Barbara Brown Taylor (born 1951) is an American
Episcopal priest, academic, and author.
In 2014, ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' magazine placed her in its annual
''Time'' 100 list of most influential people in the world.
Education and recognition
Taylor was born on September 21, 1951, in
Lafayette
Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to:
People
* Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette
* House of La Fayette, a French noble family
** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757â ...
,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. She did her undergraduate studies at
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...
where she graduated in 1973. She then went on to study at
Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...
, where she graduated in 1976. She was ordained in 1984,
and became the rector of Grace-Calvary Episcopal Church (
Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, with jurisdiction over middle and north Georgia. It is in Province IV of the Episcopal Church and its cathedral, the Cathedral of St. Phi ...
) in
Clarkesville,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, in 1992.
She later left parish ministry and became a full-time professor at
Piedmont College
Piedmont University is a private university in Demorest and Athens, Georgia. Founded in 1897, Piedmont's Demorest campus includes 300 acres in a traditional residential-college setting located in the foothills of the northeast Georgia Blue Rid ...
in
Demorest, Georgia, and an adjunct professor of
Christian spirituality
Christian mysticism is the tradition of mystical practices and mystical theology within Christianity which "concerns the preparation f the personfor, the consciousness of, and the effect of ..a direct and transformative presence of God" ...
at
Columbia Theological Seminary
Columbia Theological Seminary is a Presbyterian seminary in Decatur, Georgia. It is one of ten theological institutions affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).
History
Columbia Theological Seminary was founded in 1828 in Lexington, Geor ...
in
Decatur, Georgia.
She taught
world religions
World religions is a category used in the study of religion to demarcate the five—and in some cases more—largest and most internationally widespread religious movements. Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are always includ ...
and exposed her mainly Christian students to other faiths so they could better understand how various groups worship.
In 1996, she was named one of the twelve "most effective" preachers in the English-speaking world by
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the ...
.
She was awarded the 1998
Emory Medal by the Emory Alumni Association of
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...
for her distinguished achievement in education. In February 2009, Barbara Brown Taylor led the second annual
Piedmont College
Piedmont University is a private university in Demorest and Athens, Georgia. Founded in 1897, Piedmont's Demorest campus includes 300 acres in a traditional residential-college setting located in the foothills of the northeast Georgia Blue Rid ...
religion conference in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, AthÃna ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, Georgia.
Taylor had been the keynote speaker at the conference in previous years.
In addition, Taylor gave the 2009 Annual Buechner Lecture at the
Buechner Institute at
King University
King University is a private Presbyterian-affiliated university in Bristol, Tennessee. Founded in 1867, King is independently governed with covenant affiliations to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC).
H ...
. She has written twelve books on
faith
Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion".
Religious people ofte ...
and
spirituality.
In February 2010, days before Piedmont College's religion conference, Taylor ranked in the top ten most influential living preachers in a poll conducted by the
Southern Baptist Convention.
Career
In the early 2000s, she chose to leave active ministry, while retaining her ordination. Her memoir of this time ''Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith'' was the first of a trilogy of books about redefining her faith followed by ''An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith'' and ''Learning to Walk in the Dark''.
Private life
She lives on her farm in northern Georgia, with husband Edward Taylor.
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Bibliography
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*''Learning to Walk in the Dark''. HarperOne. 2014. p. 200. .
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*Co-editor with David L. Bartlett, ''Feasting on the Word'' Commentary Series. Westminster John Knox Press
Westminster John Knox Press is an American publisher of Christian books located in Louisville, Kentucky and is part of Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, the publishing arm of the Louisville, Kentucky-based Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The P ...
. 2008.
References
Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Barbara Brown
1951 births
20th-century American non-fiction writers
20th-century American women writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American women writers
Academics from Georgia (U.S. state)
American Christian writers
American Episcopal priests
American religion academics
American women academics
American women non-fiction writers
Anglican scholars
Emory University alumni
Living people
People from Lafayette, Indiana
People from Clarkesville, Georgia
Women religious writers
Yale Divinity School alumni