With an academic legacy that spans over four decades and two continents, Christian Theological Seminary regretfully shares the passing of former professor and Dean of Students Dr. Carmelo E. Alvarez who died October 12, 2025. He was 78 years old.  

Dr. Alvarez began his expansive theological career at the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico in 1971. He graduated from Emory University in 1974 with his Doctorate and went on to earn his PhD at the Free University of Amsterdam in 2006 with the dissertation “Sharing in God’s Mission: The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Evangelical Pentecostal Union of Venezuela, 1960-1980.” 

Throughout his career, Dr. Alvarez developed an expertise in Venezuelan and Latin American history and theology, cross-culturalism in missionary work, and Liberation Theology in the Third World. In addition to the faculty positions he held at multiple seminaries, Dr. Alvarez was a prolific speaker and writer.  

Dr. Alvarez began his teaching career in 1971 at Emory University and came to the Indianapolis CTS campus in 1993 as the Missionary in Residence in 1993. This position transitioned into an Affiliate Professor of Latin American and Caribbean Christianity, and then into the Dean of Students role from 1992 -2002.  

While teaching at CTS, Dr. Alvarez’s most popular classes were Church History: Early Church to Reformation and Liberation Theology. He also delivered classes on Hispanic Theology in the US and the History of Pentecostalism in Latin America and the Caribbean.  

According to Rev. Mary Harris, the Associate Dean for Student Services who overlapped some of the time that Dr. Alvarez was at CTS, he was the strongest link students had to a Latino professor. “Students were excited with his Liberation Theology” classes, she stated, recalling that Dr. Alvarez was the first instructor to offer them here. This coincided with the school intentionally recruiting a Latino student population for the first time.  

“He was considered a missionary for the Disciples of Christ Church and travelled often,” Rev. Harris said. “His personal experiences made his teaching authentic.”  

Dr. Alvarez was sought out in many South American universities and seminaries to deliver presentation on his research and areas of expertise. In addition, he was the contributing writer and editor to several texts. One of his more popular books was the 1990 People of Hope: The Protestant Movement in Central America.  

In addition to his love for research and academics, Dr. Alvarez lived the gospel as well. He pastored at over one dozen churches after his ordination at the Puerto Rican Convention of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 1972. He was dedicated to being the hands of feet of Jesus Christ and acted as a missionary and critical witness in many South American countries. Dr. Alvarez served as Disciples Overseas Mission staff from 1975-2011. In this role, he helped facilitate training in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Argentina, Cuba, Chile, and Venezuela.  

Dr. Alvarez married the love of his life, Rev. Raquel E. Rodriguez. She preceded him in death. They met while in school and were proud parents to Nina and Margarita Raquel. Dr. Alvarez lived in Chicago at the time of his death.  

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The breadth of Dr. Cardwell’s family was overwhelmingly impressive; her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and extended family were so numerous they seemed to fill half the church themselves. Her influence and legacy extended beyond her family and into the lives of the many students, colleagues, ministry partners, and admirers who filled the rest of the seats.

Presiding minister Rev. Melody Merida eloquently captured the sentiment of the service, saying “How do we mourn a life that spanned 104 remarkable years? Sue would say, ‘Don’t mourn it! Celebrate it!’ And of course she would be right, for there is much to celebrate. But our hearts also grieve because the Rev. Dr. Sue Webb Cardwell is no longer in our midst. We hold in our hands both the joy of her great life and the grief of her absence from us.”

The service included remarks from people who knew Sue in all the iterations of her service, from CTS President Dr. David Mellott to Indiana DOC Regional Minister Rev. Rick Spleth to her chaplain Rev. Patty Jones from Robin Run Village to Rev. LaMarco A. Cable, President of Global Ministries for the Christian Church (DOC) and the United Church of Christ.

Rev. Cable spoke about the continued legacy of Sue’s missionary work in the Congo with her beloved husband Walter. He shared that to this day, community members in the Congo lovingly refer to Rev. Dr. Cardwell as “Mama Sue,” remembering she had an “undeniable love for ALL people, always willing to support the sacred vision that ALL of God’s people and creation share in God’s abundant life.”

