New Seminary Head Plans to Speak Out

The Rev. Robert W. Edgar, who served as a Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania for 12 years, says he is likely to speak his mind on a variety of social justice issues after he takes over in July as president of the School of Theology at Claremont.

That would be a major departure from the low-profile stances of the three previous presidents at the the United Methodist-related seminary since it moved from the USC campus to Claremont in 1957.

But outgoing President Richard W. Cain, who is retiring, said that school officials are “very excited” about Edgar’s acceptance of the position. “He has the ability, background, visibility and commitment that the school needs at this point,” Cain said.

In a meeting with reporters this week on campus, Edgar said he thought “the Board of Trustees and search committee realized that when they offered me this opportunity they were going to get someone who is vocal and clear in his positions (yet) respectful of other people’s views.”

Edgar, who served a heavily Republican district in suburban Philadelphia from 1975 to 1987, said he ranked “stewardship of planet Earth very high” along with human rights issues and “the pressures of population.”

He said he detoured into politics after spending 12 years in the Methodist ministry. “I got angry with what was going on in Washington” in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, he said.

The right-wing Christian Voice lobbying group gave Edgar a “zero” rating on his voting record in 1982. “I was very proud of that ranking,” Edgar said. “Father (Robert) Drinan also got a zero then,” he said.

Drinan, a Jesuit priest, and Edgar were among “six or seven” ordained clergy who were serving in the House of Representatives a decade ago, Edgar said.

Edgar is not a stranger to Southern California. As a politician he came to Los Angeles more than once in political fund-raising efforts. In 1986, singer-actress Barbra Streisand held a large fund-raiser for six Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate seats, including Edgar. He lost that race, however.

The next year, Edgar returned to Los Angeles as national finance chairman of Illinois Sen. Paul Simon’s unsuccessful primary bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Edgar was director of a private educational group, the Committee for National Security, when he decided to seek a position heading a seminary or a church-related college, he said.

“Among the schools of theology in the country, Claremont would rank very high in terms of scholarship and religious leadership,” Edgar said. “I think there is a lot more we can do.” The school’s commencement exercises next Saturday will have the largest number of Ph.D. graduates--13--in the seminary’s history. Altogether, 31 women and 34 men will be awarded degrees, including the first graduates of the Korean Bilingual Master of Divinity program. The ceremonies will be held at 11 a.m. at the United Church of Christ, Congregational, in Claremont.