It's A Great Time To Be Graduating From A Mainline, Progressive, Christian, Divinity School
Paul Brandeis Raushenbush
The following is an edited version of the Commencement Address I delivered at Third Presbyterian Church on May 16, 2015 for the graduating class at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.
To President McMickle, Board of directors, esteemed faculty, beloved family and friends, and most of all, to you students I want to say what a profound honor it is to be with you today to celebrate the graduates of the class of 2015 from Colgate, Rochester, Crozer Divinity School.
It's an odd week to be graduating from a mainline, progressive, Christian, Divinity School. As many of you know, a major study came out from Pew on the religious landscape in America with the startling headline that Americans who call themselves Christians has declined by 8 percent over the last 8 years.
According to the data, the biggest 'losers' were the Catholic Church and Mainline Protestants. While the numbers of those who identify as Evangelicals held steady or even gained a point. Ever quick to misread a text, some prominent Evangelicals were crowing about how the study proved the superiority of their conservative Christian faith.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-raushenbush/divinity-school-commencement-address_b_7302582.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
