Heidi Hadsell
President and Professor of Social Ethics
TEACHING AND RESEARCH INTERESTS
Methods of doing social ethics in a global context;
Christian understandings of economic and political issues;
Social/ethical dimensions of ecology.
Ethics and Interfaith Relations.
EDUCATION
Post-doctoral study 1984-1985
Sociology – Brazilian popular social movements and the role of mediators
Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris, France
Ph.D. 1979
Social Ethics
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Dissertation Title: “The Moral Thought of Julius Nyerere”
M.A. 1974
Comparative Religion (Christian Ethics)
Columbia University/Union Theological Seminary, New York, NY
B.A. 1971
Political Science
University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
TEACHING AND ADMINISTRATION
2000-Present
1997-2001
1993-1997
1994-2000
1991-1994
President
Hartford Seminary
Hartford, CT
Director
The Ecumenical Institute of The World
Council of Churches
Bossey, Switzerland
Vice President for Academic Affairs and
Dean of the Faculty
McCormick Theological Seminary
Chicago, IL
Professor of Social Ethics
(on leave from 1997-2000)
McCormick Theological Seminary
Chicago, IL
Associate Professor of Social Ethics
McCormick Theological Seminary
Chicago, IL
1989-1991
1987
1983-1984
1981-1982
1979-1981
Assistant Professor of Social Ethics
McCormick Theological Seminary
Chicago, IL
Lecturer in Political Theory
Master’s Degree Program
Bennett Methodist University
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Visiting Scholar, Tutor
Graduate School of the Ecumenical Institute
World Council of Churches
Bossey, Switzerland
Visiting Assistant Professor
School of Religion
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
Visiting Professor
Department of Public Administration
The Federal University of Santa Catarina
Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION
Leader of Brazil Immersions
Pilot Immersion Project, Globalization of Theological Education
Plowshares Institute
Summer, 1991; Winter, 1991; Summer, 1993; Summer, 1994
Brazil McCormick Traveling Seminar, Winter 1996
CONSULTING
1998 – 2005
World Alliance of Reformed Churches – Pontifical Council for Christian Unity
1990-1993
Consultant for institutional change towards the globalization of theological education
Pilot Immersion Project for the Globalization of Theological Education
Plowshares Institute
1980-1981
Consultant for curriculum design and organizational structure
Pilot Master’s degree program for Public Administrators
Institute for Technical and Economic Planning
Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
RESEARCH
2006-present, co-director of research project on “Pedagogies for Interfaith Dialogue: Creating and Sharing Critical
Case Studies of Six Seminary Courses” funded by the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning, Theology and
Religion
1998-2004, Bossey research group on globalization
1991-1994, member of Ecology and Theology Work Group of the Bible and Theology Project, funded by the Lilly
Foundation
1991, research on Protestantism in Brazil, funded by Theological Scholarship and Research grant from the
Association of Theological Schools, USA
1985, Field Work on popular social movements, Fundacao Joaquim Nabuco Recife, Pemambuco, Brazil
PUBLICATIONS
I. Books
Fundamentalisms, editor with Guilhermo Hansen (Acton Publishers, forthcoming)
Beyond Idealism, edited with Robin Gurney and Lewis Mudge (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2006).
II. Articles and Book Chapters
“At the Dubai Airport,” in The Progressive Christian, Vol. 182, Issue 3, May/June 2008.
“From Citizens to Ambassadors: Pondering Community in a Global Age,” in Reflections, Vol. 94, Number 2, Fall
2007.
“Cosmopolitan Christianity,” in The Progressive Christian, Vol. 181, Issue 3, May/June 2007
“The Unique Issues for Women Presidents” with Martha Horne and Laura Mendenhall in A Handbook for Seminary
Presidents, eds. G. Douglass Lewis and Lovett H. Weems Jr. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
2006).
“Procedural Justice and Biblical Justice,” in Zion’s Herald, Vol. 180, Issue 3, May/June 2006.
