Biographies – Professors Emeriti
The (late) Shaykh Ibrahim Abdul-Malik, Ed.D., Ph.D.
El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz Professor Emeritus of American Muslim History and Culture
He was born in New York City. He earned his first doctor’s degree in Science and Education at Harvard University in 1971, and his second in Islamic Studies from Graduate Theological Foundation in 2007. He was a Certified Master Practitioner of both Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Ericksonian Therapeutic Hypnosis, a qualified nutritionist, and a member of the World Health Community of NLP Practitioners. During his 25-year career with the New York City School System (teacher, principal, vice-chairman, Board of Examiners), Dr. Abdul-Malik was also Adjunct Professor at City University of New York (The City College and Baruch College) for ten years. He was director of the Bank Street College outreach program. Following that, as UNESCO Science Advisor, he set up and headed the first junior college in the Islamic Republic of Maldives, South Asia. He presently teaches at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Dr. Abdul-Malik was a co-founder of Imams Council of New York, and Associate Director of the UN Summer Internship Program, Geneva, Switzerland, sponsored by Malik Shabazz Human Rights Institute. Immediately following September 11, 2001, he served for several months as a Volunteer Disaster Chaplain with American Red Cross, at and near ground zero, and as a Trauma Counselor, with selected community organizations. Dr. Abdul-Malik was regularly invited to lead interfaith activities, particularly those seeking to improve relations among Jews, Christians & Muslims.
Shaykh Dr. Abdul-Malik delivered the 2013 Graduation Address which can be viewed here.
Anthony Burkart, Psy.D
Professor of Psychotherapy and Spiritual Direction
He is a Professor of Psychotherapy and Spiritual Direction. He is a psychotherapist and spiritual director in private practice on the coast of Maine. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and a Camaldolese Benedictine Oblate of New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, California. He holds an M.Div. from Bangor Theological Seminary, an S.T.M. from New York Theological Seminary, and a Psy.D. from the Graduate Theological Foundation. He is also a graduate of the Shalem Institute’s Spiritual Guidance Program. Dr. Burkart is an author, retreat leader, teacher, and spiritual director, or as he prefers, a “spiritual janitor,” and for the past fifteen years has been in private practice in what he calls “Contemplative Psychotherapy,” the dance and interchange between conventional psychotherapy and spiritual direction. His interest for the past thirty years has been the dialogue between Eastern and Western spirituality which is currently active with the Bede Griffith Foundation at New Camaldoli Hermitage and New Skete Monastery in New York. He has published numerous papers in Sacred Journey, Shalem Publications, and other journals. He has lived on a small farm with his family on the coast of Maine for the past thirty-five years.
The Rev. Dr. Henry A. Chan, Ph.D.
Diplomate of the Victor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy
President Jimmy Carter Professor Emeritus of Mediation and Pastoral Care
Henry A. Chan was born in Guyana, South America, and migrated to the U.S.A. as a young man in 1967. He worked in information processing in the areas of programming, systems design, systems analysis, and long-range planning. Since his ordination to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church in 1983, he served as a parish priest in the Diocese of Long Island until his retirement in 2008. He holds a B.S. in Computer and Information Science from Empire State College, State University of New York; an M.B.A. in Management from Dowling College; an S.T.M. from the General Theological Seminary; a D.P.A. from Nova Southeastern University; a D. Min. from the School of Theology, University of the South; a Psy.D. and a Ph.D. in Pastoral Psychology from the Graduate Theological Foundation. Dr. Chan holds the Diplomate credential from the Viktor Frankl Institute for Logotherapy and is a lifetime member of the Institute. He served as a mediator at Community Mediation Services in Queens, New York, and was a member of the Board of Directors, 2002-2006. Dr. Chan is also a member of the American Psychological Association. His books include The Mediator As Human Being (2005), The Humanity of Mediators (2007), and Historical Models for the Priest As Pastor (2014). He authored the GTF blog too in 2012, “Christmas in Guyana: Preparation and Celebration”.
