The Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor
Denomination: The Episcopal Church (TEC)
Barbara Brown Taylor is a best-selling author, teacher, and Episcopal priest. Her first memoir, Leaving Church, won an Author of the Year award from the Georgia Writers Association in 2006. Her next two books, An Altar in the World (2010) and Learning to Walk in the Dark (2015), earned places on the New York Times bestseller list. She has served on the faculties of Piedmont College, Columbia Theological Seminary, Candler School of Theology at Emory University, McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University, and the Certificate in Theological Studies program at Arrendale State Prison for Women in Alto, Georgia. In 2014 TIME included her on its annual list of Most Influential People; in 2015 she was named Georgia Woman of the Year; in 2016 she received the President's Medal at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. Her fourteenth book, Holy Envy, was released by HarperOne in March 2019.
Books
Holy Envy, HarperOne, 2019
Learning to Walk in the Dark, HarperOne, 2014
An Altar in the World, HarperOne, 2009
Leaving Church, HarperSanFrancisco, 2006
The Seeds of Heaven, Westminster John Knox, 2004
Speaking of Sin, Cowley, 2000
The Luminous Web, Cowley, 2000
Home By Another Way, Cowley, 1999
When God is Silent, Cowley, 1998
Mixed Blessings, Cowley, 1998
God in Pain, Abingdon, 1998
Bread of Angels, Cowley, 1997
Gospel Medicine, Cowley, 1995
The Preaching Life, Cowley, 1993
Education
Yale Divinity School, Master of Divinity, 1976
Emory University, Bachelor of Arts in Religion, 1973
Ordination
Deacon, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, 1983
Priest, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, 1984
Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degrees
Franklin College, 2016
Wake Forest University, 2006
The University of the South, 2005
Hastings University, 2005
Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, 2002
Colgate University, 2001
Virginia Theological Seminary, 2001
Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, 1997
Piedmont College, 1995
Past and Present Memberships and Honors
Mercer University Board of Trustees
President's Medal 2016, The Chautauqua Institution
Georgia Woman of the Year 2015
TIME 100 list of Most Influential People, 2014
100 Most Influential Georgians, 2012
Board of Advisors, Yale Divinity School
National Board of Advisors, The Buechner Institute
The Authors Guild
The Georgia Association of Writers
The American Academy of Religion
The Society of Biblical Literature
Georgia Author of the Year 2006
Who's Who Among America's Teachers
The Emory Medal, Emory University, 1998
Yale Divinity School Alumni Award, 1993
Associated Church Press Award of Excellence, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006
Day1 Weekly Programs by The Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor
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Belonging to the God Who Doesn’t Belong to Us
Tuesday October 17, 2023
It happens. We just don’t talk about it much—about how grateful we are for the people-not-like-us who crossed over a line to help us and how they don’t seem like the enemy to us—because when we’re with our own crowd that can come across as… I don’t know… traitorous, unprincipled, weak. Are you soft in the head? You know what they’re like when you’re not around, right? Are you changing sides? Talk like that is what turns us all into exiles—from each other—and there’s a lot of it going on right now.
Barbara Brown Taylor: Divine Evolution
Tuesday December 31, 2019
Barbara Brown Taylor explores the meaning of the Logos of John 1 and Lady Wisdom of Sirach 24, who reveal God's eternal invitation to direct access to the fierce love and creative intelligence that is always looking for a new place to call home.
The Bright Cloud of Unknowing
Tuesday February 25, 2014
In her sermon for Transfiguration Sunday, Barbara Brown Taylor encourages us not to decode the bright cloud of unknowing, as seen at the Transfiguration, but to enter into it, and listen for whatever God has to say to us.
The Prophet Mary
Tuesday March 16, 2010
For the final Sunday of Lent, the Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor introduces us to the prophet Mary, whose shocking act of lavish love gives us a glimpse of the kind of love God has for us.
The Wilderness Exam
Tuesday February 16, 2010
The Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor guides us into the season of Lent by taking us into the wilderness, where Jesus Christ was tested by the devil.
Articles by The Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor
David Crumm: Interview with Barbara Brown Taylor on ”˜Learning to Walk in the Dark’
Saturday May 10, 2014
But when a new Barbara Brown Taylor book arrives, this is an occasion for individual reading, small group discussion, quoting from Barbara in Sunday sermons and homilies. And for the editors at TIME: It’s a national news event.
Video by The Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor
The Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor (Part 1) - Day1 Conversations with Peter Wallace
Friday March 05, 2010
Best-selling author, teacher, and Episcopal priest Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor sits down with Day1 host Peter Wallace to discuss the work of teaching, leaving preaching, and the joys and inspirations in her life.
The Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor (Part 2) - Day1 Conversations with Peter Wallace
Friday March 05, 2010
Renowned scholar and theologian, the Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor, sits down with Day1 host Peter Wallace for the second part of their lenten interviews discussing a wide range of topics including her books, her students and her passion for her work as a teacher.
Radio by The Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor
The Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor - Day1 Podcast Extra
Friday May 21, 2010
The Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor, educator, author, and Episcopal priest, talks with Day1 host Peter Wallace about her teaching, her bestselling books, and about how Christians can reclaim the physicality of their faith.
The Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor - Day1 Podcast Extra
Thursday June 14, 2007
In this podcast extra, the Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor, Episcopal priest and well-known author, shares her personal insights and experiences.