WRITINGS OF SHIRLEY GUTHRIE

As I share my thoughts in this week’s installment of Our Christian Inspirations, we will be focusing on Shirley C. Guthrie. A Wikipedia page for Shirley states.

Shirley C. Guthrie Jr. (9 October 1927 – 23 October 2004) was a minister of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and J.B. Green Professor of Systematic Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary for nearly 40 years. He was well known for his book, Christian Doctrine, which was originally written for an Adult Sunday School Book in the old PCUS Covenant Life Curriculum.

Career

Guthrie was born in Texas as the son of a Presbyterian minister. He studied first at Princeton Theological Seminary, and earned his doctorate at the University of Basel, where Karl Barth directed his PhD dissertation on Reinhold Niebuhr. He briefly served as the minister of the Presbyterian Church in Rusk, Texas. His Christian Doctrine is a standard seminary text, which is also published in Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Taiwanese, and many other languages. His book Christian Doctrine, which includes Barthian perspective, influenced Presbyterian Church (USA) to have their commitment to social justice and its participation in the social and political issues of the day.

Most of the next 5 days will find us in the pages of Guthrie’s book Christian Doctrine. Before we take that plunge, I want to return to how I introduced our congregation to Dr. Guthrie in a previous on-line devotion:

Shirley Caperton Guthrie was one my professors at Columbia Theological Seminary. He taught Reformed Theology. He authored and edited a number of books, one of which, A Christian Doctrine, was created as a Christian Education tool for lay people in Presbyterian Churches and has become a standard seminary textbook. Dr. Guthrie touched my life and faith deeply in the lecture hall, chats in his office, and a night or two we spent as volunteers at a cold night shelter. While his writings inspire me, I am deeply moved by a story shared after Shirley’s death by another professor and mutual friend, Dr. Erskine Clarke:

While he had had a good report from his annual physical in the spring, his loss of weight during the early weeks of the summer made him look even thinner than his normal wiry self. His wife Vivian, a wonderful cook, tried to entice him into eating a variety of specially prepared meals, but he said he had no appetite.

In late July, she took him to one of Atlanta’s best restaurants hoping that it might encourage his appetite, but he only ate a little and the next day complained of discomfort that sent him to his family physician. A mass was found, tests were ordered, and a tumor was identified. Shirley was sent to an oncologist. He had, the doctor said, a virulent form of cancer.

Tom Guthrie, in the midst of a dissertation at the University of Chicago, came home to be with his father and mother. As news of Shirley’s cancer spread, friends and former students began to respond in numbers that almost overwhelmed Vivian and Tom. With the encouragement of Shirley’s colleague and close friend George Stroup, Vivian had friends to answer the phone at their home—a thoughtful arrangement that gave friends an opportunity “to do something.” After a few weeks into the treatment, Tom left for a quick visit to Chicago.

Vivian asked if I would help take Shirley to an appointment with his oncologist. They asked me to go with them into the examination room. The nurse was clearly concerned with the test results. The doctor, a young man, came into the room. He was kind, professional, and to the point. The chemotherapy would have to stop—he recommended home hospice care. When he left the room, Vivian and I were weeping. I asked if they would like some time alone. No, they said, that will come later. “I am not afraid to die,” said Shirley. “God gives us our life, and when our time comes to die, we give our life back to God. In life and in death we belong to God.” Shirley and Vivian spoke to one another with love and deep tenderness. We had a prayer together.

In this way, Shirley began his last days of teaching.

Dr. Guthrie taught that lesson well. In life and in death, we belong to God …..

Prayer

Open our hearts and minds to those great Christian teachers who have guided is in our faith. Help us to keep learning as we belong to you, our God. Amen.