General News and Announcements

January 2010

Dr. Marilyn J. Legge has been named the 2010 recipient of the United Church’s Davidson Trust Award for “excellence in teaching and scholarship in theological education.”

Dr. Legge is the tenured Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at Emmanuel College, University of Toronto. She received her M.Div. at Emmanuel College and Ph.D. in Theology and Christian Social Ethics at the Union Theological Seminary, New York. Honours in these programs included the Sanford Gold Medal in Divinity, the Edward Wilson Wallace Post-Graduate Scholarship, the A.J. Mitchell Post-Graduate Fellowship, and the Daniel Day Williams Fellowship.

Recent scholarly and professional activities include being the inaugural June Callwood Professor in Social Justice, Victoria College (2006–2009), College Co-ordinator for the International Network of Advanced Theological Education (2005–2009), and Director of Basic Degree Studies, Emmanuel College (2000–2003).

Legge is committed to advancing collaborative theological scholarship through her teaching and writing, which give evidence of her scholarly achievement and contributions. Her book The Grace of Difference provides a distinctly Canadian feminist and theological ethics. She has edited or co-edited three books covering feminist social ethics and ethics in a pluralist world, and has published articles dealing with Christian social ethics on topics such as mission in Canadian context, globalization and community, right relations with Aboriginal peoples, theological education, moral imagination, and becoming Spirit-filled, intercultural communities.

Legge has a strong commitment to hearing diverse voices, especially to listening to those that are excluded and to upholding those on the margins. She introduces students to a variety of voices and viewpoints to broaden and enrich, as well as to challenge, their thinking and learning. She continues to make a formative contribution to educating future ordered ministers and theologically equipped persons through her scholarship, teaching, and mentoring. Legge is alert to the range of learning needs students bring and discover, is available to her students to discuss their concerns and questions, is pastorally attentive, and is enthusiastic about nourishing the love of learning to respond to and engage the divine in life. She also works with doctoral candidates in the ecumenical programs of the Toronto School of Theology.

Legge has served The United Church of Canada in various ways. She has often responded to requests from areas in the church about matters related to her scholarly expertise, for example, service on the Theology and Faith Committee and the World Council of Churches’ Women’s Advisory group. Most recently, Legge was a faculty representative to the Communitas: Contextual Theology and Mission Conference in Australia, and team-taught a course on Becoming Intercultural Communities with Professor Wenh-In Ng. Sources of energy include her wonderful spouse, Michael Bourgeois; as well as colleagues, family, friends, yoga, kayaking, hiking, gardening, and dancing.

Dr. Legge combines the best of scholarship and engaged teaching in The United Church of Canada.

Davidson Award

The Davidson Award is made possible through the visionary generosity of Roy Mitchell Davidson. Mr. Davidson was a resident of Ottawa, and was active in Dominion-Chalmers United Church. He was keenly interested in the United Church’s commitment to sound theological study and teaching. The award will be presented to Dr. Legge at a suitable occasion in the spring. She will be awarded $5,000 in recognition of her contributions.

The United Church of Canada is blessed by Dr. Marilyn J. Legge and the many outstanding teachers and scholars in our 11 theological schools and centres across Canada.