Rebecca Ann Parker (born 1953) is an American

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

, author, and former President of

Starr King School for the Ministry Starr King School for the Ministry is a multireligious Unitarian Universalist seminary in Oakland, California. The seminary was formed in 1904 to educate leaders for the growing number of progressive religious communities in the western part of ...

, the first woman to serve as the permanent head of an accredited U.S. theological school.

Education and career

Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker is the daughter and granddaughter of progressive, intellectual women and liberal,

Social Gospel The Social Gospel is a social movement within Protestantism that aims to apply Christian ethics to social problems, especially issues of social justice such as economic inequality, poverty, alcoholism, crime, racial tensions, slums, unclean en ...

clergymen. Parker is a descendant of settlers in French Canada and Alaska. Her parents were anti-war and

Civil Rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

activists. Parker studied

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

performance at the University of Washington and the University of Puget Sound. For many years, she performed and toured regularly with Orchestra Seattle and later with the Rose Trio. Parker received a bachelor's degree from the University of Puget Sound in 1975, a Doctorate of Ministry from

Claremont School of Theology Claremont School of Theology (CST) is a private graduate school focused on religion and theology and located in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the thirteen official theological schools of the United Methodist Church, and also has close r ...

in 1979, and an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Northwest Theological Union. Her doctoral studies focused on

Alfred North Whitehead Alfred North Whitehead (15 February 1861 – 30 December 1947) was an English mathematician and philosopher. He created the philosophical school known as process philosophy, which has been applied in a wide variety of disciplines, inclu ...

's theory of consciousness as a basis for a spirituality that integrates aesthetics and social engagement. She was ordained a

United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

minister in 1992 and holds dual fellowship with the

Unitarian Universalist Association Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalism, Unitarian Universalist congregations. It was formed in 1961 by the consolidation of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Ch ...

. She has worked in United Methodist and

Unitarian Universalist Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present) ...

congregations, including All Souls Unitarian in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and Wallingford United Methodist Church in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, which was a pioneer in the Reconciling Congregation movement, affirming the sacred worth of all

LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...

people. She served as President of Starr King School for the Ministry from 1990 to 2014 and is now a Professor of Theology Emerita. She has worked as the Theologian In-Residence and Minister for Adult Spiritual Development at All Souls Church in Washington, DC. Parker has written numerous

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present context ...

s, speeches, magazine articles, and poetry as well as several theological books published by

Beacon Press Beacon Press is an American left-wing non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is known for publishing authors such as Jame ...

and Skinner House. Dr. Parker became a founding board member o
The Braxton Institute for Sustainability, Resiliency and Joy
in 2012. She lives in

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...

and Washington, D.C., with her spouse, Rev. Joanne M Braxton, Ph.D., another founder of The Braxton Institute.

Published works

* ''A House for Hope: The Promise of Progressive Religion for the 21st Century'', co-authored with John Buehrens (Beacon, 2010) * ''Blessing the World: What Can Save Us Now'', collected essays edited by Robert Hardies (Skinner, 2006) * ''Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire,'' co-authored with Rita Nakashima Brock (Beacon, 2009) * ''Proverbs of Ashes: Redemptive Violence and the Search for What Saves Us'', co-authored with Rita Nakashima Brock (Beacon, 2002)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Rebecca Ann American theologians Women theologians Starr King School for the Ministry American women writers 21st-century American philosophers American women philosophers American spiritual writers American religious writers 1953 births Living people