Papers of Colin Williams
Lisa Todd, student intern and L. Dale Patterson, Archivist-Records Administrator
United Methodist Archives and History Center
General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church
08/07/2009
Overview of Collection
|
|
| Record Creator: |
:Williams, Colin |
| Title: |
Papers of Colin Williams |
| Title: |
Williams Papers |
| Date Span: |
1950-1980 |
| Abstract: |
Lectures, sermons and correspondence of the Rev. Dr. Colin Williams. |
| Extent: |
2.0 |
| Resource ID:
|
gcah.mss.gcah5077 |
Biographical Note
Colin Wilbur Williams (1921- ), a Methodist Church Minister, was born in Victoria, Australia. He received a Bachelor of
Arts degree in history from Wesley College, Melbourne University before entering Drew University in 1947 in pursuit of a Bachelor
of Divinity degree which he earned--summa cum laude--in 1950. He then returned to serve the Methodist Church in Melbourne
from 1952 to 1954 before continuing his studies towards a Ph. D. degree at Drew Theological Seminary in 1954. It was during
this period--1955 to 1958--that Williams taught historical theology at Garrett Theological Seminary and also lectured at Drew
Theological Seminary. Upon completion of his Ph. D. in June, 1958, Williams once again returned to Australia where he was
appointed Professor of Theology at Queens College, Melbourne University. He served in this capacity from 1959 to 1962, leaving
to join the National council of Churches in Christ in 1963 as Executive Director of the Central Department of Evangelism.
Among his most notable professional accomplishments was his position as tenured faculty in the Yale Divinity School where
he also served as Dean from 1969 to 1979. After his ten year service as dean, Dr. Williams continued to teach at Yale until
1983 when he was appointed the first Exectutive Vice President at the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. He has been
recognized and honored by Yale for the "extraordinary contributions" to the Yale Divinity School and by Drew University because
of his "extraordinary range of accomplishments." Among his numerous publications are John Wesley's Theology Today, 1960,
Where in the World, 1963, and What in the World, 1965. Dr. Williams married Phyllis Miller in 1949. They have three daughters.
Scope Note
The Papers of Colin W. Williams comprise documents of his life's work and are categorized as Student Class Notes, Course Lectures,
Sermons, Conference/Presentations, Publications and Correspondence. His Papers span the years 1949-1988 and chronicle his
activities as a student, a professional, and a family man while in his native land, Australia, and subsequently, in his adopted
home, the United States of America. Beginning in 1949 when Williams was a student, his Papers include meticulously taken
hand-written classroom notes and typed seminar papers produced by a student very much immersed in his studies. Additionally,
his course lectures include seminar presentations, syllabi, notes, and newspaper articles that support his work as a lecturer
at Drew Theological Seminary and Garrett Theological Seminary between 1955 and 1958 and a tenured faculty at Yale Divinity
School from 1979 to 1983. His tenure as Professor of Systematic Theology from 1959 to 1962 at Queens Royal College of the
University of Melbourne resulted in a carefully typed,edited, duplicated, and assembled set of lecture notes from his Contemporary
Theology course. He left these notes in the care of his colleagues to "reproduce and distribute if students and others in
Australia could benefit thereby." The Papers of Colin W. Williams also contain hand-written sermons and typed lectures and
speeches for the numerous speaking engagements and conferences to which he was invited. Also included in his Papers are publications
from his time at the Aspen Institute, conference papers, and tributes, among others. Finally, his correspondence includes
professional and personal letters from 1949 to 1988. Most of these letters are written to his wife Phyllis during their years
of courtship prior to 1949, when they were married, and during their marriage.
Arrangement
Materials have been arranged in the following manner.
Lectures
Student Class Notes
Course Lectures
Conference and Church Presentations
Correspondence
Sermons
Publications
Preferred Citation
When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder,
Papers of Colin Williams, United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the items call
number as that is not a stable descriptor.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Restrictions on Use
Detailed use restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission
on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited in certain instances. Before using any material
for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required.