The (late) Ewert Cousins, Ph.D. (Fordham)
Teilhard de Chardin Professor Emeritus of Christian Spirituality
Ewert H. Cousins was educated at Spring Hill College (B.A.), St. Louis University (S.T.L.), and Fordham University (Ph.D.). After leaving the Jesuit Order in 1960, Dr. Cousins joined the Fordham University faculty of Classics and then the Theology Department where he taught from 1960 until his retirement with Emeritus status from Fordham. He also taught at New York University, Barnard College, and Columbia University in religious studies. A past president of the American Teilhard Association and Director of Fordham’s Spirituality Program, he subsequently served as General Editor of the 25-volume series World Spirituality: An Encyclopedic History of the Religious Quest published by Crossroads Press. He also served as Chief Editorial Consultant for the 60-volume series, The Classics of Western Spirituality. From 1974 to 1985, he was Consultant to the Vatican Secretariat for Non-Christians, and from 1964 until his death, he served as the Teilhard de Chardin Professor of Theology and Spirituality at the Graduate Theological Foundation. A professorship has been created in his honor at the GTF as the Ewert Cousin Professor of Spirituality and Theology.
Vivian Robles Dettbarn-Slaughter D.S.M.
Fellow and Professor Emeritus of Sacred Music
Dr.Vivian Robles Dettbarn-Slaughter was active in the music ministry for a span of 30 years. She began her musical education in classical voice and collaborative piano at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the University of California at Santa Barbara, a Master’s degree in music education with a vocal emphasis from the Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, and a Doctor of Sacred Music degree from the Graduate Theological Foundation. She also studied in the Doctor of Musical Arts program at the University of Memphis, Tennessee, with a major in vocal performance and a minor in music history.
Dr. Dettbarn-Slaughter was on the faculty at the University of Findlay, in Findlay, Ohio, for fifteen years. During that time, she taught applied voice, piano, and music history, and was a recipient of the Elizabeth Gupta Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Fine Arts. Prior to that, she was on the faculty of the music department at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan, where she taught applied voice, music history, honors courses, opera workshop, and musical theatre for eleven years (music department chair for six years). While earning her Master’s degree, Dr. Dettbarn-Slaughter taught courses at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, where she was assistant director of the Appalachian Chorale. While pursuing doctoral studies at the University of Memphis, she worked for the University Opera Theatre as a vocal coach and taught applied music and music history.
Dr. Dettbarn-Slaughter was the Director of Music Ministries, organist and bell choir director at the Adrian Dominican Sisters Motherhouse, and organist and youth music director at the First Presbyterian Church in Adrian, MI. She also served Catholic, Adventist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and Hindu congregations in California, Tennessee, and North Carolina in various roles as soprano soloist, assistant choral director, organist, and pianist. She has performed as a singer, chamber musician, and pianist with orchestras and opera companies in the U.S., and has performed in recital in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. She has also sung as an Artist-in-Residence with the Toledo Opera in Ohio. She is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church and is the owner and vocal instructor at Lake Arts Studio. Dr. Dettbarn-Slaughter is the author of The Vocalist’s Toolbox, A Portable Workshop for Singers, and her choral music is published by Alliance Publications, Inc.
The late Rev. Canon John Fenton, D.D. (Cantab.)
Professor Emeritus of Christian Scriptures
John C. Fenton held the B.A., M.A., and B.D. degrees from The Queen’s College, University of Oxford. He was a priest in the Church of England. In 2001, Canon Fenton received the Doctor of Divinity degree from Lambeth Palace from the Archbishop of Canterbury owing to his great contribution to the study of Christian scriptures. He was principal of Lichfield Theological College from 1958 to 1965 and served on the faculty of theology of Durham University from 1965 to 1978. He later became a Canon of Christ Church Cathedral of Oxford and was formerly a Vicar of an Anglican parish in Yorkshire. A New Testament scholar of international reputation, he wrote several books including Preaching the Cross (1958), The Passion According to John (1961), Crucified with Christ (1961), Saint Matthew (Pelican Commentary 1963), Saint John (New Clarendon Bible Commentary 1970), What Was Jesus’ Message? (1971), Good News (1976), and Finding the Way Through John (1988). Canon Fenton served on the Graduate Theological Foundation’s faculty as Professor of Christian Scriptures.
