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She Won Our Hearts
What a lovely article on Dr. Piper
End Things,
summer/fall 2001)! Reading it brought back many wonderful
memories to us. Morton ('52B) and I lived in the upstairs apartment at 58
Mercer Street during 1950-1952. We didn't know the first Elizabeth, but
the second Elizabeth was a wonderful person and a joyful addition to Dr.
Piper's life.
Upon his return from sabbatical in Germany, he shared with us news of
his marriage to Elizabeth and asked us to pray on a certain night when she
was to "escape" from Germany via Hamburg. That night came and we
could feel the excitement and hope that permeated the home, and then, when
Dr. Piper got the news she was on her way to him, his whole demeanor
evidenced his joy along with ours.
When she was finally here in the USA, he was, in his own reserved way,
ecstatic. Elizabeth quickly won her way into our lives and hearts as she
brought her happy spirit not only to him but also to us who had the
privilege of knowing Otto and Elizabeth Piper. Thank you for sharing this
article with readers of inSpire.
Peggy Taylor
Manchester Court,
Vermont
Psalms of Solomon
Thank you very much for sending me a copy of the summer/fall 2001 issue
of inSpire that contains the fine article on the Psalms of Solomon
materials that I was pleased to prepare for the Seminary Libraries. The
article is well written and, more importantly, an accurate description of
the archival materials and the group that composed the documents
originally-some 2,100 years ago.
Robert B. Wright
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Where's
Ryerson?
I was pleased to read the series of articles regarding the Seminary's
Asian connections [summer/fall 2001]. These relationships are an important
part of the life at PTS and have had a significant impact on worldwide
Christianity.
But I was gravely disappointed to read not a single word about Charles
Ryerson, the Elmer K. and Ethel R. Timby Professor of the History of
Religions Emeritus. As a specialist in Tamil faith and culture, Dr.
Ryerson introduced a long generation of seminarians to the Hindu and
Buddhist faith traditions, as well as to sociological tools for the study
of religion. No less significantly, he arranged for dozens of us to study
at Indian seminaries and helped to recruit Indian students to study at
Princeton.
Even in retirement, Dr. Ryerson continues to enrich PTS academic life.
Indeed, during the past summer-presumably as the articles on Asia were
being typeset-he was busily supervising foreign study for a new group of
students.
My own ministry in the multicultural environment of New York City has
been profoundly enhanced by what I learned from Dr. Ryerson. Surely I am
only one among many. I hope that inSpire will consider printing a detailed
profile of this remarkable educator.
Michael Church ('94B)
Farmingdale,
New York
Editor's Note
We appreciate your concern about the importance of Professor Charles
Ryerson to Princeton Seminary, particularly as a specialist in the Hindu
and Buddhist faith traditions, and concur about his valuable contributions
to the Seminary. We did not include him partly because we could not
include everybody and largely because a profile of him ("Close
Encounters of an Indian Kind") appeared in the summer/fall 1999 issue
of inSpire. Professor Ryerson's past and continuing work on behalf of
Princeton Seminary (importantly, though not solely, as a bridge builder
between PTS and India) is indeed greatly appreciated.
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Encouragement for Jugglers
I just read the spring 2001 issue of inSpire and greatly appreciated
the wonderful section on parenting
and ministry. Thank you for putting together such an honest and
hope-filled compilation of articles. As a parent of young children, I
found many words of wisdom and encouragement. I appreciated that the
parents' articles were honest about the struggles of juggling work and
parenting rather than the typical profiles of "supermoms" who do
it all with ease. Thanks!
Amy Vaughn ('93B)
Mankato, Minnesota
From the
Philippines with Love
PTS has a long and illustrious history of teaching and inspiring
theological scholars from all over the world, as well as training future
missionaries to inspire and be inspired by Christianity all over the
world. The fruit of this bi-forked endeavor can be found at Union
Theological Seminary (UTS) in the Philippines.
When my husband, Paul Matheny ('82B), and I arrived at UTS last March
with the privilege of teaching theology (Paul) and Old Testament (Mary),
we found quite a cadre of faculty who are connected with Princeton. Dr.
Oscar Suarez ('86D) is both the distinguished president of Philippine
Christian University, the umbrella institution under which UTS finds her
home, and a professor of preaching at UTS. Bishop Daniel Arichea was a
visiting scholar at PTS in 1981 and lived with his wife, Ruth, in the
missionary housing on Alexander Street. Paul, Kim Crutchfield ('86B), and
I make up the balance of the PTS connection.
At present, five nations are represented by the UTS faculty. There is a
real sense here that we are all sitting in the same boat and pulling the
same oars in unison. Students and faculty learn from each other with the
mutual goal of understanding the needs of the Protestant congregations in
the Philippines. Today, we had a festive celebration welcoming guests from
San Francisco Theological Seminary during which we sat around the tables,
eating delicious food and reveling in each other's company. We were buoyed
by the fact that no matter where we came from, what our denominational,
cultural, or political heritage was, we all belonged to the one body of
Jesus Christ.
Mary C. Nebelsick ('84B)
Manila, Philippines
Appreciation for Feature
on Asia
I thoroughly enjoyed your article "Remembering
Connections through War and Peace" by Lance Woodruff in the
latest inSpire. It was passed on to me, as Anna May Say Pa is to be a
visiting lecturer at our college, Whitley College, here in Melbourne,
Australia, next year.
Geoff Pound
Parkville, Australia
Editor's Note
Corrections-summer/fall 2001
The ALHAS acronym-incorrectly identified on page 5-stands for the
Association of Latino/Hispanic American Seminarians.
Our apologies to Robert Lanchester, whose name we spelled incorrectly
in "Staging the Mystery: Students Bring the Book of Job to Life"
(pages 10-12).
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