Rubel Shelly
Encyclopedia
Dr. Rubel Shelly is an author, minister, and the current president of Rochester College
. He served as Senior Minister for the Family of God at Woodmont Hills in Nashville, Tennessee
from 1978 until 2005. He was named the president of Rochester College
in May 2009 and currently serves as a co-minister for the Bristol Road Church of Christ in Flint, Michigan
.
(B.A.), Harding's Graduate School of Religion (M.A., M. Th.), and Vanderbilt University
(M.A., Ph.D.). Although known primarily as a preacher, Shelly's debates and academic lectures on Christian apologetics, ethics, and medical ethics have won him several teaching appointments. Shelly has also served with such groups as the AIDS
Education Committee of the American Red Cross
. He taught at Freed-Hardeman College (now Freed-Hardeman University
). While preaching at Woodmont Hills, he also taught at Lipscomb University
, Vanderbilt University
School of Medicine, and Tennessee State University
. Additionally, he has taught at Pepperdine University
, Abilene Christian University
, Emmanuel Seminary, and Kentucky Christian College. In 2005, he became Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Rochester College
, and eventually began serving as interim President before being named President of the College.
Now, he pursues a unifying vision "more nearly the ideal of the early American Restoration Movement
concept and experience than what [he] was born into." He critiques his former colleagues for trying to "decide who's in and who's out based on some list. We're very anticreedal in churches of Christ and Christian churches, meaning we won’t publish that list; we are more insidious in that we have unpublished lists of what lets you be "in" or "out" of our local churches. That's simply wrongheaded." Though these calls for unity do, in fact, echo Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone
, in other ways Shelly has disengaged from the central tenet of the Restoration Movement
: that the modern Church must restore the first century Church. In The Second Incarnation, Shelly and Randall J. Harris claim that this move is anachronistic (at best) and leads to doctrinal error, because no church has ever achieved perfection, and in any case, one cannot and should not attempt to recreate the first century Church.
Because Churches of Christ are strongly congregational, there are only a few ways to rise to prominence: publications, lectureships, holding the pulpit of a large congregation, and by outside recognition. Rubel Shelly has written many influential books, cited by others in the Restoration Movement
, and he routinely appears at lectureships sponsored by Universities and colleges affiliated with the Church of Christ
. Shelly has also been the preacher at one of the larger, more affluent churches for many years (Woodmont Hills Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee).
One measure of Shelly's national reputation is the fact that local and national journalists call on him as an expert about Church of Christ matters. An infamous example of this was when Nancy Grace
of CNN
asked Shelly on national television whether or not the Church of Christ is a cult
. Many felt that Shelly did not have a chance to express himself fully (http://twocitiesblog.blogspot.com/2006/03/church-of-christ-minister-endures-cnn.html http://www.markaelrod.net/2006/03/29/i-watched-nancy-grace-tonight-and-i-feel-like-i-need-a-hot-shower http://www.travisstanley.net/archives/20060330/webdroppings-on-nancy/http://www.ocularfusion.net/?p=110). A text of the exchange can be found here: http://www.heardworld.com/higgaion/?p=326 Mike Cope (not to be mistaken with the former NASCAR driver) was originally picked to be interviewed, as he is also one of the most prominent preachers in the Church of Christ (http://www.preachermike.com/2006/03/29/nancy-grace).
Rochester College
Rochester College is a four-year, liberal arts college located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The college was founded by members of Churches of Christ in 1959. Total enrollment for the fall 2011 semester is 1,084 students....
. He served as Senior Minister for the Family of God at Woodmont Hills in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
from 1978 until 2005. He was named the president of Rochester College
Rochester College
Rochester College is a four-year, liberal arts college located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The college was founded by members of Churches of Christ in 1959. Total enrollment for the fall 2011 semester is 1,084 students....
in May 2009 and currently serves as a co-minister for the Bristol Road Church of Christ in Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
.
Education and academics
Shelly was educated at Harding UniversityHarding University
Harding University is located in Searcy, Arkansas, in the United States, about north-east of Little Rock. It is a private liberal arts Christian university associated with the Churches of Christ. The university takes its name from James A...
