Robert McAfee Brown (1920–2001) was an American

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

minister,

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 ...

, and

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

Life

Born on May 28, 1920, in

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, Brown was the son of a

minister and the grandson of theologian and Presbyterian minister Cleland Boyd McAfee. He earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

in 1943 and was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

minister in 1944. Brown earned a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

degree from Union Theological Seminary in 1945, and served as a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

chaplain from 1945 to 1946. The recipient of a Fulbright grant, Brown studied at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

before completing a doctorate in the philosophy of religion at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1951. He married Sydney Thomson, and had four children. Initially, Brown taught at his alma mater, Union Theological Seminary, before accepting an appointment as Professor of Religion at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1962. There he became an international leader in

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 ...

, ecumenical and social justice causes. Brown campaigned against

US involvement in the Vietnam War The involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War began in the 1950s and greatly escalated in 1965 until its withdrawal in 1973. The U.S. military presence in Vietnam peaked in April 1969, with 543,000 military personnel stationed in th ...

and was a co-founder of the group Clergy and Laity Concerned About Vietnam. He was also a Protestant observer at the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

. Brown left

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

in 1975 to return to Union as Professor of World Christianity and Ecumenism, but soon resigned and moved back to the Bay Area, where he taught at the

Pacific School of Religion The Pacific School of Religion (PSR) is a Private university, private Protestant seminary in Berkeley, California. It maintains Covenant (religion), covenantal relationships with the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, and the ...

in Berkeley,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, until his retirement in 1984. Brown was the author of 29 books, and his papers are now held at the

Graduate Theological Union The Graduate Theological Union (GTU) is a consortium of eight private independent American Seminary, theological schools and eleven centers and affiliates. Seven of the theological schools are located in Berkeley, California. The GTU was founded ...

. Brown died on September 4, 2001, in Greenfield,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, survived by his wife Sydney Thomson Brown, three sons, Peter, Mark and Tom and a daughter, Alison Ehara-Brown. A lecture series is named in his honor.

Published works

* ''P. T. Forsyth: Prophet for Today'' (1952) * ''The Bible Speaks to You'' (1955, new ed. 1985) * ''The Spirit of Protestantism'' (1961) * ''Observer in Rome: A Protestant Report on the Vatican Council'' (1964) * ''The Collect'd Writings of St. Hereticus'' (1964) * ''The Ecumenical Revolution: An Interpretation of the Catholic-Protestant Dialogue'' (1973) * ''Religion and Violence: A Primer for White Americans'' (1973) * ''Is Faith Obsolete?'' (1974) * ''Frontiers for the Church Today'' (1974) * ''Theology in a New Key: Responding to Liberation Theology'' (1978) * ''The Hereticus Papers: (being Volume II of "The Collect'd Writings of St. Hereticus")'' (1979) * ''Gustavo Gutierrez: An Introduction to Liberation Theology'' (1980) * ''Making Peace in the Global Village'' (1981) * ''Unexpected News: Reading the Bible with Third World Eyes'' (1984) * ''Saying Yes and Saying No: On Rendering to God and Caesar'' (1986) * ''The Essential Reinhold Niebuhr: Selected Essays and Addresses'' (1986) * ''Spirituality and Liberation: Overcoming the Great Fallacy'' (1988) * ''Elie Wiesel: Messenger to All Humanity'' (1989) * ''Persuade Us to Rejoice: The Liberating Power of Fiction'' (1992) * ''Liberation Theology: An Introductory Guide'' (1993) * ''Dark the Night, Wild the Sea'' (1998) * ''Reflections over the Long Haul: A Memoir'' (2005)

References

External links

*http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/mcafee_3309.htm *http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/speakout/brown.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Robert Mcafee American Calvinist and Reformed theologians 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians American anti–Vietnam War activists American Presbyterian ministers United States Navy chaplains Amherst College alumni 20th-century American Christian clergy People from Carthage, Illinois 1920 births 2001 deaths United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America ministers Military personnel from Illinois People in Christian ecumenism