Particularly moving was the moment soloist Stephen Enz performed “His Eye is On the Sparrow,” a song Sue herself requested be played at her memorial, noting that she first heard it with her twin sister at a memorial service when she was young and was so inspired that she decided to dedicate her life to God. Rev. Dr. Cardwell permeated the CTS community as a student, faculty member, foundational leader in developing counseling programs and the CTS Counseling Center, honorary degree recipient, and the inaugural recipient of the President’s Award of Excellence just this last May. Whether directly or indirectly, everyone in the CTS community has been bountifully blessed by Sue’s willingness to give her life to God’s service and her commitment to showing God’s love to all.

As Rev. Cable proclaimed, “We cannot replace the Rev. Dr. Sue Cardwell, but we will attempt to improve the lives of our siblings from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth and live our lives as demonstrated by Sue’s great example.”

Video Recording of Memorial Service for Rev. Dr. Sue Webb Cardwell

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Dr. Rufus Burrow, Jr.

Burrow came to CTS as Visiting Professor of Church and Society in 1983 after completing his PhD in Social Ethics from Boston University. He spent a long and celebrated career as a member of the CTS faculty, becoming Assistant Professor of Church and Society in 1984, receiving tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in 1991, and becoming full Professor in 1998. Then, in 2002, he was appointed to the esteemed Indiana Professor of Christian Thought chair, a position he held into emeritus status in 2014. Through the years, he also taught courses at Anderson University/School of Theology, Martin University, and United Theological Seminary.

One of the most prolific faculty members in CTS’s history, Burrow wrote more than a dozen books, well over fifty articles, and he was at work on four additional manuscripts when he passed away. He was a renowned scholar of personalism (he wrote his dissertation on the theology of Edgar S. Brightman), social ethics, ethical prophecy, Black theology, and nonviolence.

He is most well-known as one of the world’s leading scholars of Martin Luther King, Jr., about whom he wrote numerous articles and chapters, five books, edited a sixth, and was at work on a seventh. Among these are the memorable God and Human Dignity: The Personalism, Theology, and Ethics of Martin Luther King, Jr. (University of Notre Dame Press), Martin Luther King, Jr. for Armchair Theologians (Westminster John Knox, Press), and Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Theology of Resistance (McFarland).

Along with his work in the academy, Burrow was committed to the life of the church. A consistent advocate for justice in the church and the larger community, one of his final publications was Making Good the Claim: Holiness and Visible Unity in the Church of God Reformation Movement (Wipf and Stock), which challenged leaders and members in the Church of God movement to “make good” on their tradition’s historical commitments to racial justice and unity.

Equal to if not greater than his scholarly and ecclesial contributions is his influence on generations of CTS students. Known as a demanding, encouraging, incisive, supportive, and eminently fair teacher, Burrow is celebrated for his enormous impact on the formation of countless pastors, scholars, counselors, and community leaders. His classes on Ethical and Prophetic Witness of the Church and The Theological Ethics of Martin Luther King, Jr., were staples in the CTS community for many years, and he taught widely on topics including Reinhold Niebuhr, James Cone, the sociology of religion, liberation theologies, the Black religio-cultural experience, and church and the urban poor.

The news of Burrow’s passing has been met with an outpouring of love and appreciation from CTS alumni. Dr. Lawrence Burnley, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Dayton, said, “Rufus stood firmly in the prophetic and priestly traditions of the church. He spoke truth to power and had a special place in his heart for ‘the least’ among us. I can say with great clarity that no single individual outside of my biological family has had a more profound impact on the trajectory of my ministerial and professional journey. God allowed Rufus to see in me what I didn’t see in myself. He helped me to see myself in others and love them as such.”

Rev. Ayanna Garrett, Associate Dean for Student Life at CTS, recalled, “Dr. Burrow was an amazing teacher, theologian and scholar. He taught me about my responsibility to do justice in the world. Although it’s been over 15 years since I have been in his classroom, his words still ring in my ear: ‘You must not only speak of justice, but it is imperative that your actions do justice as well.’”

Reflecting on his time with Burrow as a student, Rev. Dustin Hite, Senior Pastor at First Christian Church in Bargersville, IN, said, “His classes re-framed for me the prophetic and ethical role of the Church in the world, and he exposed me to ideas and writers and scholars who opened my eyes and deepened my faith in ways that still bear fruit today. To say the Church has lost an intellectual and prophetic giant is an understatement; to say that I am sad more students will not have the privilege of sitting under his teaching only begins to scratch the surface of how I’m feeling right now. Because of Dr. Burrow, I am a better pastor, Christian, and human being. His impact upon the body of Christ will live on in the hundreds of students who sat under his teaching.”

