"An idolatry is whatever we take too seriously," says Doug Adams (Th.D. '74).

Adams, who is professor of Christianity and the Arts at Pacific School of Religion and a Graduate Theological Union core doctoral faculty member, believes that without humor, one loses the ability to see multiple perspectives. He has taught here for three decades, and he credits his students as the agents of change in the classroom.

"The genius of the GTU is that often the students are half the educational experience. They bring a whole range of questions and end up transforming what's said and done."

In recognition of his contributions to pioneering interdisciplinary thought and interreligious collaboration, the Graduate Theological Union honors Doug Adams as the 2006 recipient of the Sarlo Award for Excellence in Teaching, made possible by a generous gift from the Sarlo Foundation of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund.

Adams delights in finding the intersections of art history and theological studies; more recently, he has explored intertextuality in biblical art. A prolific writer and editor, he has enlisted dozens of students and faculty in writing chapters of many of his publications, and this skill at fostering creative scholarship does not go unnoticed.

"Doug is one of those rare people who combines a seemingly bottomless font of ideas with an openness and enthusiasm for new directions in the study of art and religion," said Mia Mochizuki, the Bertelsen Chair of Art History and Religion at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley and the GTU.

Adams counts the development of CARE, the Center for the Arts, Religion, and Education, as one of his greatest joys. He serves as director of the GTU affiliate, which will provide 29 courses in arts and religions in '06-'07 and co-sponsor courses at member schools. The CARE offices include a media center open to all students. Plans for the Jane Daggett Dillenberger Art Gallery and the Stephen De Staebler Art Gallery are in the works.

Doctoral student Cecilia Gonzalez-Andrieu sums it up: "Doug Adams embodies in his person faith expressed in an effusion of colors, music, dance, and poetry. All of his students are better persons for having known him... and loved him."