by Colleen McFarland Rademaker
The Disciples of Christ Historical Society is pleased to announce the acquisition of the William J. Nottingham papers. William J. Nottingham was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania in 1927 to Jess and Alice Nottingham. In 1949, he married Patricia Anne Clutts. He received his B.A. from Bethany College (Bethany, W. Va.) in 1949, a B.D. Union Theological Seminary in 1953, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics from Columbia University in 1962. Nottingham had the privilege of studying with some of the most renowned theologians of the 20th century. Traces of his early exposure to Reinhold Niebuhr, Paul Tillich, and others survive in his papers.
Nottingham served as a pastor prior to entering Union Theological Seminary. He was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study in France, and he was called to National City Christian Church as associate pastor when he returned from his studies. The Nottingham family lived in France from 1958 to 1968 as fraternal workers for CIMADE and the World Council of Churches. Nottingham also pastored a French Lutheran congregation in Glay from 1962 to 1965.
From 1968 to 1994, Nottingham worked for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Division of Overseas Ministries (DOM) at the Indianapolis headquarters. He served as executive secretary for the Department of Latin American and the Caribbean from 1968 to 1976 and the Department of East Asia and the Pacific from 1976 to 1984. From 1984 to 1994, he was president of the DOM and executive secretary for the Department of Europe. In retirement, he attended many international church conferences, offering simultaneous translation from French or Spanish into English. He also made several trips to Peru to minister to imprisoned Peruvians.
Nottingham authored two books: Christian Faith and Secular Action: An Introduction to the Life and Thought of Jacques Maritain (1968) and The Practice and Preaching of Liberation (1984). He later co-authored a third book with Charles R. Harper, The Great Escape That Changed Africa’s Future: The Church in Action and the Secret Flight of 60 African Students to France (2017). With his wife, he also translated a number of theological books from French to English. From 1994 to 2004, Nottingham was an instructor at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana. Nottingham died on June 3, 2022.
The William J. Nottingham papers document Nottingham’s career as a minister, missionary, and administrator of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In this collection, researchers will find biographical information, citations and awards, and published and unpublished writings. Nottingham’s self-selected “best” speeches, sermons, and writings remain intact in the collection. The collection also contains a number of written reflections on his ministry and life that provide glimpses into the heart and mind of a seasoned church leader.