"Ecumenical Social Ethics Now" in Beyond Idealism, eds. Robin Gurney, Heidi Hadsell, and Lewis Mudge (Grand
Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2006).
"The Vigorous Practice of Being Citizens," in New England Watershed, Vol. 1, No. 2, December 2005-January 2006.
“Politics of Responsibility and Responsibility of Politics: A Perspective of Political Ethics on Presidential Election in
the USA,” in Responsible Leadership: Global Perspectives, Christoph Stückelberger and J.N.K. Mugambi, ed., Acton
Publishers, 2005
“Experiencing the Holy, Sharing Our Faith,” in Zion’s Herald, Vol. 179, Issue 3, May/June 2005
“L’enseignant Et Le Prophète: La Formation Théologique à La Lumière D’Une Théologie Publique,” in Pour Une
Rehabilitation Theologique Du Politique, Bulletin Du Centre Protestant D’Etudes, 56 Annee, No. 6-7-8, Decembre
2004
“Environmental Movements as Forms of Resistance,” in Resistance and Theological Ethics, Ronald H. Stone and
Robert L. Stivers ed., Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2004
“Relating Money and Life: What Christians Can Contribute,” in Zion’s Herald, Vol. 178, Issue 3, May/June 2004
“Theological Education for a Globalized World,” in The Ecumenical Review, Vol. 56, No. 1, January 2004
“Ecumenical Social Ethics: Questions for Today,” in Voices from the Third World, Vol. XXVI, No. 2, December 2003
“The Just War Theory: Interview with Dr. Heidi Hadsell,” in Christian Networks Journal, Summer 2003
“Max Weber: A Guide for the Perplexed in a Time of Conflict,” in Zion’s Herald, Vol. 177, Issue 3, May/June 2003
“Reflections on the Presence of an Absence,” in Church & Society, Vol. 92, No. 5, May/June 2002
“Internal Security and Civil Liberties: Moral Dilemmas and Debates,” in September 11: Religious Perspectives on the
Causes and Consequences, Ian Markham and Ibrahim Abu-Rabi’, ed., Oneworld Publications, 2002
“Mission and Ecumenism in the Twenty-First Century,” in Currents in Theology and Mission, Lutheran School of
Theology at Chicago, Vol. 28, No. 5, October 2001
“For the Sake of the Neighbor, For the Sake of the World,” in Stewardship of Public Life – Biblical and Theological
Perspectives, Presbyterian Church USA, December 2001.
“Bossey’s Ecumenical Formation: A Methodology for a Pluralistic Age,” in Ecumenism, Ecumenical Formation, 34th
year, No. 133, March 1999
“Podemos Falar?” in Tempo e Presenca, Koinonia, No. 302, Ano 20, Nov/Dec 1998
“Hunger for God, Hunger for Humanity: A Northern Perspective,” in Hope and Justice For all in the Americas:
Discerning God’s Mission, Oscar Bolioli, ed., Friendship Press, 1998
“Two Agendas for Ecumenical Formation,” in Theological Education, Vol. 34, Supplement, Autumn 1997
“Environmental Ethics and Health/Wholeness,” Bulletin, Vol. 24 No. 34, The Council of Societies for the Study of
Religion, September/November 1995.
