Marie Fortune, Recipient of Honorary Degree at Eden Theological Seminary

FaithTrust Institute is pleased to announce that an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree was presented to Rev. Dr. Marie M. Fortune by Eden Theological Seminary on May 16, 2014 during the commencement services at Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ in St. Louis. Rev. Dr. Fortune has dedicated much of her life to addressing sexual and domestic violence in our society through her work as a pastor, educator, theologian, ethicist, and author.

“No one has done more to name and change the attitude and culture of the church about sexual and domestic violence than Marie Fortune. She has spoken out when it was difficult and given leadership where it is needed.”
– Rev. Dr. David Greenhaw, President of Eden Theological Seminary

Rev. Dr. Marie Fortune is the Founder and Senior Analyst at FaithTrust Institute. Fortune grew up in North Carolina where she received her undergraduate degree from Duke University. She is a graduate of Yale Divinity School and an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.

In 1977, as a way to begin addressing the religious issues of abuse, Marie founded the Center for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence in Seattle, Washington. The Center focused on education, clergy training, and pastoral care of sexual assault survivors. It expanded its program focus in 1979 to include the religious issues of child abuse and domestic violence.

In 1983, Fortune was the first theologian who wrote on the relationship between sexual violence and religion with her book, Sexual Violence: The Unmentionable Sin. It was revised with the 2005 release of Sexual Violence – The Sin Revisited. She was one of the first persons to call religious communities to accountability on the issue of sexual abuse by clergy. Her commitment has been and will continue to be, to provide the spiritual, intellectual and practical resources to those who encounter victims, survivors and perpetrators of interpersonal violence. Her subsequent efforts have changed the way religious leaders and institutions respond to sexual and domestic violence.

She has authored several books on sexual ethics, sexual and domestic violence, and abuse by religious leaders. She also provided a forum for critical and in-depth discussions on religion and abuse with the founding of the Journal of Religion and Abuse, where she served as editor. Fortune has served on task forces on violence against women and domestic violence for the U.S. Justice Department and the Department of Defense. In 2013, Rev. Dr. Fortune and Rev. Dr. Kristen Leslie, a professor at Eden Theological Seminary were awarded a training contract with the United States Navy Chaplaincy School and Center for training Chaplains and Religious Program Specialists on pastoral care in cases of sexual assault.

About FaithTrust Institute

Formerly the Center for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence, FaithTrust Institute is a national, multifaith training and education organization with global reach. FaithTrust Institute works to end sexual and domestic violence by providing religious leaders and advocates with the educational tools and knowledge they need to address the religious and cultural issues related to abuse. For more information, please visit www.faithtrustinstitute.org.