Garry Sparks

 

Garry Sparks is in the Master of Divinity program at the Divinity School.

Garry was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1969. He received his B.A. in 1993 from Austin College in Sherman, Texas, with double majors in Philosophy and Spanish, and his M.A. in 1996 from the Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, with a major in Anthropology and a minor in History. His M.A. thesis discussed the impact of liberation theology within the Guatemalan Catholic Church. From 1996 to 1997, Garry worked as program assistant at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., and from 1998 to 2001 he was a missionary to Guatemala for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ.
 

One of the definite strengths of the Divinity School is that it is embedded within the life of the larger university. This ensures that my study of religion—as well as my preparation for ministry—is strengthened by the scrutiny of the social sciences, historical criticism, language studies, and public ministry. This emphasis is expressed in opportunities and encouragement to take classes in other university departments, such as public policy, classics, or anthropology. In addition, I learn just as much, if not more, from my student peers as I do from my professors. In my classes there are not only other ministry students, but also other graduate and undergraduate students studying church history, theological ethics, Buddhist philosophy, or Bible.

The ministry program, in contrast to a seminary program, has kept me from immersing myself too exclusively in a specific Christian denomination, and this better prepares me for ministry and the later challenges of the larger world. By studying ministry within an ecumenical setting—not to mention the larger setting of the secular and interreligious university—I have been forced to explore and reflect upon my own tradition while learning about, and from, the traditions of my peers. As a result, my own religious convictions have been strengthened. The challenges of translating my own beliefs to an increasingly diverse society are constantly presented in class, both by fellow ministry students and faculty, rather than being reserved for field placements or post-graduation experiences. There could be no better preparation for Christian ministry.

Additionally, my academic research has focused on the history and various dynamics of religious dialogue between non-indigenous Christians and indigenous peoples within the Americas. Specifically, I have studied and spent time with the highland Maya of Guatemala and Chiapas, Mexico. I focus on the development of Christian-inculturated theologies, the persistence of colonial laity saint societies, the use of non-canonized “folk” saints by Mayan Christians, and the recent emergence of non-Christian associations of Mayan spiritual guides. I am also interested in the rise of charismatic styles of worship among Catholic and Protestant Maya. My hope is that this research will lead to a better understanding of the nature of dialogue—both ecumenical and interfaith—by Christians, as well as the dynamics between culture and religion, or faith and spirituality.

Although the Divinity School does not have a concentration on Native American religions, it does have a historic commitment to public theology (specifically with theology professors who are invested in understanding better the relationship between theology and culture), theological ethics, and public ministry. Faculty and courses outside of the Divinity School—such as those offered in the anthropology department—buttress the theological interests with ethnographic evidence. Furthermore, the opportunity to take courses at the other theological schools and seminaries within Hyde Park and share in their resources have compensated for the lack of studies in indigenous religions at the Divinity School. Finally, the close working relationship between the Divinity School’s ministry program and Chicago churches has helped me constantly to relate my studies back to practical ministry and the lived church.