Chad Rancourt of General Theological Seminary reports that Deirdre Good is resigning as professor of New Testament effective May 25:
Good came to the Seminary as Assistant Professor in 1986, eventually becoming General’s Professor of New Testament in 1992, specializing in the Synoptic Gospels, Christian Origins, Noncanonical writings and biblical languages, and was Academic Dean from 2013-2014. In addition to her roles at GTS she is an award-winning author, having published several books such as “Jesus’ Family Values” and “Mariam, the Magdalen, and the Mother.” Good also publishes her own blog and is a contributor to Episcopal Café.
Earlier in the month Rancourt wrote that the Rev. Andrew Kadel had resigned as director of the Christoph Keller, Jr., Library and a member of General’s faculty.
Good and Kadel were among the GTS 8 who were dismissed amid conflicts with the Very Rev. Kurt Dunkle but later reinstated after weeks of negotiations. Another faculty member among the GTS 8, the Rev. Joshua Davis, chose not to return when General reinstated the group.
Episcopal Café has published a letter written by several General Seminary alumni to Eric T. Schneiderman, New York’s attorney general. The letter reads, in part:
After worldwide publicity and further protests, several students left at midyear, and the board provisionally reinstated the faculty only for the rest of the academic year, while canceling their academic tenure. No new hires have been announced and several top librarians have left. Only one entering student has paid a deposit for admission next fall. The seminary’s accreditation by the Association of Theological Schools is under review; if there’s no faculty, no library, no accreditation and no students, there’s no seminary.
Was this alleged egregious conduct by the administration calculated to force the seminary to close? It appears to have been groomed for failure. The High Line is one of the hottest places in the city right now, and General Seminary sits right on it.
Image of the Close at General Theological Seminary by Beyond My Ken (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons
