirituality and Earth Stewardship Program – Maine Council of Churches
Member, Board of Advisors. 1997 – 1999.
Penobscot-Piscataquis Association (Maine Conference – United Church of Christ)
Church and Ministry Committee: Member, 1995 – 2000.
All Souls Congregational Church (United Church of Christ) – Bangor, Maine
Member, Christian Education Committee, 2003 – present.
Delegate, for two-year term, 1999 – 2001.
Teacher, Adult Education class on the Apostles’ Creed, Advent 2003.
Teacher, Adult Education class on the Trinity and Atonement, Epiphany 2002.
Teacher, Adult Education class on Reformed Hymnody, Fall 2000.
Teacher, Adult Education class on the Apostles’ Creed, Lent 2000.
St. Pauls United Church of Christ – Chicago, Illinois
Adult Education Committee Chair, 1991 – 1994.
"Adult Forum" teacher, on a regular basis, 1987 – 1994.
Education Committee Secretary, 1987 – 1990.