The Rev. Egil Grislis, Ph.D. (Yale)
Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology
Egil Grislis was born in Latvia and received his education at Heidelberg University, Gettysburg College, Lutheran Theological Seminary (Pennsylvania), and Yale University from which he held a Ph.D. in historical theology. He also was a Fellow of the Graduate Theological Foundation from which he earned the Doctor of Ministry degree. He taught at the Divinity School of Duke University, The Hartford Seminary Foundation, Fordham University, and from 1976 until his retirement, at the University of Manitoba in Canada. An ordained Lutheran pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada, Dr. Grislis was a Visiting Professor at the College of William and Mary, The Union Theological Seminary in New York, and Yale University during his academic career. His most recent books include Devotional Theology: Meditations on Christian Existence and The Eternal Triangle: Meditations on Sin, Suffering, and Salvation. He was Professor of Historical Theology at the Graduate Theological Foundation until his retirement.
Sister Raymunda Jordan, O.P., D.Min. (GTF), D.D. (GTF)
James Ashbrook Professor Emerita of Pastoral Psychology
Raymunda Jordan is a native of Kanturk, County Cork, Ireland, and was educated by the Sisters of Mercy and entered the Dominican Congregation of Saint Catherine of Siena, Newcastle, Natal, in 1958. She holds a Teacher’s Diploma in Secondary Education, a B.Ed., and a B.A. from the University of London, and an M.S. from Loyola College, Maryland. She also holds the Doctor of Ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation where she is also a Fellow and holder of the Doctor of Divinity honoris causa. Until her retirement from the GTF, she held the James Ashbrook Professorship of Pastoral Psychology. She currently is a member of The Association of Pastoral Counselors and was for 10 years Principal of Mixed Comprehensive Schools in London. In England, she has served as Prioress of The Dominican House of Formation at Oxford and taught pastoral theology at Blackfriars of Oxford University.
The late Esmail Koushanpour, Ph.D. (University of Michigan), D.H.L. (GTF)
Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in American Muslim Relations
Esmail Koushanpour was Advisor to the Foundation on Islamic Affairs and Distinguished Service Professor of American Muslim Relations at the Graduate Theological Foundation from which he received the Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa. He served as Executive Director of the Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago in Northbrook, Illinois from 2000 to 2008, and directed their interfaith program from 1992 until 2010. He was Emeritus Professor, having retired in 1999 after serving 36 years on the faculty of Northwestern University Medical School. While at Northwestern, he served as Chairman of numerous university and medical school committees dealing with educational and administrative issues and served as President of the Medical School Faculty Senate. The third edition of his textbook, “Renal Physiology: An Integrative Approach,” was published by Springer Publishers in 2012. Dr. Koushanpour traveled extensively within the United States and abroad to lecture, present papers, and chair scientific sessions at international scientific meetings. As a result of his scientific achievements, he served as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. Active in interfaith programs and building bridges between Islam and other religions, Dr. Koushanpour served as Vice-Chair of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago and as co-Chairman of their Catholic-Muslim Dialogue Committee. He served on the Board of Directors of the Gilead Outreach and Referral Center of Chicago and was honored by the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation with their Faith in Community Award for building bridges between faiths. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Northbrook, Illinois, and served as the co-Chairman of their local polio eradication program which is part of an international project of Rotary Clubs around the world. Dr. Koushanpour served on the Board of Directors of the North Suburban YMCA in Northbrook, IL. He also served on the Board of the International Center for Deafness and the Arts in Northbrook, Illinois.
