William T. Orr, Jr. is a retired educator, most recently the principal of a high school named in the Top 10 in the nation by Newsweek magazine. Orr has a B.A. in English Language and Literature, an M.Ed. in Education Administration and Supervision, and an Ed.D. in Education Leadership. He’s also completed Postdoctoral studies at Yale Divinity School and Dallas Theological Seminary. Shortly after retirement, Orr began to study Abrahamic religions with a focus on why and how small religious sects among often conquered people became what evolved into three of the most dominant and influential religions in the world today.
Orr grew up in the American South and the Christian religion. His studies have shown him that what is taught to the children of religion in the 1960s to the 2020s is woefully inaccurate and downright wrong in some cases. These unfortunate facts have informed politics and society in dangerous ways, he believes. Orr has been a teacher, a counselor, and a school administrator. He was influential in working in the district and state to lobby for more equitable pay for educators and has long been a vocal advocate for more academic freedom for educators.
When asked about publishing with Patheos he said, “Contributing to Patheos has enabled me to take ideas from many sources, scholars, theologians, and preachers and to synthesize those ideas into something resembling a tapestry, incorporating history, mythology, legend, and philosophy. Writing for Patheos allows me to share those ideas with a public who are seeking just that kind of thinking, or, at least, who are interested enough to present opposing viewpoints. It is this idea of dialogue that attracts me the most.”
Orr has this advice for other Patheos Columnists, “The best advice I could give to other Patheos contributors is to be academically honest with yourself and with your audience. There must be a balance between journalism and scholarship. I have neither a theological axe to grind nor an ox to gore. I try to keep my theology to myself. I do not pretend to. I feel it is important to attribute ideas to their creators and I never ask a bot to write for me.”
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