Luke Timothy Johnson challenges us to think carefully about the relationship between faith, especially in scriptural terms, and philanthropy or how we share our possessions.  In some ways, he raises more questions instead of providing easy answers.  You will find in the text of his lecture much for contemplation and discussion.  He challenges us to think of discernment as an outward-looking rather than an inward-looking process.  He calls for personal contact in philanthropy, which fosters the patterns of volunteerism and donor engagement that many of us practice, but which also challenges the anonymity called for in the Code of Maimonides and raises ethical questions about the relationship between donors and recipients.  We hope this lecture stimulates conversation among scholars and practitioners interested in the relationship between faith and giving, between religion and philanthropy.

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Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson is Candler School of Theology’s Robert W. Woodruff Professor Emeritus