The late Rev. Canon John Macquarrie, Ph.D. (Glasgow), D.D. (Oxford)
Martin Heidegger Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology
John Macquarrie was a native of Renfrew, Scotland, and was educated at Paisley Grammar School and Glasgow University. He held the M.A., Ph.D., and D.Litt. from Glasgow and an earned D.D. from Oxford University as well as five honorary doctorates from international universities. He taught at the University of Glasgow before taking a professorship at Union Theological Seminary in New York, followed by his appointment as the Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity of Christ Church College of Oxford University where he also served as Canon of Christ Church Cathedral. He was also a Fellow of the British Academy. An ordained priest in the Anglican Communion, he was made a life-time Distinguished Teaching Fellow of the Graduate Theological Foundation where he held the Martin Heidegger Professorship of Philosophical Theology until his death. Professor Macquarrie bequeathed his theological library and a portfolio of his sermons to the GTF. The John Macquarrie Library is housed by the Graduate Theological Foundation in Indiana. The GTF has created the John Macquarrie Professorship in Anglican Theology which is currently held by The Very Revd Dr. John Moses, KCVO.
John Morgan, Ph.D, D.Sc, Th.D, Psy.D
Past President and Research Professor of Clinical Psychopathology
John Morgan holds the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the Hartford Seminary, the Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) from the London College of Applied Science (UK), the Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) from the Graduate Theological Foundation and the Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) from Foundation House/Oxford (UK) where he served as Senior Fellow in Behavioral Science for twenty years (1995-2015). He has held postdoctoral appointments at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton and has been a National Science Foundation Science Faculty Fellow at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Morgan is a professional member of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychopathological Society, the Society of Clinical Psychology, and the Society of Behavioral Medicine. Prior to joining the GTF, he had held three Postdoctoral Research Fellowships at the University of Chicago and was a Visiting Fellow under Rabbi Samuel Sandmel at the Hebrew Union College/Jewish Institute of Religion preceding his appointment to Princeton. Dr. Morgan served on Oxford University’s international summer programs Board of Studies and taught a doctoral-level seminar there from 1995 to 2015. In 2010, he was appointed a Visiting Scholar at New York University, and in 2015, Dr. Morgan served as Visiting Scholar at Harvard University for the third time in his career. In 2018, he was appointed Editor-in-Chief of The Behavioral Mind: A Journal of Personality Disorders published by MacBain & Boyd. In 2020, he began publishing two monthly reports, viz., The Counseling Professional: A Monthly Report on Clinical Practice and Psychopathology Today: A Monthly Report on Clinical Research. His latest book is The Scope of Modern Psychiatry: Treatment Options in Clinical Practice published in 2020 by MacBain & Boyd.
The Very Rev’d John Moses, KCVO
John Macquarrie Professor of Anglican Theology
John Moses is John Macquarrie Professor of Anglican Theology. He is an Anglican priest who has held a variety of parochial, diocesan and cathedral appointments in the UK, including his years as the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, London. Opportunities to lecture and to learn something of the life of the church in other countries have taken him to Hong Kong, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and the United States. His publications include books on atonement theology (The Sacrifice of God), church-state relations (A Broad and Living Way), the spirituality of the desert (The Desert), the life and writings of John Donne(One Equall Light), and an anthology for private devotion on prayer (The Language of Love). His book on Thomas Merton (Divine Discontent: The Prophetic Voice of Thomas Merton) will be published in the summer of 2014. He holds the degree of a Doctor of Philosophy from Nottingham University and honorary doctorates in recognition of his work from Anglia Ruskin University (Doctor of the University), Nottingham University (Doctor of Divinity) and GTF (Doctor of Divinity). His academic interests – reflected in part in his publications – include church-state/church-community relations, the practice of ministry, atonement theology, John Donne and Thomas Merton.
