In
my first semester of seminary, I took a class on different practices of prayer.
My professor started our time together by telling us a story about Stanley
Hauerwas, a noted theologian and ethicist, and—much more importantly for me—a
fellow Texan. Hauerwas, who is currently working as a professor at Duke
Divinity School, was asked by the president of Duke University to give an
invocation at the opening of a meeting for the Board of Regents. The president
told Dr. Hauerwas that this was really just a formality that had to be
observed, and since the school had a strong religious heritage, he needed
someone with a strong religious background to lead prayer. On the bright side,
though, this would give this seminary professor a wonderful chance to rub
elbows with movers and shakers, so performing this formality could really help
further his career.
Well,
even after that heart-swelling pep talk, Hauerwas agreed to lead the Board of
Regents in an opening prayer. He was introduced after the official welcome by
the school president, and once he had made his way up to the podium, he bowed
his head and lifted up a prayer that went something like this:
“Lord,
this prayer is really just a formality that has to be observed, and if we
could, we probably do away with it completely. But since this is a school with
a strong religious heritage, we recognize that certain obligations must be met,
no matter how useless a ritual they may be. So hear our prayer, Lord, and let
all be in agreement that our obligations to you have been met. Amen.”
Can
you guess who was never invited back to a Board of Regents meeting at Duke
University?
