Duke Divinity School

We look forward to welcoming to the pulpit on Sunday, June 28, Dr. Anathea Portier-Young, professor of Old Testament at Duke Divinity School.

Dr. Portier-Young's research focuses on prophetic literature, apocalypticism, early Jewish literature, embodiment, violence and nonviolence, and justice. She also teaches and writes in the area of Christian preaching and is a frequent contributor to the Working Preacher website. Her recent book, "The Prophetic Body: Embodiment and Mediation in Biblical Prophetic Literature," is part of a larger project on the theme of embodiment in biblical prophetic literature.

Theology, Medicine, and Culture Initiative co-director and Duke Divinity professor Warren Kinghorn critiques the language of “burnout” in this essay, arguing that it reflects a mechanistic view of clinicians shaped by systems of efficiency and productivity.

Drawing on Aquinas, he instead commends a recovery of the contemplative life as essential for sustaining the work of health care and reorienting it toward love, wonder, and the pursuit of the good.

Read more ⬇️

The Limits of Burnout and the Work of Health Care Warren Kinghorn on the contemplative life. 

Save the date for the 2026 Convocation and Pastors' School!

During the centennial year of Duke Divinity School, this multi-day conference full of lectures, worship, seminars, and a live taping of the "Everything Happens" podcast will focus on the theme: "Our Calling to Fulfill." Registration will open on July 13.

https://divinity.duke.edu/programs/cps

Duke Divinity School’s Cooling Communities Project equips faith leaders across the Carolinas with worship resources, theological reflections, and discussion guides to help congregations strengthen community resilience.

Many congregations are already responding informally by distributing water, checking on neighbors or providing access to air-conditioned spaces. At the same time, leaders said they often lack the resources and guidance needed to organize more structured responses.

Learn more at the link in the comments 🌎

Duke Chapel has a long and living tradition of faithful preaching, which includes guest preachers from a variety of church denominations and academic disciplines. These preachers will enrich our worship of God this summer during our services on Sundays at 11:00 a.m.:

🔹 May 24 — Rev. Dr. Eric Lewis Williams, Assistant Professor of Theology and Black Church Studies, Duke Divinity School

🔹 May 31 — Rev. Dr. Stephen B. Chapman, Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Interpretation, Duke Divinity School

🔹 June 28 — Dr. Anathea Portier-Young, Professor of Old Testament, Duke Divinity School

🔹 July 12 — Rev. Dr. Robert W. Brewer, Campus Chaplain and Assistant Professor of Religion, Greensboro College

🔹 July 19 — Dr. Amey Victoria Adkins-Jones is assistant professor of theology and Africana studies, Candler School of Theology - Emory University

🔹 August 2 — Rev. Reynolds Chapman, Executive Director, DurhamCares

🔹 August 9 — Dr. Efraín Agosto, former Bennett Boskey Distinguished Visiting Professor in Latina/o studies, Williams College (2023 to 2025)

Read about each preacher: https://chapel.duke.edu/news/see-schedule-guest-preachers-summer-2026/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Sunday+Service

At Duke Divinity School, field education helps students bridge the gap between theological learning and the everyday realities of ministry.

For M.Div. student Reagan Kelly, her hands-on ministry experiences at Croasdaile Retirement Village in Durham have revealed the importance of showing up for others with presence and compassion.

"When deciding on a school, I realized Duke's emphasis on practical ministry while being theologically trained was something I needed," Kelly said. "I like to think God placed me at Croasdaile because I needed to be reminded that God is at work in different places, among different generations, and in walks of life I never would have imagined."

Read more about how field education is preparing Kelly to serve communities with faithful wisdom and empathy: https://divinity.duke.edu/news/field-education-highlight-reagan