The late Rev. Fr. David James Mulvihill, J.C.L. (Gregorian) J.C.D. (Gregorian),Ph.D. (GTF)
Pietro Cardinal Gasparri Professor Emeritus of Canon Law
David Mulvhill was co-director of the Tribunal Studies online program at the Graduate Theological Foundation. He served as Judge of the Illinois Ecclesiastical Court of Appeals (2004-2014) and Judge of the Wisconsin Ecclesiastical Court of Appeals (2007-2013). He earned a Doctorate in Canon Law (J.C.D.) from the Gregorian University in Rome (dissertation: “Those Bound to the Canonical Form of the Celebration of Marriage”), a Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Foundation (dissertation: “Catholic Volunteers”) for which he completed studies at Christ Church College, University of Oxford, a Diploma in Italic Antiquities from the Università di Perugia per Stranieri, Italy, and a Diploma in Spanish Culture from the Universidad Anáhuac México Sur (Mexico City). Ordained a Catholic priest in 1972, he ministered to five parishes in the Chicago area and spent 12 years as pastor of Our Lady of Humility Parish. Under the administration of three Cardinals, he served as an officer of the Chicago Metropolitan Tribunal as an Advocate (1973-1984), Judge (1984-1999), and Special Advocate (2011-2014). He taught canon law at St. Xavier University in Chicago and was awarded the Pilgrim Cross by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem in a ceremony in 1992 in Jerusalem. For 30 years he was a member of the Canon Law Society of America and was awarded a gold medal as “Paul Harris Fellow” by Rotary International in 1992. He was congratulated by Marquis Who’s Who Publications in 2008 for being listed in Who’s Who for 25 years. Fr. David was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher in 1991, an honor conferred by the Pope to those concerned with peace in the Middle East, and was later promoted to Knight Commander, for his service to education and peace in the Holy Land.
The Late Dr. Anthony O. Nwachukwu
Dr. Nwachukwu was Professor of Counseling Psychology and West African Studies and Chair of the New York City Ph.D. Thesis Defense Panel.
Father Anthony was also appointed Consulting Faculty to the Bureau of West African Scholars. His areas of research, writing, and teaching included ethics, religion, spirituality, and psychology. Dr. Nwachukwu taught at Ibiam Girl’s School, Afikpo, Abia State, Nigeria. He taught Latin in Bigard Memorial Major Seminary (Nigeria) as well as a wide range of courses in religion at St. Peter Claver and Mater Ecclesia Seminaries, both in Nigeria. Ordained a priest in 1987, Dr. Nwachukwu was Nigerian and served as pastor for thirteen years in Nigeria, during which time he published several works of scholarship. In 2008, he was awarded the Dorothy Day Prize in Pastoral Care and Counseling from the GTF. He held the B.A. Honors in Divinity and Philosophy from the Bigard Memorial Seminary (an affiliated institution of the Urbanian University in Rome), the Post Graduate Diploma in Educational Technology and the Master of Education in Educational Philosophy from Imo State University, the Master of Divinity from the Catholic Institute of West Africa, the Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the Federal University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and the Doctor of Psychology from the Graduate Theological Foundation.
The late Rev. Fr. Bernard J. O’Connor, S.T.D. (Gregorian), J.D. (Tennessee),D.H.L. (GTF)
Fellow and John Henry Cardinal Newman Professor Emeritus of Theology and Ecclesial Mediation
Bernard O’Connor received his B.A. in history/philosophy from St. Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia; his M.A. (Spirituality) from Creighton University; the M.Div/S.T.B. from St. Paul’s University in Ottawa; the M.C.L./J.C.L. (Canon Law) from the University of Ottawa and S.T.L. and S.T.D. (Systematics) from the Gregorian University. Fr. Bernie, a native of Nova Scotia, was ordained in 1977 for that province’s Diocese of Antigonish. In 1994 he received the J.D. from the University of Tennessee. His numerous certifications and awards over the past 20 years include an Advanced Negotiation Certificate from Harvard Law School and certificates in international diplomacy and conflict management from the U.S. State Department at the Foreign Service Institute and from the UN Institute for Training and Research. He was twice named Michigan Professor of the Year by the Carnegie/CASE Foundation. Between 1994 and 2004, Fr. Bernie was Assistant Dean at Eastern Michigan University and Visiting Professor for the Straus Institute at Pepperdine Law School and for Ave Maria College and Law School. He was designated a “national expert in Constitutional philosophy” by the We The People Program in civic education; served on the State of Michigan Board of Ethics and was appointed to the U.S. Army National Committee on ROTC Education. In 1999, Fr. Bernie received the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa from the Graduate Theological Foundation. In 2004, Father Bernie was called to the Vatican to serve the Congregation of Eastern Churches. In 2011 Fr. Bernie was appointed Chancellor’s Visiting Professor of Law and Humanities at Indiana University (Kokomo). In 2014, he joined the administration of the GTF as Chief Counsel for Catholic Affairs.