(B.A.), Harding's Graduate School of Religion (M.A., M. Th.), and Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
(M.A., Ph.D.). Although known primarily as a preacher, Shelly's debates and academic lectures on Christian apologetics, ethics, and medical ethics have won him several teaching appointments. Shelly has also served with such groups as the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
Education Committee of the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
. He taught at Freed-Hardeman College (now Freed-Hardeman University
Freed-Hardeman University
Freed-Hardeman University is a primarily undergraduate university in Henderson, Tennessee. The university is located within a short distance of the town's central area. The university traces its heritage to the members of the Churches of Christ who helped build it...
). While preaching at Woodmont Hills, he also taught at Lipscomb University
Lipscomb University
Lipscomb University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The campus is located in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville between Belmont Boulevard to the west and Granny White Pike on the east...
, Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
School of Medicine, and Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...
. Additionally, he has taught at Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
, Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University is a private university located in Abilene, Texas, affiliated with Churches of Christ. ACU was founded in 1906, as Childers Classical Institute...
, Emmanuel Seminary, and Kentucky Christian College. In 2005, he became Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Rochester College
Rochester College
Rochester College is a four-year, liberal arts college located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The college was founded by members of Churches of Christ in 1959. Total enrollment for the fall 2011 semester is 1,084 students....
, and eventually began serving as interim President before being named President of the College.
Trajectory of change
Shelly's career, spanning decades, saw an abrupt shift in tone in the 1980s, perhaps best represented by his book I Just Want to Be a Christian, a radical plea for non-denominationalism. (Peruse Shelly's titles below to get a sense of this shift.) Shelly had started out as a boy preacher in the Churches of Christ, writing several books containing what some have called "sound teaching" http://www.soundteaching.org/fellowship/shelly.htm, yet eventually Shelly became disenchanted with what he has called a "language of exclusion." "Out of my own spiritual evolution, I've tried to adopt a much more Christ-like spirit and not be so sectarian and isolationist", Shelly said (quoted in Edwards).Now, he pursues a unifying vision "more nearly the ideal of the early American Restoration Movement
Restoration Movement
The Restoration Movement is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century...
concept and experience than what [he] was born into." He critiques his former colleagues for trying to "decide who's in and who's out based on some list. We're very anticreedal in churches of Christ and Christian churches, meaning we won’t publish that list; we are more insidious in that we have unpublished lists of what lets you be "in" or "out" of our local churches. That's simply wrongheaded." Though these calls for unity do, in fact, echo Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone
Barton W. Stone
Barton Warren Stone was an important preacher during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century. He was first ordained a Presbyterian minister, then was expelled from the church after the Cane Ridge, Kentucky revival for his stated beliefs in faith as the sole prerequisite for salvation...
, in other ways Shelly has disengaged from the central tenet of the Restoration Movement
Restoration Movement
The Restoration Movement is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century...
: that the modern Church must restore the first century Church. In The Second Incarnation, Shelly and Randall J. Harris claim that this move is anachronistic (at best) and leads to doctrinal error, because no church has ever achieved perfection, and in any case, one cannot and should not attempt to recreate the first century Church.
Leadership status
Rubel Shelly was inducted in 2007 into the Restoration Forum's Honor Roll of Unity, an award "given to people who are recognized for their love for those in the Christian fellowship and for their noble efforts to heal the divisions of the past and build unity."Because Churches of Christ are strongly congregational, there are only a few ways to rise to prominence: publications, lectureships, holding the pulpit of a large congregation, and by outside recognition. Rubel Shelly has written many influential books, cited by others in the Restoration Movement
Restoration Movement
The Restoration Movement is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century...
, and he routinely appears at lectureships sponsored by Universities and colleges affiliated with the Church of Christ
Universities and colleges affiliated with the Church of Christ
Universities and colleges affiliated with the Churches of Christ include these institutions:...
. Shelly has also been the preacher at one of the larger, more affluent churches for many years (Woodmont Hills Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee).
