Meet Austin Rinehart

Name
Austin Rinehart

Hometown
Sterlington, Louisiana

Home church
Noel Memorial United Methodist Church, Shreveport, Louisiana

Degree program
Master of divinity

Other degrees
Bachelor of Arts, Centenary College of Louisiana

Formative experiences
I’ve had many formative experiences in my life, but one of the more recent ones happened in the summer of 2012. I was selected as a fellow for the Fund for Theological Education. As per the requirements of the fellowships, I attended a conference in Nashville, Tennessee, with the other fellows for a four-day experience on the campus of Vanderbilt University. A wide array of theological backgrounds and a diversity of denominations were represented within this group, including United Methodist, United Church of Christ, Roman Catholic, and non-denominational as well. Being in the presence of such great minds and great theological conversations really brought home the understanding of the Body of Christ. We might not all think alike, look alike, love the same persons, or profess the same faith, but we all are united under the love and grace of God. For someone like me, who loves interdenominational and interfaith dialogue, this was a mountain top experience that allowed me to encounter something I am very passionate about in a tangible way.

Experiences at Garrett-Evangelical
When looking towards seminary, I narrowed down my search to two United Methodist schools, Garrett-Evangelical being one of those. I ultimately chose Garrett-Evangelical because of its commitment to social justice, progressive theology, and a deep concern for the student. From the very first moment I stepped on campus, I felt at home. I felt connected in a way that I did not feel at other schools I visited. I was instantly attracted to the wonderful professors, challenging curriculum, and interactive classroom experiences. I can fully say with confidence that Garrett-Evangelical has been everything I was hoping and wishing for in a seminary experience.

Plans for the future
I feel a deep connection and call back to my conference, the Louisiana Conference of The United Methodist Church. I really feel like God is calling me to be a leader there and to be an agent of change. Our conference is doing some wonderful things, and with a new episcopal leader, Bishop Cynthia Harvey, it is positioned for the future. I feel called to play a crucial part in that future. I am currently a certified candidate for the elder track, and I plan to be ordained as soon as I finish my time here at Garrett-Evangelical.

Epiphany: A Different Vision

By Dr. Lallene Rector,
President of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

Today, I begin the discipline of a weekly communication to the Garrett-Evangelical community.  I intend to stay in touch with you and I want to hear from you as well!  I will be offering brief reflections on a variety of concerns for our life together, both here at the school and beyond in the church, the academy, and the world.  It is my hope that we will strengthen our voices as public theologians, people of God who have important ethical and faith perspectives to contribute to conversation about the common good and for the wellbeing of all.

January 6 is the 12^th day after Christmas, or Epiphany in our Christian liturgical calendar.  It is the day when we remember the visit of the Magi to Mary, Joseph, and the newborn Christ child. God is revealed to the world in human form and we are reminded again that God came to us, as one of us, so that we might better understand this grace-filled love of God.  The “Wise men,” the three kings,” the Magi” experienced a life-changing revelation in the promise of God to embody love that would transform people’s lives and potentially bring peace on earth.

I have long appreciated the gifts of artists for creative imagination and for their call to entertain a different vision, not unlike that of the prophets.  The cognitive dissonance that sometimes results in viewers can provide an opportunity for deepened understanding - that is, if we can stay with the discomfort for more than a few moments.  Western artists have often represented the Epiphany by depicting three (white) men together with mother and child, however, in preparing to write this morning, I came across the following representation by artist Janet McKenzie.  As you can see, it is a depiction of three wise women and Mary, women of varied ethnic/racial identities.

As I followed my own associations, I thought of J. B. Phillips’ little book, Your God is Too Small, and its challenge to resist falling into a nearly unconscious assumption that we already know all about God, when in actuality, God is so much more than we can ever grasp.

I thought of the challenges to Garrett-Evangelical and to the Church (especially the predominately white, US United Methodist Church) to ready our selves for the reality of 2040 when white persons will become a minority in this country.  What will it mean for us to be able to teach effectively and to prepare bold, spiritual leaders for a new multicultural society?

I thought of wise women and the gift of Eliza Garrett’s vision for an educated clergy in the Midwest; of how God reveals truth in many different places if we have eyes to see and hearts to understand; how we need to be listening to each other, to hear the wisdom from those who are different from us - from other Christians beyond our United Methodist communion and from persons of differing faiths.

I thought of the importance of prophetic imagination in preparing congregational leaders and others who will engage creative ministries beyond the institutional church; of the distinctive mark of pastoral imagination that is unique to our calling.  Can we be courageous enough to really think outside the smaller, provincial understandings of God to which we have become so loyal?

So, on this very cold day in Chicago, I invite you to consider your own response to this artistic rendering of humanity’s dawning awareness that God has become incarnate, and I leave you with these questions: What is God revealing to you?  What is the Epiphany in your life today? What new vision do you and do we need to receive and to reflect upon for the sake of our mission at Garrett-Evangelical and for the wellbeing of all?

Let’s keep talking to each other about these things and many more!

Remembering Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

Photo Credit: Forbes.com

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary wishes to express its sympathy as we weep with the family of Nelson Mandela during this time of bereavement. The world has lost one of its iconic, great leaders. As we anticipate the state funeral and the last traditional ceremony that will lay him to his final rest, the seminary community takes this moment to publicly express our gratitude for the remarkable life of this servant leader.

Mandela embodied the transformative power that comes from loving one’s enemies and praying for one’s persecutors.  His deep commitment to reconciliation and to the justice of equal opportunity for all renews and inspires our determination to prepare bold, spiritual leaders for the church, the academy, and the world.  We look to the life of Nelson Mandela and to his almost inconceivable acts of reconciliation for insight into our pursuit of equipping graduates who will also “bring good news to the oppressed; who will proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners.” The life of Nelson Mandela makes us believe it is possible to so live with a spirit of forgiveness that wellness and wholeness within the world community may, indeed, become a reality.

Blessed is this peacemaker, for surely he shall be called a child of God.