Boston University Photo Service, 1965, Bailey-Thurman Family Papers, Special Collections & Archives Robert W. Woodruff Library, Emory University
About
Welcome to a visual journey of consideration, contemplation, and interpretation curated by Dr. Shively T. J. Smith. This site introduces you to the writings of Howard Washington Thurman and also YOURSELF. Who are you as an Interpreter? How do you go about the task of interpretation?
Interpretation is an avenue for accessing, exchanging and speaking about the ideas and witness arising from Scripture, Spirit, literature, utterances, figurative language, and even nonliterary works of art. It is a passageway of getting from “here to there” in our emerging understandings of what is significant and meaningful or even mundane and common. It informs our daily living, practices, values, etiquette, and social codes.
No one makes the challenges and possibilities of interpretation as a religious practice more clear than Howard Washington Thurman. Known as a mystic theologian and preacher of the 20th century, Thurman was a person committed to the life of the mind and the journey of the spirit. He was a pastor, teacher, writer, scholar, family person, guide--and yes, an Interpreter. Thurman was a spiritual resource and mentor behind the scenes of the Civil Rights Movement. Yet, he was also leading from the front, trailblazing as the first African American Dean of a predominantly white university, Boston University (1953-1965).
He gifted us with images and figurative language in his writings, inviting us to take a journey in which we “catch” something. In his autobiography, With Head and Heart, Thurman described one of the first courses he taught as Dean of Marsh Chapel and faculty member at Boston University’s School of Theology:
“The fundamental aim of the course, as I saw it, was to help men and women who were going into the ministry to acquaint themselves with their own inner life. I felt that the idea could be caught, but I did not think it could be taught.”
We are always playing “catch up” when we interpret. And images in Thurman’s writings are always partial. For Thurman, that act of “catching” is spiritual and relational. It deepens our self reflection while heightening our awareness of Spirit, creation, ourselves, and other human beings. Interpretation becomes a way of uncovering our inner dispositions by means of outer expressions. Hopefully this website is a source of introduction and inspiration as you define your interpretive path.