One measure of Shelly's national reputation is the fact that local and national journalists call on him as an expert about Church of Christ matters. An infamous example of this was when Nancy Grace
Nancy Grace
Nancy Ann Grace is an American legal commentator, television host, television journalist, and former prosecutor. She frequently discusses issues from what she describes as a victims' rights standpoint, with an outspoken style that has won her both praise and condemnation...
of CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
asked Shelly on national television whether or not the Church of Christ is a cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
. Many felt that Shelly did not have a chance to express himself fully (http://twocitiesblog.blogspot.com/2006/03/church-of-christ-minister-endures-cnn.html http://www.markaelrod.net/2006/03/29/i-watched-nancy-grace-tonight-and-i-feel-like-i-need-a-hot-shower http://www.travisstanley.net/archives/20060330/webdroppings-on-nancy/http://www.ocularfusion.net/?p=110). A text of the exchange can be found here: http://www.heardworld.com/higgaion/?p=326 Mike Cope (not to be mistaken with the former NASCAR driver) was originally picked to be interviewed, as he is also one of the most prominent preachers in the Church of Christ (http://www.preachermike.com/2006/03/29/nancy-grace).
Publications
Shelly's publications as author and co-author include, but are not limited to, the following:- Shelly, Rubel. The Divine Folly: A Theology for Preaching the Gospel. Nashville, Tennessee. 20th Century Christian, 1990.
- ---. Divorce and Remarriage: A Redemptive Theology. Abilene, Texas. Leafwood Publishers, 2007.
- ---. Falling in Love with Jesus: Studies in the Book of Luke. College Press Publishing, 1998.
- ---. Falling in Love with Jesus’ People: Studies in the Book of Acts. College Press Publishing, 1998.
- ---. The Jesus Community: A Theology of Relational Faith. Abilene, Texas. Leafwood Publishers, 2004.
- ---. I Just Want to Be a Christian. Rev. ed. Nashville: 20th Century Christian, 1986.
- ---. The Jesus Proposal: A Theological Framework for Maintaining the Unity of the Body of Christ. Abilene, Texas. Leafwood Publishers, 2004.
- ---. The Lamb and His Enemies: Understanding the Book of Revelation. Nashville: 20th Century Christian Foundation, 1983.
- ---. "Loving the Person Who Isn't 'One of Us.'" http://www.rubelshelly.com/content.asp?CID=19372 accessed 20 Dec. 2007.
- ---. Living By the Rules: The Contemporary Value of the Ten Commandments. Nashville: 20th Century Christian Foundation, 1982.
- ---. The Names of Jesus. Howard Books, 1999.
- ---. The Second Incarnation. Abilene, Texas. Leafwood Publishers, 2004.
- ---. Simple Study in Christian Evidences. Bible & School Supply, 1970
- ---. Sing His Praise!: A Case for A Cappella Music as Worship Today. Nashville: 20th Century Christian, 1987.
- ---. Starting Today: Stories and Scriptures for the Daily Grind. B&H Publishing, 2001. (A collection of Shelly's popular contributions to The Fax of Life series.)
- ---. "What's All the Fuss? Code Breaks Itself with Obvious Errors." http://www.christianchronicle.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=315 (Review of the film adaptation of The Da Vinci CodeThe Da Vinci CodeThe Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery-detective novel written by Dan Brown. It follows symbologist Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu as they investigate a murder in Paris's Louvre Museum and discover a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus having been married to...
)
Collaborative publications
- Shelly has also co-edited and co-founded two important journals, Spiritual Sword in 1969 with Dr. Thomas B. Warren and Wineskins (more recently) with Mike Cope. It is difficult to imagine two publications more opposite in outlook. The former is traditional and the latter is progressive. This is another measure of the changes that took place in Shelly's career.
- Cope, Mike and Rubel Shelly. What Would Jesus Do Today? Howard Books, 1997.
- Shelly, Rubel and John York. The Jesus Community.
- Shelly, Rubel and John York. The Jesus Proposal: A Theological Framework for Maintaining the Unity of the Body of Christ. Leafwood Publishers, 2004.
- Shelly, Rubel and Randall J. Harris. The Second Incarnation: A Theology for the 21st-Century Church. Abilene Christian University Press, 2001.