The late Rt Revd Dr Keith Riglin
Keith Riglin was Professor of Ecclesiology and Sacramental Theology
at the GTF, and Bishop of Argyll and The Isles in the Scottish
Episcopal Church.
Until his consecration in 2021, Keith was Vice Dean and Chaplain of
King’s College London, where he also served as a visiting lecturer in
the college’s Department of Theology and Religious Studies. He read
for undergraduate degrees at London (education and religious
studies) and Oxford (theology) before being ordained in 1983. He worked as a parish minister, in university chaplaincies at Bath,
Cambridge, and London, and as a lecturer at the United Theological
College of the West Indies, Jamaica. After serving 25 years in Baptist
and Reformed charges, he received holy orders in the Church of
England in 2008, serving his title in a west London parish and
community development project. Prior to his appointment at King’s
College London in 2012, he served briefly in the Diocese of Argyll and The Isles, in the Scottish Episcopal Church, where he is became the
bishop.
Keith undertook post-graduate work (MTh) at Heythrop College,
University of London, and completed his ThD thesis, in ecclesiology,
at the University of Birmingham. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and of King’s College London (FKC); a Research Associate at Wesley House, Cambridge; and a Senior Member of Wolfson College, University of Cambridge. He also served as Chair of the Council and Governing Body of Regent’s Park College, University of Oxford. He was an associate tutor for the Scottish Theological Institute.
Keith was a frequent visitor to Ghana and the University of Cape Coast, and a regular tutor on the Oxford University Summer School in Theology, in association with the GTF.
The Late Rev. Peter E. Roussakis, Ph.D. (GTF)
Charles Wesley Professor Emeritus of Sacred Music
Peter E. Roussakis holds the B.S. and M.S. degrees from Southern Connecticut State University, the Master of Church Music from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the Doctor of Ministry with an emphasis in Church Music from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, taken cooperatively with the Royal School of Church Music in London, the Master of Sacred Theology in Liturgical Studies from Boston University, and the Ph.D. in Theological Studies from the Graduate Theological Foundation. He has taken further graduate study at Harvard University, the Ashland Theology Seminary, and Ohio University where he held faculty appointments. Ordained in the Brethren Church, he previously served as Minister of Music and Christian Education for churches in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Ohio, and Texas. He was Assistant Professor of Church Music and Christian Education and Director of Church Vocations at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, and has also served for a number of years as Senior Pastor and Minister of Music for American Baptist Churches in New Hampshire. In addition to numerous articles, his publications include Classic Worship: With Brethren in Mind; United in Prayer: Understanding and Praying the Lord’s Prayer; John Cook Ewing (1849-1937): Pioneer, Brethren Musician, Teacher and Composer; and Piety in Song: Spiritual Themes in Brethren Hymnody.
The late Ekman P.C. Tam, Psy.D. (GTF), Ph.D., (University of Ottawa /St. Paul University)
Professor Emeritus of Spirituality and Psychotherapy
Ekman P. C. Tam was Professor of Spirituality and Psychotherapy. His first degree in theology (B.Th.) was earned at Evangel Theological Seminary in Hong Kong. Upon graduation from the seminary, he ministered at a church for about five years, after which he left Hong Kong for Ottawa, Canada, for further studies in psychology where he earned a B.A. He continued his studies in Ottawa at the University of Ottawa for an M.A. in Individual Counseling and at St. Paul University for an M.A. and Ph.D. in Spirituality. After returning to Hong Kong in 1998, Dr. Tam worked full time at Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre as Spiritual Director until the end of 2011, where he founded a formation program in Christian Spiritual Direction. He was appointed an Affiliate Faculty member of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hong Kong (since 2000). In 2006, he earned a Psy.D. from the Graduate Theological Foundation. In August 2012, together with a group of spiritual directors, Dr. Tam established the Christian Contemplative Spirituality Institute which offers formation programs to pastoral care-givers in Vancouver, Sydney and Hong Kong. He was the President of the Institute. Dr. Tam was a registered Counseling Psychologist of the Hong Kong Psychological Society and a Clinical Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. He published five books in Chinese, two books in English, and numerous articles and chapters in English and Chinese journals and books. The two English books are Christian Contemplation and Chinese Zen-Taoism: A Study of Thomas Merton’s Writings and A Psycho-spiritual Approach to Christian Spiritual Direction Based on Satir Model of Therapy.
