Walter Wink

Walter Wink
Wink preaching at theFellowship of Reconciliation
Born	(1935-05-21)May 21, 1935 Dallas,Texas,United States
Died	May 10, 2012(2012-05-10)(aged 76) Sandisfield,Massachusetts,United States
Occupation	minister, theologian, author
Language	English
Spouse	June Keener Wink
Children	Rebecca Wink, Steve Wink,Chris Winkand Stepchildren: Kim Bergland, Kurt Bergland
Website
walterwink

Walter Wink(May 21, 1935 – May 10, 2012) was an AmericanBiblical scholar,theologian,andactivistwho was an important figure inProgressive Christianity.Wink spent much of his career teaching atAuburn Theological SeminaryinNew York City.He was well known for his advocacy of and work related tononviolent resistanceand his seminal works on "The Powers",Naming the Powers(1984),Unmasking the Powers(1986),Engaging the Powers(1992),When the Powers Fall(1998), andThe Powers that Be(1999), all of them commentaries on theApostle Paul's ethic ofspiritual warfaredescribed here:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

— Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)

Breaking with Christian hermeneutic tradition ofChristian demonology,he interprets Paul's hierarchy of "rulers" to refer to imperial powers, with corresponding andpolitical theologiesand ideologies of state violence. Giving examples from ancient Babylon through the popular media of today, these are supported by, in a phrase he coined "themyth of redemptive violence".

Career

Wink earned a B.A. fromSouthern Methodist Universityin 1956, majoring in history, and minoring in philosophy and English. He completed his Master of Divinity in 1959 and his Ph.D. in 1963, both fromUnion Theological SeminaryinNew York City.Ordained as aMethodistminister in 1961, he served as Pastor of First United Methodist Church, inHitchcock, Texasfrom 1962–67. He then returned to Union Seminary as an Assistant Professor of New Testament, then Associate Professor of New Testament, from 1967–1976. After being denied tenure at Union, he began teaching atAuburn Theological Seminary,remaining there until his death, when he was Professor Emeritus. His faculty discipline wasBiblical interpretation.In 1989–1990, he was a Peace Fellow at theUnited States Institute of Peace.

He was known for his work onpower structures,his commentary on current political and cultural matters, and his contributions to the discourse onhomosexuality and religion,pacifism,the relationship betweenpsychologyandbiblical studies,and research related to thehistorical Jesus.Neal Stephensonlikens some of Wink's ideas to "anepidemiologyof power disorders ", aphenomenologyofoppression.AuthorPhilip Yanceyreferences Wink frequently in his work.

One of Wink's major avenues for teaching has been his leadership of workshops to church and other groups, based on his method of Bible study (The Bible in Human Transformation,1973), and incorporating meditation, artwork, and movement. These workshops were often presented jointly with his wife, June Keener-Wink, a dancer and potter.

One of Walter Wink's sons—Chris Wink—is known as a founding member of theBlue Man Group.

Partial bibliography

• John the Baptist in the Gospel Tradition,Cambridge Univ. Press, 1968. (out of print)
• The Bible in Human Transformation,Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1973. (out of print)
• The Powers Trilogy:
  • Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament,Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984.ISBN0-8006-1786-X
  • Unmasking the Powers: The Invisible Forces That Determine Human Existence,Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986.ISBN0-8006-1902-1
  • Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination,Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992.ISBN0-8006-2646-X
• Violence and Nonviolence in South Africa,Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1987. (out of print)
• Transforming Bible Study,second edition, Nashville: Abingdon, 1990. (out of print)
• Proclamation 5: Holy Week, Year B,Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993. (out of print)
• Cracking the Gnostic Code: The Powers in Gnosticism,(Society of Biblical Literature Monograph Series), Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1993.ISBN1-55540-860-5
• When the Powers Fall: Reconciliation in the Healing of Nations,Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998.ISBN0-8006-3127-7;Swedish edition:Healing a Nation's Wounds: Reconciliation on the Road to Democracy(Uppsala, Sweden: Life and Peace Institute, 1997)
• The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium,New York: Doubleday, 1999.ISBN0-385-48752-5
• Homosexuality and Christian Faith: Questions of Conscience for the Churches(editor), Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1999.ISBN0-8006-3186-2
• Peace Is The Way: Writings on Nonviolence from the Fellowship of Reconciliation.,(editor), Orbis Books, 2000.ISBN1-57075-315-6
• John the Baptist in the Gospel Tradition,Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2001.ISBN1-57910-529-7
• The Human Being: Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of the Man,Fortress Press, 2001.ISBN0-8006-3262-1
• Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way,Augsburg Fortress, 2003.ISBN0-8006-3609-0
• Just Jesus: My Struggle to Become Human,Image, 2014.ISBN978-0307955814
• The System Belongs to God DVD,UMCom Productions,http://secure.umcom.org/Store/the-system-belongs-to-god.

External links

• Personal website
• "Walter Wink, Presente!,"obituary by Richard Deats,Fellowship of Reconciliation,11 May 2012
• Review ofThe Human Being,by D. Seiple,Union Seminary Quarterly Review,Vol 55 (3-4), 2001, pp. 178-183