Rebecca Schlatter Liberty

Honors Preceptor

Office: Estabrooke Hall Room 151

B.A. American Studies, Amherst College
Honors thesis: “New Houses out of Old Bricks: Religious Experience and Individualism in the Writings of Rebecca Cox Jackson”
Master of Divinity, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary
Master of Business Administration, Marylhurst University

Bio

Born in the Midwest and raised in Silicon Valley, Rebecca Liberty was ordained in the Lutheran church (ELCA) in 2002 and has served congregations in Hong Kong, northern California, and Nevada. She came to Maine in 2012, where she has served as pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bangor and then at UMaine in 2018-2019, as director of the Wilson Center for Spiritual Exploration and Multifaith Dialogue. She lives in Bangor with her husband (a UMaine alumnus) and two young children.

Why I Teach in Honors: 

Throughout my life and career, I have been drawn to conversations about what matters most to people. What does it mean to be a human inhabitant of this earth? What constitutes a good life, a sustainable community, a just society? As a student, I welcomed the chance to explore those questions through various ancient texts, which became important conversation partners in my own process of discerning my “callings” to work and community. As an ordained pastor, I have appreciated the “deep dive” into the way one religious tradition has addressed the big questions–in multiple cultural contexts and communities, and in dialogue with people from other traditions or none. More recently, I have appreciated the broader perspectives possible in multifaith conversations through the Wilson Center at UMaine. As an Honors preceptor, it is a privilege to share in the creative conversations between students, faculty, and texts.

Publications:

  • The Treasure Hunt of Your Life: Seeking Your Calling, Encountering God, Finding Yourself (book published by Redwood Visions Press, 2009)
  • “How Your Worldview Affects the Meaning of Career: Working with Diverse Populations” (keynote address for Maine Career Development Association conference)
  • “Joy is the Secret of Resistance” and “Swimming into the Deep End: Parenting, Pastoring, and Common Discernment” (articles for Bearings, The BTS Center publication)
  • “Language, Community, and the Appeal to Experience in Women’s Groups” (paper presented at linguistics conference on Women and Religious Discourse)