“Profits, Parrots and Peons: Ethical Perplexities in the Amazon,” in Grassroots Ecological Resistance: The Global
Emergence of Radical Environmental Movements, Bron Taylor, Ed., SUNY: New York, 1995
“Globalization in the Hyde Park Seminaries: A History in Process: in The Globalization of Theological Education: The
Hyde Park Mentoring Model, Susan Thistlethwaite and George Caims, eds., Orbis Books, 1994
“Ideology and Pedagogy,” case commentary in The Globalization of Theological Education, Robert Evans, Alice
Evans, Eds., Orbis Books, New York, 1993
“Transformations Within Third World Grass Roots Environmental Movements,” in Environmental Policies in the
International Arena: Movements, Parties, Organizations and Policy, Sheldon Kamieniecki, Ed., with Bron Taylor,
SUNY Press, Albany, 1993
“Creation Theology and the Doing of Ethics,” Horizons
“Ethical Issues of Third World Debt and Debt Forgiveness” for the Committee on Social Witness Policy, study paper
requested by 201st General Assembly in 1989, April 1993
“Eco-justice and Liberation Theology,” in After Nature’s Revolt, Dieter Hessel, Ed., Fortress Press, Philadelphia, 1992
“Is President Collar Green?”, Christian Century, with Robert Evans, November 1991
“Triumphalism of Capitalism,” Reformed World, 41, 5, 1991
“Women and Religion in Brazil,” In God’s Image, December 1990
III. Book Reviews
“Theology for Liberal Presbyterians and Other Endangered Species,” by Douglas Ottati, published in Reviews in
Religion and Theology, Vol. 14, Issue 4, September 2007
“Solidarity and Difference: A Contemporary Reading of Paul’s Ethics,” by David G. Horrell, published in Reviews in
Religion and Theology, Vol. 13, Issue 3, July 2006.
The Cross in Our Context: Jesus and the Suffering World by Douglas John Hall, published in Conversations in
Religion and Theology, Vol. 3, Issue 2, November 2005
“Jesus the Savior: The Meaning of Jesus Christ for Christian Faith,” review in Conversations in Religion and
Theology, Vol. 1, Issue 1, May 2003
“One World: The Ethics of Globalization,” in The Christian Century, Vol. 120, No. 4, February 22, 2003
SELECTED PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS
2008
“Public Theology from a Global Perspective”
Lecturer (via webcam)
Madras Christian College
Tambaram, India
Moderator, "Endowment Building: Strategic Approach Towards Community Uplift"
First World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists
Istanbul, Turkey
2007
Member, panel on Theological Education
Arthur Vining Davis Foundation Board Meeting
Orlando, Forida
2006
“Cosmopolitan Christianity”
UCC Annual Conference
Hartford, Connecticut
“Muslims in North America”
Speaker, Conference on ‘Perspectives on Islamic Identity in United States, European Union and the East and the
Dialogue between Christians and Muslims’
Islamic University of Rotterdam
Rotterdam, Netherlands
2005
“Worrying Out Loud”
Keynote Speaker, Faith in the Common Good
San Francisco Theological Seminary
San Anselmo, California
2004
“Pour Une Réhabilitation Théologique du Politique”
A Colloquium in Honor of Dr. Henry Mottu
Geneva , Switzerland
“Public Theology: Models and the Spheres of Contemporary Life”
Center for Theological Inquiry, Princeton, NJ
Debrecen, Hungary
“Reformed Theology”
Center for Theological Inquiry, Princeton, NJ
Stellenbosch, South Africa
2003
“Public Theology”
Center for Theological Inquiry, Princeton, NJ
Prague, Czech Republic
2002
“God and Globalization,” panel respondent
Society of Christian Ethics
Vancouver, Canada
“Life Long Learning,”
NAEIS Conference
Stony Point, NY
1996
Plenary Bible Study
“Leviticus 25”
National Council of Churches Annual Meeting
Chicago, IL
1995
Panel Participant
“Grassroots Environmental Movements”
American Academy of Religion
Philadelphia, PA
1995
Panel Participant
“Ecological Resistance Movements: Religion, Politics and Ethics”
The Wisconsin Institute
University of Wisconsin
Madison, WI
1995
Luncheon Address
“The Environment, Religion, Health and Healing”
The American Academy of Religion, Midwest Section
Chicago, IL
“Radical and Popular Environmental Movements”
The Western Political Science Association (panel participant)
Portland, OR
1994
“Ethics and the Environment”
Lutheran School of Theology
Professional Leadership Conference
Chicago, IL
