Congratulations to Brody Van Roekel for being selected as the 2024 Isaac Errett Award winner for his paper, “An Attempt to Reshape the World: Disciples Engagement with the Men and Religion Forward Movement in 1911-1912”!
Brody’s paper examines the turn-of-the-century Men and Religion Forward Movement (MRFM), which aimed to encourage male religious participation and address social concerns by rallying men across denominations and U.S. cities. The Disciples of Christ engaged significantly with the MRFM, adopting and adapting its militaristic and social reform rhetoric while articulating a distinctive eschatological vision, as well as emphasizing the importance of relational connections.
His essay explores the Disciples’ involvement in the MRFM, highlighting their unique contributions to addressing the era’s economic uncertainties and gender role transformations through religious and social activism.
Brody will receive the Isaac Errett award, along with a $500 cash prize, at this year’s Stone-Campbell Journal Conference, where he will also have the opportunity to present the paper during one of the parallel paper sessions.
Brody is a Master of Divinity student at Phillips Theological Seminary who plans to pursue ordination in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he works as a director for Atlas, a ministry that provides personal development services to individuals and families who are hurting, working with churches and resource organizations to meet the emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of people.
Each year, the Historical Society recognizes the best student research paper in Stone-Campbell history with the Isaac Errett Award, along with an opportunity to publish the paper in the Journal of Discipliana. Lisa Barnett, Assistant Professor of American Religious History at Phillips Theological Seminary and a Trustee of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, directs the selection process for this award.