Supporting UTS means supporting a massive effort to “make the world a more healing, hopeful, and justice-oriented place.”
Rev. Madison Shockley II is an esteemed member of the UTS community. As both an alumnus and a board member, he has contributed significantly to the vitality and longevity of the seminary.
Rev. Shockley’s story with UTS begins back in the 1980s. After being raised in a religious household and pastoring in his community, he felt compelled to dive deeper into theological education. For him, Union Theological Seminary was the clear choice. The prolific Dr. James H. Cone was teaching at the institution at the time, and Rev. Shockley knew he wanted to explore his rich teachings on Black liberation theology.
Once on campus, Rev. Shockley sought to learn as much as possible. In addition to Black liberation theology, he immersed himself in teachings on reproductive justice, marginalized countries, poverty, and other social justice issues. As he put it, it was a “mind-blowing time.”
From UTS, he went on to apply his social justice lessons both at the pulpit and in political discourse. After all, as he learned at Union, “You have the Bible in one hand and the New York Times in the other.” As such, he wrote and spoke passionately about progressive faith in the context of current events.
For nearly two decades, Rev. Shockley has served as Pastor of the Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Carlsbad, CA. Years ago, a church member with a significant fortune decided to establish a family foundation to distribute the wealth. Rev. Shockley was invited to serve on the board and help give out grants. Then, the founder of the foundation passed away. Each board member received part of the remaining funds.
For Rev. Shockley, it was a life-long dream to make a significant contribution to Union Theological Seminary. The seminary had provided him with all the tools to make a difference in the world, and he hoped to ensure that UTS could continue to impart this wisdom to the next generation of faith leaders.
After making the gift, Rev. Shockley was invited to serve on the UTS board. Again, he felt compelled to serve Union and accepted the offer.
Since then, he has encouraged his congregation to support UTS through an annual offering. He often reminds his members of UTS’ esteemed legacy and all of its unparalleled community members – from Dr. Cone to Dr. Cornel West. He also helps congregants “understand the impact of UTS on the world in which they live, not just the church in which they worship.”
Rev. Shockley noted that he would encourage fellow alum colleagues to institute similar special offerings for UTS at their own churches. With just a small appeal to the community, UTS alums can raise significant revenue for their alma mater and support the passions and pursuits of future students.
According to Rev. Shockley, supporting UTS is more critical now than ever. Traditional Christianity is contracting like never before. UTS has all the potential to shape and elevate a new progressive faith paradigm.
As such, UTS is acting with “flexibility, dexterity, creativity, and initiative” to address and capitalize on this reality. Rev. Shockley pointed out, for example, that UTS offers a Master of Divinity in Islamic studies and Buddhism – quite a remarkable expansion given UTS’ Christian roots.
Ultimately, supporting UTS means supporting a massive effort to “make the world a more healing, hopeful, and justice-oriented place.”