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Clark M. Williamson (November 3, 1935- June 26th, 2021) was renowned for his work with neo-process theology, post-Shoah theology, and biblical theology. The author of more than twenty books, he was especially known for his pioneering work in eliminating anti-Jewish elements and implications in Christianity in his Has God Rejected His People? Anti-Judaism in the Christian Church (1982) and for his probing examination and restatement of major themes in Christian faith in the light of the Holocaust and official statements of the churches on these matters in Guest in the House of Israel: Post-Holocaust Church Theology (1993). He also wrote a systematic theology, Way of Blessing/Way of Life: A Christian Theology (1999) developing a constructive and comprehensive theology based on these themes and in conversation with process thinkers, Paul Tillich, post-Shoah theology, narrative theology, and feminist theology.

Clark Williamson was born 1935 in Memphis, Tennessee, where he grew up. Williamson was a member of Taylor Memorial Christian Church where his grandfather, J. Murray Taylor was minister. Williamson completed the AB in religion and philosophy at Transylvania University in 1957. He then studied at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago for the M.Div. (1961), M.A. (1963), and PhD (1969). While at the University of Chicago, Williamson was Paul Tillich’s assistant for Volume III of Tillich’s renowned Systematic Theology. In Chicago, Williamson served as assistant dean of Disciples Divinity House and as interim minister of University Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

In 1966, he was called to teach theology at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. He was the first to hold the Indiana Chair of Christian Thought and served as Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs, retiring in 2002. He was also visiting professor at the Ecumenical Institute of the World Council of Churches and at Claremont School of Theology. Transylvania University honored him with the Distinguished Achievement Award (2002) and with the D.D. (honoris causa) (2005). Disciples Divinity House of the University of Chicago named him Alumnus of the Year in 2015. He remained active in scholarship and education in his retirement, writing multiple commentaries on preaching and Biblical exegesis.

Generations of CTS students have paid testimony to the influence of Clark upon their thinking and praised him for his academic rigor, his deeply humane theological sensibilities, and his insistence that faithful ministry requires clear and brave thinking.

A memorial service has be scheduled for Saturday, September 25th at 2 p.m. at Central Christian Church in Indianapolis.

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Members of the CTS and greater Indianapolis communities remembered Hamilton at the news of his death. N. Clay Robbins, chairman, president & chief executive officer of Lilly Endowment Inc., was a member of North United Methodist Church during Hamilton’s tenure as pastor. Robbins said, “I would be hard pressed to find anyone I admired more than Dick Hamilton, and my wife, Amy and I feel blessed beyond measure that he was our family’s pastor. It is rare to find a minister who has both the pastoral presence and sensitivities he had along with the ability to capture a congregation’s attention through inspirational, stimulating and eloquently delivered sermons and prayers. He also had a unique ability to offer others an opposing point of view in a civil manner reflecting that, while he may disagree with them, he still cared about them as persons. I remember him gently saying from time to time: ‘We just see that through very different lenses.’ I will miss greatly his sage advice and reassuring presence.”

Rev. Dr. Dick Hamm, CTS trustee and past General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), knew Hamilton as “a beloved pastor and leader in Indianapolis.” Hamm said, “He was a progressive spirit and served as a trustee of Christian Theological Seminary. His brother, Lee Hamilton, was a member of Congress from Indiana for many years and both embodied concern for the marginalized and for healthy institutions.”

CTS is grateful for Hamilton’s remarkable life of service to the church, to the CTS community, and to the city of Indianapolis and beyond.

Read more about the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Hamilton in his obituary.

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His passions included University of Alabama football, collecting books, and most especially his family: his spouse Mary, to whom he was married for 65 years, their three children, and their six grandchildren. Paul’s persistence was best seen in his nearly indefatigable fervor to introduce the ecumenical movement to an ever-widening circle of people.

One example is CTS trustee and former General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada, Rev. Dr. Richard Hamm. “Paul invited me to a meeting in Geneva of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches when I was a regional minister. It was my first real exposure to world ecumenism, and I found it fascinating and invigorating. I credit Paul with shaping me into a real ecumenist.”

