It was magnanimous on the part of my Roanoke College colleagues in the Department of Religion and Philosophy to compose the following retirement resolution in my honor. It would’ve been magnanimous in any case, but especially so because in my final years at Roanoke College I had become estranged from the Department for reasons just and unjust that I need not rehearse. It is a testimony from peers about the quality and intensity of my contributions to the College over twenty two years. For this I am both grateful and gratified. Since retirement, I have stayed away from the Department and indeed the Campus. I have not wanted to meddle in matters that are no longer my business. From this distance, I do watch in dismay, however, as theology has virtually disappeared from the program and the liberal arts commitment appears to have entered a death spiral – so it seems from this distance, in any case. There’s a theological moral in this which the apostle Paul articulates in 1 Corinthians 15, namely, that our “labor in the Lord is not in vain.” It is a temptation to securing a false immortality to want to leave behind an enduring legacy in honor of one’s memory. It is comfort to know that the Lord remembers, cherishes but also purifies our labor to his glory, woven for human good into the fabric things.
In honor of Professor Paul R. Hinlicky
As we approach the occasion of his retirement, the faculty, staff and students of Roanoke College and the Religion and Philosophy department do hereby offer the following resolution honoring Professor Paul R. Hinlicky:
WHEREAS, Paul received his B.A. from Concordia Senior College, his M.Div. from Christ Seminary-Seminex, and his Ph.D. from Union Theology Seminary,
and WHEREAS, having been ordained, Paul began his career as a Lutheran pastor, a calling he has continued to respond to throughout his life,
and WHEREAS, before coming to Roanoke College in 1999, he held the position of Visiting Professor of Systematic Theology at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia,
and WHEREAS, Paul realized what he wanted to do with his life when his college professor told him, “in theology everything is relevant,”
and WHEREAS, Paul then found the guiding star of that everything in Martin Luther and the beloved community, from the 16th century to Josiah Royce, Martin Luther King, the Trinity, and human destiny,
and WHEREAS, Paul’s intellectual curiosity knows no bounds ranging from the Filioque Controversy to Contemporary French Philosophy,
and WHEREAS, Paul has been enormously productive, publishing over 120 books, book chapters, and scholarly articles,
and WHEREAS, Paul has written and recorded on his podcast over 95 theses in which he continues to nail Luther's truths to the walls of Christian teaching,
and WHEREAS, Paul ensured that Cicero, Augustine, Luther, and Martin Luther King, Jr. received their just share of attention in the Roanoke College curriculum,
and WHEREAS, having written them unbidden, Paul bestowed on his fellow committee members the joy of reading his white papers,
and WHEREAS, Paul enriched campus intellectual life by bringing lecturers from far and wide to speak on topics historical and contemporary,
and WHEREAS, Paul arrives a minute before class and lectures for an hour from memory, without any notes,
and WHEREAS, to his students were required to observe the Hinlicky rule: never criticize authors until you can state their position so well that they would agree with your description,
and WHEREAS, to listen to Paul lecture on Christian theology is to find yourself is the middle of a sweeping drama with the fate of Western civilization hanging in the balance,
and WHEREAS, Paul encouraged and expected his students who would become church leaders to have top-tier theological education in order to serve God's people and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ,
and WHEREAS, in his academic persona Paul relishes nothing so much as a good fight, in his off hours his inclinations lead him more toward the bucolic life of a gentleman farmer,
and WHEREAS, Paul restored part of a mountain in Catawba to its natural state, creating a habitat for numerous species of wildlife; raised cows and chickens, grown a garden, and kept bees,
and WHEREAS, he has frequently welcomed faculty and students to explore this earth-first ecosystem and taught students how to live out their theology in nature,
and WHEREAS, we extend our sincere hopes to Paul and Ellen for a healthy and peaceful retirement spent at their beloved Saint Gall Farm,
BE IT THERFORE RESOLVED that the Faculty of Roanoke College, on this 12th day of May 2021, express our profound appreciation to Professor Paul R. Hinlicky for his 22 years of dedicated service and contributions to our institution and its Religion and Philosophy program.