united faculty

Remembering Rev. Dr. Clyde J. Steckel, Professor Emeritus

In June 1970, Rev. Dr. Clyde J. Steckel joined United’s faculty as associate professor of Theology and Psychology. He was also asked to provide counseling, supervise communication groups, and facilitate the North Central Career Development Center. Originally from Indiana, Clyde earned his BD at Chicago Theological Seminary and his MA and PhD from the University of Chicago Divinity School. His connection with and myriad contributions to United, however, began a few years before that formal appointment and extended far beyond his official retirement. (more…)

Remembering Dr. Marilyn J. Salmon, Professor Emerita of New Testament Theology

Dr. Marilyn J. Salmon, Professor Emerita of New Testament Theology (1989–2014), is fondly remembered as a committed scholar, a dedicated teacher, a faithful religious leader, and an early and passionate advocate for interfaith dialogue and understanding. Born and raised in Minnesota, Marilyn earned her BA from Concordia College, Moorhead, her MDiv from Northwestern Theological Seminary (now Luther Seminary), and her PhD from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she developed a lifelong passion for the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. Marilyn worked on the Gospel of Luke in her doctoral dissertation and, in that research, advanced scholarship about the differences between Christian and Jewish readings of Scripture, work that she continued to explore throughout her life. (more…)

The Good Shepherd: Image, Meaning, and Power with Dr. Jennifer Awes Freeman

On Tuesday September 21, 2021, United professor Jennifer Awes Freeman shared an overview of her new book, The Good Shepherd: Image, Meaning, and Power, with the Arts Lunch. The book traces the motif of the Good Shepherd and its imperial invocations from origins in the ancient Near East to its waning in the European Middle Ages. A more official event will be announced for the spring, so stay tuned! (more…)

Statement Regarding the Expanded Travel Ban From the Academic Council of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities

The Trump administration recently added six countries to the travel ban list which, as a recent New York Times article puts it, “will virtually block immigration from Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, and from Myanmar, where the Muslim minority is fleeing genocide.” (more…)

The Arts are in United’s DNA: An Interview with Jennifer Awes Freeman

Photo of Jennifer Awes Freeman by Angela Jimenez Photography Last summer this blog introduced you to Jennifer Awes Freeman, the new assistant professor of Theology and the Arts at United. More recently I sat down with Jennifer to talk about her role in United's theology and the arts programs. Here are some excerpts from our conversation. Tell me a little about your role as a professor of Theology and the Arts. (more…)

United at the Parliament of the World’s Religions: Making Interreligious Chaplaincy Education Meaningfully Inclusive.

Early this November, Dr. Pamela Ayo Yetunde (Director of Interreligious Chaplaincy and Assistant Professor of Pastoral and Spiritual Care and Counseling), Jessi LeClear Vachta (Associate Director of Admissions) and a group of current students attended the 2018 Parliament of the World's Religions in Toronto, Ontario. There, they held a panel "Making Interreligious Chaplaincy Education Meaningfully Inclusive." We will be publishing content from this presentation as a series over the next few weeks. This first post is from Dr. Yetunde's opening remarks about United's commitment to interreligious chaplaincy education. (more…)