Archbishop of Sudan Visits Duke Divinity School
May 29, 2008
Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul |
The Rt. Rev. Daniel Deng Bul, newly elected archbishop of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, met with Dean L. Gregory Jones, faculty, staff and students on a May 14- 17 visit to Duke Divinity School.
A church leader of international standing, Archbishop Deng Bul has been instrumental in evangelizing and peacemaking within Sudan. Formerly bishop of Renk Diocese and chair of the Episcopal Church’s Commission for Justice, Peace, and Reconciliation, the archbishop now heads a church of some 5 million.
One of the fastest growing churches in the Anglican Communion, the Episcopal Church of Sudan doubled in size during 20 years of genocidal war, which ended in 2005. The challenge now is to create a stable society in a devastated land, where many essential social services are provided by the church.
Archbishop Deng Bul came to Duke to address the Center for Reconciliation’s U.S. Leaders Gathering, and to develop further plans for Duke’s initiative in theological education in Sudan, the Renk Visiting Teachers Program. Ellen Davis, professor of Bible and practical theology, and Jo Bailey Wells, director of the Anglican Episcopal House of Studies and associate professor of the practice of Christian ministry and Bible, lead the visiting teachers program.
While in the United States, the archbishop also was awarded an honorary doctorate at Virginia Theological Seminary.