By Rod Jones
An Oklahoma City University professor was named to the editorial board for the United Methodist Church’s academic publishing unit.
Mark Y. A. Davies, the Wimberly Professor of Social and Ecological Ethics and director of the World House Institute for Social and Ecological Responsibility, was named one of the inaugural members of the New Room Books editorial board.
“I am honored to be a part of the editorial board and its work to enhance the intellectual life of the United Methodist Church through the publication of works from some the finest scholars in the United Methodist tradition,” Davies said. “This new academic imprint will make these scholars’ research and in-depth study more accessible to the church and to the broader public.”
Named for John Wesley’s New Room in Bristol, England, New Room Books is a reviewed academic monograph series that offers scholars from the Methodist tradition and their students a way to share their work. Wesley is considered the founder of the Methodist faith.
“John Wesley had high expectations for the Methodist circuit riders, expecting them to read and study, so that they could understand, experience and share the depths of Christian faith,” said Matthew Charlton, assistant general secretary in the UMC Division of Higher Education. This expectation continues in the high level of training expected of United Methodist clergy and in the interest of the laity in exploring and deepening their faith.”