From a young age, Crow showed interest in the life of the church beyond the walls of his home Disciples congregation in Lanett, AL. He served as president of the Disciples International Christian Youth Fellowship and participated in the United Christian Youth Movement, coordinated by the Youth Department of the National Council of Churches. He was active in campus ministry as a student at the University of Alabama, even serving briefly as interim campus minister.

At the College of the Bible, now Lexington Theological Seminary (LTS), Crow studied with noted church history professor Howard Short and Charles Clayton Morrison, editor of The Christian Century and well-known ecumenist. He earned master’s and doctoral degrees at the Hartford Seminary Foundation, a school known for its emphasis on missions, church history, and ecumenism, writing dissertations focused on the formation of the ecumenical Church of South India and the Faith and Order movement.

Both dissertations foreshadowed future employment. After teaching seven years at LTS, Crow became the first general secretary of the Consultation on Church Union (COCU) partly due to his familiarity with the Church of South India and the desire to use it as a model for church union in the United States.

Rev. Dr. Keith Watkins, Professor Emeritus of Practical Parish Ministry at CTS, shared an experience toward the end Crow’s tenure, “COCU was losing momentum. Paul realized that a major reason was that the recently approved document, A Plan of Union, placed undo emphasis on organizational issues rather than on the sacramental core of the Consultation’s vision. On the final day of the assembly (in Denver, 1971) he told the delegates that their renewal would come not from legislative acts but from ‘new experience in community, new relationships among persons, congregations, and institutions.’”

Upon leaving COCU to become President of the Council on Christian Unity (CCU) for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Crow reflected, “I was privileged to participate in the most dramatic process toward Christian unity in American history.”

Crow served as President of CCU from 1974-1999. His tenure included significant ecumenical advances for the denomination, including the full communion partnership with the United Church of Christ, the creation of the Peter Ainslie III Lectures on Christian Unity and the Joe A. and Nancy Vaughn Stalcup Lectures on Christian Unity, and the initiation and development of the International Commission for Dialogue between the Disciples and the Roman Catholic Church.

General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Rev. Terri Hord Owens, said, “Paul helped us live into our understanding of Christian unity as part of the one body of Christ, a commitment which continues to define us as Disciples of Christ. His ministry encouraged us to be the church we say we are.”

During Crow’s presidency of CCU, he was appointed an affiliate faculty member at CTS, teaching courses in church history, theology, and ecumenism. He continued to teach, intermittently, until the early 2000s. “His courses drew on his rich experience in cross-cultural and inter-religious encounter, and the mature understanding of theology and Christian mission that came out of it,” remarked Rev. Dr. Scott Seay, Associate Professor of History of Christianity at CTS.

Crow’s impact at CTS continues to today in at least two significant ways. First, he introduced the school to now-President David M. Mellott. “Personally, I’m grateful for Dr. Crow’s extraordinary mentoring nearly 30 years ago when I was learning about the history, theology, and polity of the Christian Church. Thankfully, he included an introduction to CTS and my first tour of the building!”

Secondly, a substantial portion of Crow’s library was delivered to the CTS library last week. According to Seay, who also serves CTS as Director of Library and Information Services, “his library and personal papers will greatly enhance our already significant collection in the modern ecumenical movement and the place of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in it.”

Rev. Dr. Robert Welsh, who served as Associate Ecumenical Officer for twelve years and later succeeded Crow as President of CCU, encapsulated Crow’s impact, “Paul gave significant leadership for over 40 years in promoting the unity of all Christians and the oneness of Christ’s Church in its local, regional, national and international expressions. Indeed, Paul helped to define and shape the ecumenical movement in many ways – especially in nurturing seminary students and younger pastors in understanding their call to a ministry that includes the vision of unity and reconciliation as the ‘matrix for mission’ in our world today.”

The CTS community gives thanks for the life and ministry of people like Paul Crow who combined active faith, scholarship, life in the church, and prominent leadership in the world-wide ecumenical movement.

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Dedicated friend and advisor to Christian Theological Seminary (CTS), Tamara Zahn, died Thursday at age 67. 

 “Tamara’s thoughtful input, her positive energy, and her authenticity were prized and will be missed throughout the Seminary—and particularly in her work as a community member of Trustee committees and with the Faith & Action Project,” said CTS President Dr. David M. Mellott. 

 Zahn was instrumental to the Faith & Action Project from its beginning, having served on its advisory board and strategic planning committee. The Project brings together faith communities, nonprofit organizations, and leaders in business and government in a collaborative effort to mitigate the causes and impact of poverty in Indianapolis and beyond. 

