Joy of Giving: Friends with a common commitment to YDS

Barbara Brown Taylor ’76 M.Div. and Jim Waits ’61 B.D. met at Emory University in Atlanta at the Candler School of Theology. He hired her as his assistant when he became dean in 1978. Nearly five decades later, these friends and fellow YDS alums continue to catch up monthly via a digital “happy hour.” 

Jim saw promise in Barbara in those early days. “I stole her from a colleague. He wasn’t pleased with me, but I didn’t lose that friendship. We all recognized immediately her gifts in the way she made them known at Candler. Now she has become famous, and I try to claim I taught her everything she knows.”

Barbara says of the time, “Maybe because we were both YDS grads, he let me do all kinds of things I wasn’t initially qualified to do–produce a school newspaper, teach a remedial writing class, sit in on faculty meetings, draft a few grant proposals—and I did my best for him because he expected no less. This was in the days when women were still banging on pots and pans in classrooms when their professors used sexist language.”

The pair are both retired from full-time employment now but keep busy in many ways. Barbara Brown Taylor is an Episcopal priest and the author of numerous books—four of them bestsellers—on religion, the church, and theology. She lives on a farm outside of Atlanta with her husband, Ed. Her latest book, Coming Down to Earth, about people and spirituality in relation to nature, will be published in 2027. 

While dean at Candler, Waits also served as the first director of the Carter Center and held one of the most prestigious academic chairs in theological education as the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Divinity. Later, he served as a minister, executive director of the Association of Theological Schools, and president of The Fund for Theological Education. He continues to support several nonprofits that match his values and priorities.

Barbara says Jim was a formidable boss with a good heart back in the day. “My life would be so much poorer without Jim Waits. He sets the gold standard for what it means to be a fully realized human being, bringing more life into any room he enters, and always, always thinking about how he can make things better. I want to be just like him when I grow up.”

Despite their age gap, varying paths through life, and going for long periods of time without seeing each other in person, they have maintained a deep friendship. Their bond—based on mentorship, respect, love of God, creation, and people—is a lasting testament to the joy and richness of having lifelong friends. 

A pivotal experience

Jim and Barbara both recall YDS as a pivotal experience. 

Jim says, “As a young kid from Mississippi in 1958, I remember standing in front of those gates to the Quadrangle thinking, ‘What’s a kid from Hattiesburg doing here?’ It was late summer. I had my standard-fare burnished brown Samsonite luggage and I was assigned to Hopkins House (one of the student residences at the time). From then on, it was just wonderful. H. Richard Niebuhr was on the faculty. Liston C. Pope was dean. My desire to go to Yale was based on impressive alums I met when I was an undergraduate at Millsaps College, and I was not disappointed.” 

Barbara says, “Yale Divinity School accepted me and my life changed on the spot. I’d never been north of Washington, D.C. before. I’d never been with so many smart people before. I’d never had much confidence in my own smarts before. When my old green Saab and I arrived in New Haven after the 942-mile drive from Atlanta, the gargoyles on the buildings on Elm Street knocked me out. I found a phone booth and called my mother. ’I don’t know where I am,’ I told her, ’but I’m staying.’ I was 21 years old. All these years later, my Yale degree reminds me that I can do hard things and that there are incredibly kind (and smart!) people willing to help me. I’ll never forget the challenge and generosity that filled my three years at YDS.”

Concern and hope

When asked about what most concerns them in modern society today and how institutions like Yale might shape a more positive future, Barbara and Jim answered differently but offered similar conclusions about how YDS addresses such challenges.

Jim calls out a declining commitment to residential learning at seminaries and divinity schools. “Computerized theological education is concerning because the communal aspect of the classroom is just as important as the lecture. The residential character of YDS at the time I was there was formative. We lived right on the Quad. We had access to faculty. There was a sense of community in dining. There was an amazing diversity of people. I fear that the digital approach misses the key ingredients of a fine theological education.” Jim says he is heartened that Dean Greg Sterling is committed to maintaining the residential character of YDS.

Barbara cites several concerns. “I worry about all the usual things—the silo effect of social media, the polarization of culture, the loneliness epidemic, the abuse of power at the highest levels of government, the warming world, the shrinking of mainline congregations, and the effect that has had on residential seminaries. I could go on. What’s heartening to me is how many people who feel helpless at the global level are engaging at the local level like never before, not just in their congregations but also in their school boards, county commissions, environmental agencies, and hometown non-profits. In my little town, at least, that means people who are on opposite sides of the political divide have found ways to work together for the common good.” 

Barbara also expresses gratitude for the right leaders being in place at Yale Divinity School to guide students through the difficult times. “YDS is conserving the spiritual treasures of the past and conveying them into the present and future with evolutionary energy. What other seminary has a Living Village? The Institute of Sacred Music is a standout. Look at the recent hires of William Barber and Pádraig Ó Tuama. These are expensive things that many free-standing seminaries can’t afford, which makes me all the more grateful to donors past, present, and future, who have brought them into being at Yale.”

Philanthropy as a gift

Both Barbara and Jim had plenty of experience raising funds during their careers, and both continue to find ways to give of time and treasure.

Barbara describes philanthropy as something that has grown more important to her over her lifetime. “I did not grow up in a household that practiced charitable giving, but I learned about it when I started going to church on my own as a young adult. When I was sixteen, I read about someone who reversed the traditional tithe by living on 10% of his income and giving the rest away, which struck me as more heroic than climbing Everest or going to the moon. Once you get the connection between giving money away and making something wonderful happen in the world, it’s hard to resist.” 

YDS races toward finish line in fundraising campaign to support students: Read more.

Jim says giving creates joy in his life. “Giving is a spiritual experience for me. These are hard times for many institutions, but if the loyalty and love of YDS have been created for others like it has been for me, the Divinity School is going to come through.” Waits and his late wife established The James L. Waits International Scholarship at YDS in 2000 to support promising students from developing regions of the world.

About that happy hour

Waits lives in Atlanta and Taylor on a farm well outside the city. Meeting by telephone is the most practical way for the pair to stay in touch. 

“She and I now have what we call happy hour by phone once a month because she doesn’t want to comb her hair, or so she says,” according to Jim. “She is quite simply one of the most creative persons I have ever known. If YDS has the capacity to attract students and faculty with the gifts of Barbara Brown Taylor, then it will continue to have the impact of its long and impressive history.”

Barbara expresses high admiration for her former boss as well. “Jim is one of the most engaging people I have ever known. He’s always thinking something, wondering something, reading something, making something happen. I love hearing about his solo trips to New York City, London, and Cambridge—and now he has his sights set on Paris! Our happy hours raise the bar for me. I’m so lucky to call him my friend.”

Pressley H. Peters is a writer specializing in philanthropy and nonprofits.