ANNRESS TO THE
WEEKLY SWIFT HALT. LUNCHEON
THE DIVINTTY SCHOOL OF THE TNTVERSTTY OF CHICAGO
OCTORRR 75, 1986
RY
JOHN M. BUCHANAN

PASTOR, POURTH PRESRYTERTAN CHURCH, CHICAGO

Roger — in John Updike's new novel, Roger's Version - is a professor
ata place Tike this. His "Verston" begins:

"T have been happy at the Nivinity Schonl. The
hours are bearahle, the surroundings handsome, my
enolteagues harmless and witty, hahiftuated as they are tn
the shadows. To master a few dead languages, to parade
sequential moments of the obdurately enigmatic early
history of Christianity before classrooms of the
hopeful, the deluded, and the docile - there are mare
fraudulent ways ta earn a living."

That must have been Harvard, although upon the reflective distance af 23
years T concinde that. there are more fraudulent ways to spend one's years
af graduate educatian and expertence.

Who wonld have thought, 7 have been asking myself these past few

weeks, that T might be standing here talking ta you? And furthermore, what
in the world will TF say?

The nature of the place, after all, considerably narrows and shapes
the field af the possibilities. T can't, for instance, talk about the
wonderful network of colleagues, ald boy or old girl, with whom T have
shared these 23 years of professional practice. there must he another
Rivinity School pradnate serving a Preshyterian Church somewhere ~— but we
haven't found each other yet. (As a matter af fact T had the privilege of
working with a Chicago graduate, in Columbus, Ohin - a wonderfni
nrofessional and good friend, tO years alder than T, so T know there is at
least one other.) Th any event, the community in which praduation from this
place makes me a member is a fairly select group.

Tn addition, as T thenght about. what T might say to you, T kept
recalling - heing haunted by the memory, actually - that when F was a
student, T didn't trust people like me. My enntaots with real, live,
elerpy, were terribly limited. aAnd when f went to publie worship, which
wasn't very often, T was appalled at what T judged toa he the banality,

attended classes in Swift Hall and tried ta understand the implicatians of
what T had done -

T brought very little to this place bit curiosity. T knew three
things ahout. the University of Chicago - The Atemic Bomb was planned here,
Amos Alonzo Stagg was a famous foothall coach and Jay Berwanger, a half
hack in the 1930's was the First Hiesman Trophy Winner, always an
impressive fact. for trivia aficionados. T had only the vaguest sense of
what the right questians were ta ask. [ did not know the names even,
Reinhold Niebuhr and Paul Tillich. Among those who showed up here that.
September 1959, whether ane was Titlichian ar Niebuhrian - was a matter of
major concern, talked ahont endlessly. It oceurred toa me that 1 had better
become ane or the other. So Tf walked to a haonkstare on S7th Street, a
smalt, hole-in-the-wall that is no longer there. T asked, innocent.ty
enough if the proprietor had anything hy Niehuhr or Tillich. His response
was immediate and strong. "What the hell da you want with that crap?" he
demanded ta know of mea. T stammered something fnane which emboldened him
further and he launched intoa a tirade about religion, theology, Divinity
School, Alfred North Whitehead. Radly shaken, hut wiser by far, T knew
that T was in a special place and it wasn't Princeton ar Pittshurgh.

One of the things that happened toa us immediately was a love affair
with the City which has survived and deepened. We loved the lake and the
zoos and the Chicago Cardinals ~ now the St. Louis Cardinals playing at
Soldier's Field. Tn those days yon could take a train dawn an Sunday
afternoon and huy a ticket. And the American Leapue Champion White Sox
that fall, and Grant Park summer concerts and the mwnsenms.

Swift Hall was unlike anything t have experienced -— before oar since.
T reeall those first four fall professors:

Old Testament —J. Coert Rylaarsdam

New Testament -Rohert. Grant.

Theology ~Jaseph Sittler

Church Histary —F. &. Whale - a visiting Rritish Theologian who

used Church History as a framework to talk about
his hook on Christian Noctrine.

Ft was wonderful. 7T was enthralled. Christianity and scholarship
wera not two phenomena T had put together hefore,

T have just returned from Union Seminary and have new sympathy for
what itt means to live with a glorious past. Tt is a burden and T don't
mean to be guilty of contributing toa it here, but they were gloriously
vital days for me: Thanks to those professors — and Nathan Scott, Mircea
Rliade, Seward Hiltner, Granger Westhurg, Marcus Barth, Rernard Loaner,
Bernard Meland, James Nichols.

At. the end, they gathered those af us who thought we might actually

end up in churches inte a class, ant called “Practical Theology" - that.
name itself we found revolting — bit a class devoted to helping us with

3

to which they allude.

The Divinity School didn't give me ministerial skills hut it pave me
a priceless sense of my awn life as a quest, a ecantinuing, never-ending

process of preparation ~ for life, whatever it contains, presents, or
portends.
Here ~ T got what T can't find a better word for - than - thirst for

understanding. Fim still reading, not nearly as much as T want te, bot
dogpedly, ragularly, hook after hook after hank.

Here ~ T pot an appreciation far the hody of staff T don't know: the
“thereness" of the information and insights scholars have and 1 don't. have;
an intellectual madesty before that which T don't knew and others do.

In terms of content and life shaping insipht f received here an
appreciation for creation — what has been characterized as the theology of
erreation as well as the theology of redemption. Tt has resnited in a gift
T enjoy and attribute te Swift Hatl ~ a kind af radical amazement and
wonder hefore the sheer miracle of being.

T learned about grace in art and music and literature here, and a
sanse that whatever the Christian faith is, it relates to, intersects with,
is in counterpoint to, ar is in dialogue with, the rest of human
experience.

T conelude - because of that sense, that it is mighty important that.
tt be discussed, reflected on, argued about and explained in just these
places where the arts and sciences and humanities are reflected on
learnedty and with schelarly discipline.

St. Panl suggested that. in Jesus Christ - or what we here learned to
call “the Christ event" God has made foolish the wisdom af the wortd.
Indeed. Trearnational thinking will eenelnde that - and, T might add,
experience it. However, there is nothing mare foolish in this world than a
piety that is not. huwhte before and conversant with all the wisdom of God's
world which is available to us,

And so T wish yau wonld turn out a few more preachers. T think the
world needs the church - and [ think the church needs the kind of people
you have wade in the past — aven if there are only a few of us.

In fact, it accurs to me that a few of us are probably all any
institution — particularly the church - can stand,