Random Question...Does the American Theological Society Exist?

[11Q13]

I've noticed people including membership to this society on their CV, but google only returns results for a "midwest division." Some secondary sources are saying it's the oldest theological association in America and yet I can't find a darn website for the thing... help?

[MsBOOM]

Okay, so I Googled, Binged, Yahooed, and all that... and found absolutely NOTHING. I know it exists because now I know of a bunch of professors that used to be presidents of the society... but there's no website! Maybe it's a secret society that you can only find information about once you're eligible to be inducted? Haha.

Edited March 22, 2012 by MsSarahBOOM

[Guest]

You are inducted into it, but that is all I know X_X

[anthrovagabond]

You are inducted into it, but that is all I know X_X

I want to be in an underground theological association!

[Guest]

I want to be in an underground theological association!

Theta Alpha Kappa.

[MsBOOM]

Pfft. Let's just start our OWN!

[Balatro]

I've never noticed that about the ATS before, that's rather odd.

I've emailed the Midwest Division and my former advisor (who is a member) to see if I can get more information on the organization and if they have some super secret website.

I'll let you all know if I find something out or someone may beat me to the punch.

[11Q13]

I've never noticed that about the ATS before, that's rather odd.

I've emailed the Midwest Division and my former advisor (who is a member) to see if I can get more information on the organization and if they have some super secret website.

I'll let you all know if I find something out or someone may beat me to the punch.

thanks a bunch!

[Guest]

Haha just realized anthrovagabond said underground not undergraduate, so please note TAK is definitely not underground at all but is definitely as mainstream as it gets.

We definitely need to start our own so we can put it on our resumés and impress admissions committees when PhD application season comes around!

[Balatro]

Turns out my old advisor is on sabbatical and in an ability to focus on their writing is taking a "vacation from emails, texts, technology in general, etc" so I probably won't get a reply from them until some time in 2013 (late 2012).

Anyway, I did get a reply from the American Theological Society Midwest Division. I've c/p relevant information below:

American Theological Society Midwest Division, in spite of its name, was never a part of any other society. At the time when it was founded, just after The Great War, there was already another society called American Theological Society on the East coast and both of them were organized regionally. Besides regional differences there were also some differences in their approaches to theology but several of our early members belonged to both. ATS Midwest Division today has members from all parts of the United States.

Historically ATS Midwest Division was primarily interested in the Chicago school of theology (not an institution but a particular approach to theology), empirical theology, and process theology.

One of our members, and our past president, Gary Dorrien wrote a three volume history of liberal theology in America that talks about several of our past members and presidents and it discusses the above mentioned approaches to theology in depth. The title of his three volume book isThe Making of American Liberal Theology. Another work that collects many works by our founders and early members is a two volume collection edited by Jerome Stone and Creighton Peden titled The Chicago School of Theology-Pioneers in Religious Inquiry.

Paul Tillich did attend our meetings and gave papers during his years in Chicago and many of our past members, including some present members, were his students.

[11Q13]

I spoke to someone in the ATS the other day. Apparently members have to be invited by other members and approved by the board of ATS. The membership is limited to 100, all(?) of whom are Christian.