“Profits, Parrots and Peons: Ethical Perplexities in the Amazon”
Society of Christian Ethics
Chicago, IL
1993
“Creation Theology and the Doing of Ethics”
Plenary of the Bible and Theology Project
Itasca, IL
1992
“The Socio-economic Political Context of Marginality from the Perspective of the USA”
Towards the Church of the Excluded: Resistance and Building the Signs of the Kingdom Among the Poor – Sao
Paulo Process
National Council of Churches
Honduras, December 1992
1992
Brazilian Historical Protestantism: Dilemmas and Perspectives”
Society of Christian Ethics
Philadelphia, PA
1990
“Eco-Justice and Liberation Theology”
Theology and Ethics Symposium on Eco-Justice
Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago, IL
1990
“Sustainable Development: A Liberationist Perspective”
Eco-Justice Conference on Economics and Ecology
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
1989
“The Brazilian Catholic Church and Ecology in the Amazon”
American Academy of Religion
Anaheim, CA
1982
“The Social Ethics of the Brazilian Catholic Church”
Western Regional Meeting of the American Academy of Religion
Stanford University, Stanford, CA
1981
“Protestant Attitudes Towards Women”
Conference on “Women and the Law”
Santa Clara University Law School, Santa Clara, CA
1981
“Information Gathering and Distribution: The Ethical Issues”
Santa Catarina Association of Librarians, Annual Meeting
Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
1981
“The Ethics of Public Administration”
University Lecture Series
Federal University of Santa Catarina
Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
1979
“Prophetic Leadership: The Rhetoric of Julius Nyerere”
American Society of Christian Ethics
Los Angeles, CA
SERVICE AS MEMBER OF PROFESSIONAL COMMISSIONS OR COMMITTEES
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Member, International Resource Panel for Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), also known as the Islamic
Religious Council of Singapore, 2008Member, Dialogue of Women, Institute of Inter-religious Dialogue, Tehran and WCC, Geneva, 2007
Member, Editorial Board for Conversations in Religion and Theology
Convener, Theological Educators for Presbyterian Social Witness, 2005, 2006
Member, Board of Trustees, Christian Conference of Connecticut
Member, Connecticut Council for Interfaith Understanding
Member, Advisory Committee on Accreditation, Department of Higher Education, State of Connecticut,
2005-2008
Corporator, Hartford Hospital, 2005Member, Board of Trustees, Globethics.net, Zurich, Switzerland 2004Member, Committee on the Content of Ethics Education, Interfaith Council on Ethics Education for Children,
Arigatou Foundation, 2005Member, Character and Assessment of Learning for Religious Vocation Task Force, Association of
Theological Schools, 2001-2005
Member, Hispanic Theological Initiative Advisory Committee, 1997, 1998
Member, Women in Leadership in Theological Education Project, Association of Theological Schools, 1996,
1997
Member, Accreditation Team, Association of Theological Schools at Huron College Faculty of Theology,
London, Ontario, Canada, 1995
Chair, Bossey Assessment Project, two-year research group to assess 40 years of ecumenical education at
Bossey, sponsored by the Ecumenical Development Initiative of the World Council of Churches, funded by
the Lilly Endowment 1996, 1997
Member, Advisory Committee for Theological Education Leadership, Association of Theological Schools,
1996, 1997
Member, Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy United Presbyterian Church (USA), 1990 –1996
Member, Task Force on Sustainable Development United Presbyterian Church (USA), 1991-1996
World Alliance of Reformed Churches: Planning committee for the WARC Project on Reformed Faith and
Economic Justice for the 1997 General Assembly
University of Chicago’s Visiting Committee on University/School Relations, 1995-1997
Member, Association of Theological Schools, Steering Committee, “The Nature and Assessment of Learning
for Religious Vocations” Project.
HONORS AND SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENTS
April 1997, Unitas Citation recipient, Union Theological Seminary, New York, NY
October 1995, Distinguished Alumna, Graduate School, University of Southern California