March, W. Eugene 1935-

views updated

MARCH, W. Eugene 1935-

(Wallace Eugene March)

PERSONAL: Born July 8, 1935, in Dallas, TX; son of Wallace Walter March and Helen Maud (Thompson) Dickey; married Margaret Ann Spencer, June 8, 1957 (deceased); children: Judith Elizabeth March Kelley, Katherine Anne. Education: Austin College, B.A., 1957; Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, B.D., 1960; Union Theological Seminary, Ph.D., 1966. Politics: Democrat.

ADDRESSES: Office—Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 1044 Alta Vista Rd., Louisville, KY 40205.

CAREER: Minister, educator, and writer. Ordained Presbyterian minister, 1964; Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Austin, TX, assistant professor, 1966–70, associate professor, 1970–74, professor, 1974–82; Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Arnold Black Rhodes Professor of Old Testament and professor of Bible studies, 1982–, dean of faculty, beginning 1993. Appalachian Ministry Educational Resources Center, Berea, KY, secretary and vice chairperson, 1992–97; Presbyterian Church Council on Theology and Culture, member and chair in Atlanta, GA, and Louisville, KY, 1979–88.

MEMBER: American Academy of Religion, Society of Biblical Literature (regional president, 1976–77), American Schools of Oriental Research.

AWARDS, HONORS: Rockefeller Foundation fellow research grant, 1964–65; Association of Theological Schools grant, 1980; named distinguished alumnus, Austin College (Sherman, TX), 1995; Henry Luce III fellow in theology, 2002–03.

WRITINGS:

(Editor) Texts and Testaments: Critical Essays on the Bible and Early Church Fathers: A Volume in Honor of Stuart Dickson Currie, Trinity University Press (San Antonio, TX), 1980.

Basic Bible Study: Interpreting the Word, edited by Donald M. Stine, Geneva Press (Philadelphia, PA), 1984.

Israel and the Politics of Land: A Theological Case Study, foreword by Walter Brueggeman, Westminster John Knox Press (Louisville, KY), 1994.

(Reviser) Arnold B. Rhodes, The Mighty Acts of God, Geneva Press (Louisville, KY), 2000.

The Wide, Wide Circle of Divine Love: A Biblical Case for Religious Diversity, Westminster John Knox Press (Louisville, KY), 2005.

Contributor to professional publications; contributor to books, including The Harper's Bible Commentary, Harper & Row (New York, NY), 1988; The New Interpreter's Bible, Volume 7, Abingdon Press (Nasville, TN), 1996; Preparing for Witness in Context, edited by Jean S. Stoner, Presbyterian Publishing House (Louisville, TN), 1999; and The Power of Ideas: Grawemeyer Awards in Music, Education, Religion, and World Order, Jesse Stuart Foundation (Ashland, KY), 2000.

SIDELIGHTS: W. Eugene March is a professor of theology specializing in the Bible and especially the Old Testament. In his book Israel and the Politics of Land: A Theological Case Study, March outlines his belief that modern-day Israel is not the Israel depicted in the Bible and, as such, is not to be equated with biblical declarations to ownership. William C. Graham, writing in the National Catholic Reporter, noted that the author's controversial theories "are sure to fuel debate."

In The Wide, Wide Circle of Divine Love: A Biblical Case for Religious Diversity March provides an argument for people of Christian faith who question the validity of other religions and their followers' relationship with God. He explores the different ways in which people can read the Bible and discusses over-reliance on literal interpretations, which he views as problematic if the written word is not placed within the context of the times. March also delves into the benefits gained by promoting dialogue among people of different faiths. Citing March's ecumenical approach, a Publishers Weekly contributor described The Wide, Wide Circle of Divine Love as "accessible and academically rock-solid," as well as "a must-read for anyone who feels conflicted or troubled by 'one way' theologies." In a review for Library Journal Graham Christian commented that the author's message "is welcome in our fraught and nervous time."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, January 1, 2005, Graham Christian, review of The Wide, Wide Circle of Divine Love: A Biblical Case for Religious Diversity, p. 121.

National Catholic Reporter, June 3, 1994, William C. Graham, review of Israel and the Politics of Land: A Theological Case Study, p. 14; March 30, 2001, p. 8.

Publishers Weekly, November 29, 2004, review of The Wide, Wide Circle of Divine Love, p. 38.