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THE SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT
March, 1966
Controversial Professor
to Debate at Spelman
During Religious Emphasis Week, religion will be dis
cussed in its conservative and controversial aspects. At present,
all religions are going through a period of questioning and
reform. Christians are now involved in the “God is dead”
debate. Several months ago this
Professor T. J. Altizer, a the
ology professor at Emory Uni
versity is the major proponent
of this Neo-Christianity in At
lanta. Since he made his
original pronouncement of his
theories he has appeared at
conferences, debates through
out the country. A book will
soon be published which ex
plains his theories.
Dr. Altizer is opposed to
many of the traditional Chris
tian beliefs and attitudes which
we embrace. He has proposed
that we revise our concepts
about God and Jesus and the
church itself. Many theologians
have expressed their approval
of Dr. Altizer’s views. Other
eminent religious leaders have
condemned him. He has been
accused of trying to replace
the Christian religion with
atheism.
On Tuesday, March 8, at
8:15 p.m., Professor Altizer
will again discuss his challeng
ing theories. At this time the
students and faculty of the At
lanta University Center can
assess the worth of some Neo-
Christian thinking. Professor
Altizer will debate with Dr.
Charles H. Long of the Univer
sity of Chicago. Dr. Long is
guest speaker at Morehouse
College for the week. This
discussion should be a chal
lenging one. Several religious
views will be expressed and
the audience will have an op
portunity to hear and question
two of America’s most eminent
theologians.
A. Porter
{Continued from Page 1)
ton, Cynthia Smith, Augustine
McDaniel, Katerina Jackson,
Ann Dopson, Andrea Peter
son, Linda Housch, Joan Gail-
lard, Henrietta Turnquest, Er
nestine Dearing, and Elizabeth
Leigh.
The members of the Library
Committee are Mildred In
gram and Tammara Williams.
The Schedule Committee is
composed of Frieda William
son, (Chairman), Patricia Rob
erts, Juddith Fennell, Ernes
tine Glowers, and Cassandra
Taylor.
Ruth Baety, (Chairman),
Ruth Williams, Bettianne
Childers, Yvonne Batton, Car-
lotta Rhetta, Etta Moore, Ann
Golar, Murrly Hunt, Regina
Hughes, and Angela Robinson
make up the Hospitality Com
mittee.
Glenda Anderson, (Chair
man), Jean Shipp, Carolyn An
derson, and Betty Gamble are
the members of the House
Conference Committee.
debate hit Atlanta in full force.
Dr. T. J. Altizer,
Emory University
Dr. Robert Spike
Will Speak
During the week of March
6th, the Atlanta University
Center will observe Religious
Emphasis Week, and there will
be several distinguished speak
ers in the Center during this
time to discuss the many as
pects of religion. One of these
speakers, The Reverend Doc
tor Robert W. Spike, will begin
the week by speaking in Sis
ter’s Chapel, Spelman College
on March 6th, at 3:00 p.m.
He will speak again in Sister’s
Chapel on Monday evening,
March 7th at 7:00 p.m.
A native of Buffalo, New
York, Dr. Spike is a graduate
of Colgate Rochester Divinity
School and of Denison Uni
versity in Granville, Ohio,
where he was a member of
Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron
Delta Kappa. He received a
doctorate in education from
Columbia University in con
junction with Union Theologi
cal Seminary in 1954, and an
L.H.D. degree from Moravian
College in 1964.
At the present Dr. Spike is
the executive director of the
Commission on Religion and
Race, National Council of
Churches of Christ in the
U. S. A. The National Coun
cil’s emergency Commission on
Religion and Race was created
in June, 1963, to enlist the aid
of the nation’s Protestant and
Orthodox Churches in the
struggle for racial justice. One
of the first to relate mid-twen
tieth century culture and so
ciety, Dr. Spike has been active
in the National Council of
Churches for a number of
years, having served as chair
man of the Committee on
Christian Ministry in the Na
tional Parks, and as a member
C’m on Spelman it c, Find
Out What’s Happening
Last year, after more than
a hundred Spelman students
worked tirelessly and unself
ishly in preparing and present
ing one of the most interesting
Religious Emphasis Week pro
grams in recent years; after
an entire morning of classes
was cancelled on our campus
for the observance of a college
wide seminar; after a hand
some Morehouse College grad
uate preached in three chapel
services with the tintinnabula
tion of a basso-profundo, and
visited several dormitories de
bating and debunking many
student ideas about formalized
religion, and walked and talked
on campus with students for
five full days; after Sisters
Chapel was aglow for four At
lanta University Center-wide
afternoon and evening worship
services; after all this, and
more, a faculty member of one
of the colleges “across the
street” reported that a Spel
man student in one of his
classes was unaware that Re
ligious Emphasis Week was
taking place.
Unbelievable! Unthinkable!
And, if true, mose undesirable!
