Dr. Robin Lovin receives Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Christian Ethics
Dr. Robin Lovin receives Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Christian Ethics
DALLAS (SMU) – Dr. Robin W. Lovin, who served as Dean of Perkins School of Theology from 1994 to 2002, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Society of Christian Ethics on Jan. 10. The award was presented at the society’s annual meeting in Chicago by Steve Long, a past president of SCE and Cary M. Maguire University Professor of Ethics at SMU. The award recognizes “outstanding, sustained, and substantive contributions in advancing the field of Christian ethics,” with consideration given to the recipient’s publications, influence on students, and impact on the discipline of theological ethics.
Currently, Dr. Lovin is Cary M. Maguire University Professor of Ethics emeritus at SMU and Visiting Scholar in Theology at Loyola University in Chicago. He is the 14th person to receive this award since its inauguration and the second from SMU, joining SMU professor emeritus Charlie Curran, who received the award in 2017. Only one other institution, Yale University, has had two faculty recognized in this way.
In presenting the award, Steve Long noted the substance and breadth of Lovin’s scholarship, influence, and commitment to the discipline of Christian Ethics.
“Professor Lovin’s service to the SCE has been unparalleled,” said Steve Long. “Not only did he serve as president, but he also chaired two SCE presidential committees that oversaw restructuring of the SCE administration. In addition, the influence he has had on his own students as well as those of us who are students at a distance are too numerous to mention.”
A non-denominational scholarly association, the Society of Christian Ethics has nearly 1,000 members from the faculties of universities, colleges, and theological schools primarily in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The SCE promotes research in the history of ethics and moral theology, theoretical issues relating to the interplay of theology and ethics, methodology in ethical reflection and investigation, and comparative religious ethics. At the same time, the society addresses problems in applied and professional ethics, human rights, and social justice in national and global contexts.
Dr. Lovin is the author of numerous books and papers, including What Do We Do When Nobody is Listening? Leading the Church in a Polarized Society (2022) and An Introduction to Christian Ethics: Goals, Duties, and Virtues (2011.) He is also an ordained minister in The United Methodist Church and has been active in local and national church events. He has served on the editorial boards of numerous scholarly journals, including the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Studies in Christian Ethics, and the Journal of Law and Religion, and he is an editor-at-large for the Christian Century.
"On behalf of Perkins School of Theology, I extend heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Robin Lovin on this well-deserved lifetime achievement award,” said Perkins Dean ad interim Hugo Magallanes. “His exemplary leadership as dean and profound contributions to Christian ethics have indelibly enriched our community and the broader theological field."
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Perkins School of Theology, founded in 1911, is one of five official University-related schools of theology of The United Methodist Church. Degree programs include the Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Music, Master of Theological Studies, Master of Arts in Ministry, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Pastoral Music as well as the Ph.D., in cooperation with The Graduate Program in Religious Studies at SMU's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.