Walter Wink (May 21, 1935 – May 10, 2012) was an American

Biblical scholar Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible, with ''Bible'' referring to the books of the canonical Hebrew Bible in mainstream Jewish usage and the Christian Bible including the can ...

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 ...

who was an important figure in

Progressive Christianity Progressive Christianity represents a range of related perspectives in contemporary Christian theology and practice. It is a postmodern theological approach, which developed out of the liberal Christianity of the modern era, although progressive C ...

. Wink spent much of his career teaching at Auburn Theological Seminary in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He was well known for his advocacy of and work related to

nonviolent resistance Nonviolent resistance, or nonviolent action, sometimes called civil resistance, is the practice of achieving goals such as social change through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, satyagraha, construct ...

and his seminal works on "The Powers", ''Naming the Powers'' (1984), ''Unmasking the Powers'' (1986), ''Engaging the Powers'' (1992), ''When the Powers Fall'' (1998), and ''The Powers that Be'' (1999), all of them commentaries on the

Apostle Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...

's ethic of

spiritual warfare Spiritual warfare is the Christian concept of fighting against the work of preternatural evil forces. It is based on the belief in evil spirits, or demons, that are said to intervene in human affairs in various ways. Although spiritual warfa ...

described here: Breaking with Christian hermeneutic tradition of

Christian demonology Christian demonology is the study of demons from a Christian point of view. It is primarily based on the Bible ( Old and New Testaments), the interpretation of these scriptures, the writings of early Christianity philosophers, hermits, and the a ...

, he interprets Paul's hierarchy of "rulers" to refer to imperial powers, with corresponding and political theologies and ideologies of state violence. Giving examples from ancient Babylon through the popular media of today, these are supported by, in a phrase he coined "the myth of redemptive violence".

Career

Wink earned a B.A. from

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

in 1956, majoring in history, and minoring in philosophy and English. He completed his Master of Divinity in 1959 and his Ph.D. in 1963, both from Union Theological Seminary in

. Ordained as a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

minister in 1961, he served as Pastor of First United Methodist Church, in

Hitchcock, Texas Hitchcock is a city in Galveston County, Texas, Galveston County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,301 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Hitchcock was created as a station of the Santa Fe Railroad, railroad between ...

from 1962–67. He then returned to Union Seminary as an Assistant Professor of New Testament, then Associate Professor of New Testament, from 1967–1976. After being denied tenure at Union, he began teaching at Auburn Theological Seminary, remaining there until his death, when he was Professor Emeritus. His faculty discipline was

Biblical interpretation Biblical hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation concerning the books of the Bible. It is part of the broader field of hermeneutics, which involves the study of principles of interpretation, both theory and methodology, fo ...

. In 1989–1990, he was a Peace Fellow at the

United States Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American independent, nonprofit, national institute funded by the U.S. Congress and tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. See alsPDF on USIP website. It provides rese ...

. He was known for his work on

power structure In political science, power is the ability to influence or direct the actions, beliefs, or conduct of actors. Power does not exclusively refer to the threat or use of force ( coercion) by one actor against another, but may also be exerted thr ...

s, his commentary on current political and cultural matters, and his contributions to the discourse on homosexuality and religion,

pacifism Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ...

, the relationship between

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

and

biblical studies Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible, with ''Bible'' referring to the books of the canonical Hebrew Bible in mainstream Jewish usage and the Christian Bible including the can ...

, and research related to the

historical Jesus The term ''historical Jesus'' refers to the life and teachings of Jesus as interpreted through critical historical methods, in contrast to what are traditionally religious interpretations. It also considers the historical and cultural context ...

Neal Stephenson Neal Town Stephenson (born October 31, 1959) is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction. His novels have been categorized as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, and baroque. Stephenson's work explores mathemati ...

likens some of Wink's ideas to "an

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and Risk factor (epidemiology), determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent dise ...

of power disorders", a

phenomenology Phenomenology may refer to: Art * Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties Philosophy * Phenomenology (Peirce), a branch of philosophy according to Charles Sanders Peirce (1839� ...

oppression Oppression is malicious or unjust treatment of, or exercise of power over, a group of individuals, often in the form of governmental authority. Oppression may be overt or covert, depending on how it is practiced. No universally accepted model ...

. Author Philip Yancey references Wink frequently in his work. One of Wink's major avenues for teaching has been his leadership of workshops to church and other groups, based on his method of Bible study (''The Bible in Human Transformation'', 1973), and incorporating meditation, artwork, and movement. These workshops were often presented jointly with his wife, June Keener-Wink, a dancer and potter. One of Walter Wink's sons—Chris Wink—is known as a founding member of the

Blue Man Group Blue Man Group is an American performance art company formed in New York City in 1987. It is known for its stage productions that incorporate many kinds of music and art, both popular and obscure. Its performers, known as Blue Men, have their ...

Power Disorders and Christian Response

Partial bibliography

*''John the Baptist in the Gospel Tradition'', Cambridge Univ. Press, 1968. (out of print) *''The Bible in Human Transformation'', Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1973. (out of print) *The Powers Trilogy: **''Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament'', Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984. **''Unmasking the Powers: The Invisible Forces That Determine Human Existence'', Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986. **''Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination'', Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992. *''Violence and Nonviolence in South Africa'', Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1987. (out of print) *''Transforming Bible Study'', second edition, Nashville: Abingdon, 1990. (out of print) *''Proclamation 5: Holy Week, Year B'', Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993. (out of print) *''Cracking the Gnostic Code: The Powers in Gnosticism'', (Society of Biblical Literature Monograph Series), Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1993. *''When the Powers Fall: Reconciliation in the Healing of Nations'', Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998. ; Swedish edition: ''Healing a Nation's Wounds: Reconciliation on the Road to Democracy'' (Uppsala, Sweden: Life and Peace Institute, 1997) *''The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium'', New York: Doubleday, 1999. *''Homosexuality and Christian Faith: Questions of Conscience for the Churches'' (editor), Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1999. *''Peace Is The Way: Writings on Nonviolence from the Fellowship of Reconciliation.'', (editor), Orbis Books, 2000. *''John the Baptist in the Gospel Tradition'', Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2001. *''The Human Being: Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of the Man'', Fortress Press, 2001. *''Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way'', Augsburg Fortress, 2003. *''Just Jesus: My Struggle to Become Human'', Image, 2014. *''The System Belongs to God DVD'', UMCom Productions, http://secure.umcom.org/Store/the-system-belongs-to-god.

References

External links

Personal website
*
Walter Wink, Presente!
" obituary by Richard Deats,

Fellowship of Reconciliation The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR or FOR) is the name used by a number of religious nonviolent organizations, particularly in English-speaking countries. They are linked by affiliation to the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR). ...

, 11 May 2012
Review of ''The Human Being,'' by D. Seiple, ''Union Seminary Quarterly Review,'' Vol 55 (3-4), 2001, pp. 178-183
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wink, Walter American non-fiction writers Christian writers American Christian theologians American biblical scholars Peace and conflict scholars American nonviolence advocates American Christian pacifists American Methodist clergy Union Theological Seminary alumni Christian radicals 1935 births 2012 deaths Auburn Theological Seminary faculty Southern Methodist University alumni People from Dallas 20th-century Christian biblical scholars 21st-century Christian biblical scholars Methodist biblical scholars Methodist pacifists Methodist theologians Members of the Jesus Seminar