If there is any college-spon
sored program during the
school year that is designed to
involve all the students in both
leadership and participation,
surely it is Religious Emphasis
Week. And this year is no ex
ception. In fact, students have
been chosen by one another to
work out an effective and in
teresting week, like wild-fire,
those chosen have assumed
their roles in a most heartening
and inspiring manner. They
have pledged their support and
have gotten behind their lead
ers and have had many enrich
ing experiences during these
few days prior to Religious
Emphasis Week. This special
edition of the Spelman Spot
light is one bit of evidence of
that spirit.
It has never failed. Some
how, the Spelman student,
when given the responsibility
of doing a job, does it with
flying colors. Our hats must be
tipped to these individuals
whose great satisfaction will
come in the realization that
they did a good job and that
the activities were participated
of the special committee on the
role of religion in the mass
media and of the executive
committee of the Division of
Home Missions (now the Divi
sion of Christian Life and
Mission).
Religious Emphasis Week
should be very enjoyable since
Dr. Spike and other well in
formed speakers will be a part
of it.
Patricia Roberts
in and appreciated by their
fellow-students.
Religious Emphasis Week
this year should offer another
incentive for greater student
participation, however. For the
theme that has been devised
by the Atlanta University Cen
ter Committee should evoke
a response from students and
faculty members perhaps never
before realized. “A Relevant
Theology for Modern Society”
does not necessarily cause a
surge of interest on the lay
man’s part, especially when
first read. But on second
thought, when looking at the
contemporary scene, the theme
takes on some attractive possi
bilities. The present generation
of college students has been
exposed to as much radical re
ligious thinking as any other
group during the Twentieth
Century. When one read’s
Robinson’s “Honest To God”,
or Harvey Cox’s “The Secular
City”, one senses that tradition
al religious thinking is being
seriously challenged. And then,
when one considers Altizer’s
views on the death of God,
viewed by some as the “last
straw” in a steady-growing list
of contemporary “heresies”,
one cannot but help realize that
the old foundations are being
shaken as never before. Surely
Religious Emphasis Week will
provide an opportunity for stu
dents to examine their personal
beliefs in an age in which old
concepts are being evaluated
in all seriousness.
Then, the possibilities which
the Reverend William Glenesk
promises to open to our camp
us by concentrating on “The
Way-In World” through se
veral mediums should capti
vate the imagination and an
ticipation of even the most dis
interested academician.
But let us confess: all the
sound and fury generated by
a dedicated student committee,
or a theme that is relevant to
our contemporary scene, or a
“Beatnik” age preacher, can
easily subside into much ado
about nothing unless the indi
vidual Spelman student “in
volves” herself in what’s really
happening.
Norman Rates
AGNES SCOTT RECITAL
Each year as a part of the
A. U. Center observance of
Religious Emphasis Week a
presentation in some field of
the fine arts is planned. This
year’s presentation will be a
Dance Recital by members of
an Agnes Scott College dance
group. It will be held on Sun
day evening, March 6, at 7
o’clock in Dean Sage Hall
Auditorium. It will be followed
by a reception in the faculty
lounge of Dean Sage Hall.
Rev. Glenesk firings
World...
(Continued from Page 1)
Rev. Glenesk is the pastor
of Spencer Memorial Presby
terian Church in Brooklyn,
New York—a church whose
membership is now more than
ten times the number it was
when he took it over in 1955.
“The Church should be a place
where people can experiment
and create and approach the
mystery of God in many ways.”
He says further, “I believe that
the church should embrace all
of life; that Christianity should
embrace the world. It should
try not to punch the world into
a pattern as if the figure of
Christ were a cookie cutter.”
Expounding on the philoso
phy behind his approach to
Christianity, Rev. Glensek
says, “Nobody can define God
for you, or define the ways in
which you can worship God.
And this is why I use the
dance, the cymbals, paintings,
Dixieland jazz and all the in
struments of the arts of man.
The arts of man are the ways
in which he can express the
image of God in himself.”
Reverend Glenesk is a fol
lower of Paul Tillich under
whom he studied at Union
Theological Seminary. The
theologian says of his former
pupil that he sees nothing
wrong in his use of the arts
in stimulating the interest of
his congregation. “If it is done
tactfully, it can be very im
pressive,” he says, “It is im
portant today that every way
be tried to make the Christian
methods relevant to life.”
Rev. Glenesk’s most attract
ive tactic is a disregard for con
vention and orthodoxy; yet his
greatest asset, as agreed upon
by all, is a deep sincerity. His
life does not follow the gen
erally accepted pattern of that
of a minister, but resembles
one that is a mixture of min
ister, actor, and artist. When
he is out of his ministerial
habit his dress is somewhat
collegiate.
Having changed his am
bitions from teaching to the
ministry, Rev. Glenesk took his
Bachelor of Divinity degree
from the University of Toronto
in 1952. He then came to this
country to continue his studies
at Columbia University as a
graduate student. On Sundays
he served as guest preacher in
the city churches until he
found Spencer Memorial. “It
was the shabbiest building with
the fewest people and it had
the least money,” he recalls.
“It was a perfect situation in
which to discover if the Holy
Spirit was around town.”
More recently Rev. Glenesk
has been engaged in delivering
a series of lectures at Princeton
University on “The Communi
cation of Christianity in the
Arts.”
F. Williamson