Series: Lectures
Sub-series: Student Class Notes
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 1231-2-1:
1
|
Stanley Hopper's Course and Notes on Theology |
undated |
| 1231-2-1:
2
|
The Life and Thought of Martin Luther |
undated |
| 1231-2-1:
11
|
Medieval Mind |
1949/1950 |
| 1231-2-2:
4
|
Christian Theology 701 |
1950 |
Sub-series: Course Lectures
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 1231-2-1:
4
|
Christology |
undated |
| 1231-2-1:
6
|
Early Christian Doctrine |
1959 |
| 1231-2-1:
5
|
Barth, Bultmann, Tillich |
1961 |
| 1231-2-2:
2
|
Luther C-7 |
1964/1965 |
| 1231-2-2:
3
|
Bonhoeffer |
1977 |
| 1231-2-2:
5
|
Kierkegaard |
1953 |
| 1231-2-2:
6
|
Theologians of Enlightenment |
1958 |
| 1231-2-2:
8
|
Contemporary Theology |
1959/1962 |
| 1231-2-3:
1
|
Doctrine of Ministry |
1971 |
| 1231-2-3:
2
|
British History: folder 1 |
1949/1950 |
| 1231-2-3:
3
|
British History: folder 2 |
1949/1950 |
| 1231-2-3:
4
|
British History: folder 3 |
1949/1950 |
| 1231-2-3:
7
|
Creation |
1979 |
Sub-series: Conference and Church Presentations
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 1231-2-1:
3
|
Medieval Theology |
undated |
| 1231-2-1:
7
|
Introduction to Theology |
1981 |
| 1231-2-2:
1
|
Shaffer Lectures |
1958 |
| 1231-2-2:
9
|
General Lectures |
1959/1960 |
| 1231-2-6:
2
|
Methodism and Ecumenicism |
1955/1956 |
| 1231-2-6:
3
|
Evangelism |
1956/1973 |
| 1231-2-6:
6
|
The Nature of the Church |
1965/1967 |
| 1231-2-7:
5
|
Secularity and Religion |
1976 |
| 1231-2-8:
9
|
"Historic Roots and Present Tasks: The Church Then and Now" |
1979 |
| 1231-2-8:
10
|
In Praise of Humanism |
1980 |
| 1231-2-8:
11
|
The Challenge of Evangelism in Our Day |
1965 |
Series: Correspondence
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 1231-2-8:
1
|
Letters: Folder 1 |
1949/1967 |
| 1231-2-8:
2
|
Letters: Folder 2 |
1954/1968 |
| 1231-2-8:
3
|
Final Report: Yale Divinity School |
1979 |
| 1231-2-8:
13
|
Recognition |
1974/1979 |
Series: Sermons
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 1231-2-4:
1
|
Sermons A |
1957 |
| 1231-2-4:
3
|
Sermons D: Folder 1 |
1959/1975 |
| 1231-2-4:
4
|
Sermons D: Folder 2 |
1959/1975 |
| 1231-2-4:
5
|
Sermons E |
1972 |
| 1231-2-4:
6
|
Sermons on Prayer |
1953/1954 |
| 1231-2-4:
7
|
Sermons on Prayer |
1953/1954 |
| 1231-2-5:
1
|
Sermons F |
1957/1961 |
| 1231-2-5:
2
|
Materials for new speeches |
1964 |
| 1231-2-6:
1
|
Miscellaneous Sermons |
1959 |
| 1231-2-7:
6
|
Miscellaneous Sermons: Folder 1 |
1960 |
| 1231-2-7:
7
|
Miscellaneous Sermons: Folder 2 |
1960 |
| 1231-2-7:
8
|
Miscellaneous Sermons: Folder 3 |
1949/1959 |
Series: Publications
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 1231-2-5:
4
|
McCutchan Thesis |
1968 |
