Influential writer on theological education dies at 85

William Edward Farley, 85, a theologian and influential writer on theological education, died December 27 at his home in Brentwood, Tennessee. He had congestive heart failure.

Farley taught philosophy and theology at DePauw University and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary before joining the faculty of the Vanderbilt Divinity School in 1969, working there for three decades. He is widely viewed as the architect of a major curriculum redesign during the 1980s, Vanderbilt wrote in a statement.

“With quiet wisdom, Ed had a compelling theological mind that was creative and expansive,” said Emilie M. Townes, dean of Vanderbilt Divinity. “Few theologians had such a command of theological reflection.”