Serene Jones

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Serene Jones
Serene Jones speaking at the Presbyterian Historical Society, October 2023
Serene Jones at the Presbyterian Historical Society in 2023
Born
Lynda Serene Jones

(1959-07-31) July 31, 1959 (age 64)
TitlePresident of Union Theological Seminary (since 2008)
Ecclesiastical career
ReligionChristianity
Church
Academic background
Alma mater
Thesis"Fulfilled in Your Hearing" (1991)
Doctoral advisor
InfluencesJohn Calvin
Academic work
DisciplineTheology
School or tradition
Institutions
Notable worksFeminist Theory and Christian Theology (2000)

Lynda Serene Jones (born 1959) is the President and Johnston Family Professor for Religion and Democracy at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. She was formerly the Titus Street Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and chair of gender, woman, and sexuality studies at Yale University.

Biography[edit]

Born Lynda Serene Jones on July 31, 1959, she is the eldest of three daughters. Her mother, Sarah Jones, was a licensed psychotherapist. Her father, Joe Robert Jones, was a graduate of Yale Divinity School and served as Dean of the Graduate Seminary (1975–1979) and President of Phillips University from 1979 to 1988. Serene is a graduate of Enid High School in Enid, Oklahoma. Serene's younger sister Kindy Jones is Assistant Attorney General for the State of Oklahoma. Her youngest sister, Verity Jones, is a former Disciples of Christ pastor and editor of DisciplesWorld.[1][2]

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma, Jones earned a Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School in 1985, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in theology from Yale University in 1991. She is an ordained minister in both the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. She taught at Yale University for seventeen years. On July 1, 2008, Jones succeeded Joseph Hough as President of Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York.[3]

Jones is the 16th president of the historic Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. The first woman to head the 179-year-old interdenominational seminary, she occupies the Johnston Family Chair for Religion and Democracy and has formed Union’s Institute for Women, Religion and Globalization, as well as the Institute for Art, Religion and Social Justice. Jones came to Union after seventeen years at Yale University, where she was the Titus Street Professor of Theology at the Divinity School and chair of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She was the president of the American Academy of Religion for 2016.[4]

Publications[edit]

  • Jones has published 37 articles and book chapters since 1991.[5]

Works[edit]

Books[edit]

  • Jones, Serene (1995). Calvin and the Rhetoric of Piety. Louisville, KY: Westminster, John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-22070-9. OCLC 32551494.
  • ——— (2000). Feminist Theory and Christian Theology: Cartographies of Grace. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press. ISBN 978-1-4514-1822-4. OCLC 43708566.[9]
  • ——— (2009). Trauma and Grace: Theology in a Ruptured World. Louisville, KY: Presbyterian Publishing Corp. ISBN 978-0-664-23410-2. OCLC 308214892.[10]
  • ——— (2019). Call It Grace: Finding Meaning in a Fractured World. New York, NY: Viking. ISBN 9780735223646.

Edited[edit]

Articles and chapters[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jones, Joe (September 17, 2011). "Remembrance of Things Past and the Present Discontent". Yale Divinity School 50th Reunion Website. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  2. ^ White, Perry (July 2, 1983). "Budding Theologian's Plans Full". The Oklahoman. NewsOK. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  3. ^ Banerjee, Neela (2008-02-26). "Union Theological Gets New President". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  4. ^ "Serene Jones | Union Theological Seminary". Archived from the original on 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2015-07-01.
  5. ^ "Union Theological Seminary Appoints First Woman President in Its 172-year History". Union Theological Seminary. February 26, 2008. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2008.
  6. ^ "Dear Christians: Stop Opposing Obama's Ban on LGBTQ Job Discrimination". Time. July 3, 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  7. ^ "A Discussion with Serene Jones, President of Union Theological Seminary". berkleycenter.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  8. ^ "Serene Jones | HuffPost". www.huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  9. ^ Jones, Serene (29 July 2000). Feminist Theory and Christian Theology: Cartographies of Grace. ISBN 9781451418224. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  10. ^ Jones, Serene (January 2009). Trauma and Grace: Theology in a Ruptured World. ISBN 9780664234102. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  11. ^ Russell, Letty M.; Farley, Margaret A.; Jones, Serene (January 1999). Liberating Eschatology: Essays in Honor of Letty M. Russell. ISBN 9780664257880. Retrieved April 18, 2016.

External links[edit]