“She was a genuine person that cared deeply about those around her. I will miss her encouraging words, thoughtful contribution and kindness,” said Lindsey Nell Rabinowitch, Project Director. “She brought a passion and energy for our collective work and would often remind us to continue to provide hope for the community. She would say, ‘We need to double down on the FAITH and ACTION we stand for.'”

When asked about Zahn, Seminary Trustee and Faith & Action Advisory Board Member Mike Smith said, “Some people change the energy level and ‘the goodness factor’ when they enter a meeting room. Tamara did both at every Advisory Board meeting she attended. I will miss both her beautiful smile and the contagious influence of her love for Indianapolis and all our neighbors.” 

Zahn’s love for and dedication to Indianapolis goes back decades. She was named president of Indianapolis Downtown Inc., now known as Downtown Indy Inc., when it was founded in 1993. She led the not-for-profit charged with marketing, managing, and developing the downtown area until 2012 and oversaw several momentous events including the 1995 opening of Circle Centre Mall and the hosting of the 2012 Super Bowl. 

We give thanks to God for the gift that Tamara was to CTS and the city of Indianapolis. 

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Rev. Shoemaker was a minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Before joining the CTS community, she served in parish ministry and as Associate for Women’s Program in the national Ministry Unit of the PC (USA). Rev. Shoemaker specialized in the Middle Ages and Reformation-era ecclesiastical history, and her doctoral work at Graduate Theological Union focused on the papal court of Innocent III and on papal reforms through the lens of Innocent’s early writings. Among her published work are contributions to The Historical Handbook to Major Biblical Interpreters (InterVarsity, 1998) and the New Westminster Dictionary of Church History (Westminster/John Knox Press, 2004).

Rev. Shoemaker regularly taught courses in Church History and is remembered fondly by many students, faculty, and staff members who knew her during her 13-year tenure at CTS. In the classroom, the library, and all around campus, she was widely loved for her gracious spirit, sharp intellect, good humor, and sincere willingness to help students. The CTS community extends our thoughts and prayers to Rev. Shoemaker’s partner, Rev. Dr. Holly Hearon, the T.J. and Virginia Liggett Emerita Professor of Christian Traditions and New Testament at CTS, who served on the CTS faculty from 2000-2014.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Northminster Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis on March 13th at 2 p.m. A second celebration will be held at a later date in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The complete obituary is available here.

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Photo: Dignity Memorial

Pershing Edwin (P.E.) MacAllister, a prominent Indianapolis executive, civic leader, and member of the CTS community, died on October 23 at the age of 101. He served on the CTS Board of Trustees from 1972-1984 and as chairman from 1977-1984.

MacAllister joined with C. Richard Petticrew to endow the MacAllister Petticrew Chair of Biblical Interpretation at CTS, which is currently occupied by Prof. Marti Steussy. CTS presented him with an honorary degree for public service in 1998.

Photo: CTS Archives

MacAllister spent a career at MacAllister Machinery Co., becoming its president in 1952 and later the chairman of its board. Throughout his adult life, he was active in local and state politics and community service, serving as a past president of Indianapolis’s Capital Improvement Board, during which time he oversaw the construction of the Indiana Convention Center and the Hoosier Dome, as president of the Indianapolis Opera Co., and in many other roles. He also served as an elder, deacon, and trustee of Northminster Presbyterian Church.

Read more about his life here.

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As a teacher, Cone mentored hundreds of graduate students, many of whom went on to foster powerful schools of liberatory theology of their own. Womanist theology, which theologizes from the intersectional vantage points of black theology and feminism, was largely founded by his doctoral students, and he counseled theologians in Latin American liberation, queer, disability, and minjung theologies as well. He argued consistently that theology finds its worth in its ability to speak a word of hope and prophetic resistance to evil on behalf of the marginalized in our world, since God is not impartial but rather an active source of life in the struggle for justice and wholeness.

Christian Theological Seminary proudly awarded Dr. Cone an honorary degree in 2009.  We mourn the loss of his prophetic voice even as we rejoice in the ways in which his legacy will continue to inspire the prophets of the future. Rest in power, James H. Cone.

Please join us on Monday, May 7, 2018 in our cafe as we join to watch the livestream of Rev. Dr. Cone’s Memorial Service  at Riverside Church in New York.

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