Dr. Timothy Lee named next General Editor of the Journal of Discipliana

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

The Disciples of Christ Historical Society is thrilled to announce Dr. Timothy S. Lee as the next General Editor of the Journal of Discipliana (JoD), a scholarly journal for the study of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the broader Stone-Campbell Movement. Dr. Lee brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his role as General Editor. Having taught previously at the University of Chicago (where he received his PhD) and UCLA, Dr. Lee has been at Brite Divinity School at Texas Christianity University since 2002, where he is Associate Professor of the History of Christianity as well as Director of the Asian/Asian American and Pacific Islander Church Studies Program. He is the author of Born Again: Evangelicalism in Korea (2010) and the co-editor of Christianity in Korea (2006), and he has published numerous book chapters and journal articles, including in Discipliana. An ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Dr. Lee has served as second vice moderator of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as well as moderator of North American Pacific Asian Disciples (NAPAD) and now teaches the Disciples History and Polity course at Brite.

Dr. Lee notes, “I am grateful to President Joel Brown and the DCHS for inviting me to serve as General Editor of the Journal of Discipliana. I have long regarded JoD and its antecedent the preeminent scholarly journal of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), especially when it was under the editorial leadership of Dr. Newell Williams and Dr. Mark G. Toulouse. Having to follow in their footsteps gave me pause, but my hesitation quickly gave way to a sense of excitement, given that the role would afford me opportunities to take a deep dive into things Stone-Campbell Movement, especially things historically SCM. The late church historian Henry Chadwick once said, ‘Nothing is sadder than someone who has lost his memory, and the church which has lost its memory is in the same state of senility.’ The memory of the SCM’s past, we can be sure, will always remain intact so long as the DCHS remains intact. But the past doesn’t speak for itself.  It must be interpreted by us—using documents and artifacts, logic and imagination. And in doing so, the best medium we have, in my opinion, is the Journal of Discipliana.

Dr. Lee takes over editorial responsibilities for the journal from Dr. Mark Toulouse, who helped (re-)launch JoD in 2021, revisioning Discipliana magazine which was first published in 1941, the year the Historical Society began operations. The Historical Society suspended publication of Discipliana in 2014. JoD revives the robust scholarly reputation of Discipliana that came to be associated with it following its transition from a news sheet to an academic journal in 1993. Now an online only, open access, peer-reviewed journal for original scholarship, JoD explores issues related to all aspects of thought and religious life and practice within the Stone-Campbell Movement, whether historical or contemporary. You can learn more about the journal and explore its volumes at the DCHS Digital Commons.

DCHS President and Publisher (Joel Brown), Managing Editor (Jim McMillan), the DCHS Board of Trustees, and the JoD Editorial Board offer a special word of thanks to Mark Toulouse for his vision for the journal and for his service and leadership in relaunching it over these last two years. Dr. Toulouse says of his tenure and his hope for the future: “My hope remains that providing a rejuvenated Journal of Discipliana as a venue for peer-reviewed scholarship dealing with the Stone-Campbell movement (historical, theological, ethical, biblical, pastoral, homiletical, sociological or anthropological, analyses—all are welcome) will provoke conversation about, and interest in, all things ‘Christian.’ I’m grateful for the opportunity to have played a role in JoD’s revival, and also for the continuing sponsorship of the Historical Society for this important endeavor.” Each editor of Discipliana has left an indelible mark on the journal, and Mark’s tenure will certainly be recognized for years to come as he helped to usher Discipliana into a new digital age. Thank you, Mark!