The late Bishop John Tinsley, Ph.D. (Durham), D.D. (Cantab.)
Professor Emeritus of Theology Ernest
John Tinsley was born 1919 in Yorkshire and took his university training at St. John’s College of the University of Durham. Following ordination, he served St. Mary-le-Bow in the shadows of Durham Cathedral. After serving as a lecturer in theology at University College Hull, he became the head and senior lecturer of the department of theology at the University of Hull. Following the publication of his first book in 1960 entitled, The Imitation of God in Christ: An Essay on the Biblical Basis of Christian Spirituality (The Westminster Press), he became Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Leeds and was made an honorary Canon of Ripon Cathedral in 1966. He also served as an Examining Chaplain to the Archbishop of York. He became Bishop of Bristol in 1976 and served until his retirement in 1985. Appointed by Lord Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury, to the Graduate Theological Foundation’s Board of Directors and faculty in 1982 as Professor of Systematic Theology, he served until his death in 1992. His final book, published in 1990 by Wyndham Hall Press under the sponsorship of the Graduate Theological Foundation, was entitled Tell It Slant: A Collection of Pastoral Letters. A professorship was named for Bishop Tinsley, the Bishop John Tinsley Professor of Anglican Theology, which is presently held by the Revd Canon Dr. Vincent Strudwick, honorary Canon of Christ Church Cathedral and honorary Fellow of Kellogg College, University of Oxford.
The late Rev. Dr. Robley Edward Whitson
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Theological Anthropology
First President of the Graduate Theological Foundation
The late Rev. Dr. Robley Whitson is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Theological Anthropology. Following graduate study at Fordham and Yale Universities, he was elected Doctoral Fellow in the anthropology of religion and awarded its A.Th.D. by the Academia Thyrologica. He also held a Ph.D. in Theology from the GTF. After ordination and pastoral assignments in the New York Archdiocese, he was Chair of the Fordham University Theology Department. After his appointment as Visiting Scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary and Advisory Board member for the Princeton World Religions Project, he was Professor of Theology and Anthropology of The Hartford Seminary Foundation. He is also Dean of Faculty of the Graduate Theological Foundation. Dr. Whitson is the author of several books, including The Resurrection Gospel; The Center Scriptures; The Coming Convergence of World Religions; Shaker Theological Sources; and The Shakers: Two Centuries of Spiritual Reflection. He was the first to receive a grant from the National Science Foundation for the establishment of a research facility for the anthropological study of religion at Fordham University and was the first President of the Foundation, appointed in 1962.
The Rev. Jonathan Woodhall, Ph.D.(Fordham)
Professor Emeritus of Catholic Theology and Religious Education
Jonathan A. Woodhall holds a B.A. in philosophy from the University of the Americas, Mexico, D.F., a master’s in literature and theology from Wesleyan University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Fordham University where his dissertation was entitled, “The Socio-Religious Role of Women According to Hippolytus in Light of the Early Christian Fathers.” He has been on the Ministry Training staff in the Catholic Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut since 1979, and, as an ordained deacon, for over a dozen years has also been active in adult religious education, as well as in spiritual direction. He has conducted retreats, especially with adolescents, and has presented programs on the Enneagram Theory which he has studied with both Palmer and Riso. Dr. Woodhall co-founded a boys’ secondary boarding school in Connecticut and has published extensively in Catholic periodicals. Ordained to the Catholic priesthood, he has served on the Cathedral staff in Raleigh, North Carolina, for a number of years.