Wisdom Wednesdays: Becoming A Better You

Beginning with the month of February, Shalom Church has the honor to have Reverend Dr. E. Hammond Oglesby as co-teacher for Bible Study on Wednesdays. Dr. Oglesby is a renown author and retired professor from Eden Theological Seminary.

Dr. E. Hammond Oglesby retired in July 2008, after serving on Eden's faculty for 30 years. During that time, Dr. Oglesby invited his students to engage in critical thinking about ethics in the moral life. Utilizing a covenant model, Dr. Oglesby grounded ethics in the Bible. In addition to a required course in Christian ethics, he taught courses in sociology of religion, pastoral ethics, black theology and the theology of Martin Luther King, Jr.

As the first African-American to serve full time on the Eden faculty, Dr. Oglesby has a passion for building a more inclusive society. He reminded students of the rich legacy of African scholarship as a source of western philosophy and critical thought.

“I teach my students that theological diversity is not a deficiency but a strength in a learned community of teachers and scholars.”

“I like to use the analogy that ethics is to society what a dipstick is to an engine. One needs to check the level of oil in a car to make it run properly. We must also check the critical-moral level in a society for the society to run properly.”

The author of nine books, Dr. E. Hammond Oglesby's publications includes Ethical Issues that Matter, Pressing Toward the Mark: Ethics For the Black Church of Today, and Ministry Bound: Confessions of a Cotton Patch Theologian, just to name a few. Dr. Oglesby received the Boston University School of Theology Distinguished Alum Award.

In his spare time, Dr. Oglesby likes to spend time with his wife, Gloria, two adult sons and one very special grandson. He also likes to read and write poetry.

Reverend Dr. E. Hammond Oglesby