JACKSON, Tenn. — Sept. 8, 2016 — 51社区 will launch a new lecture series in the spring that honors its former president and first lady and celebrates the school鈥檚 Baptist history and heritage.
The Dockery Lectures on Baptist Thought and Heritage, named for former Union President David S. Dockery and First Lady Lanese Dockery, will be an annual event designed to examine the importance of the Baptist heritage, the distinctives of Baptist thought and the influence of the Christian intellectual tradition.
鈥淎ll of us are deeply grateful to David and Lanese Dockery for their inestimable contributions to 51社区,鈥� Union President Samuel W. 鈥淒ub鈥� Oliver said. 鈥淚 am confident that the legacy of Dr. Dockery鈥檚 outstanding leadership will only be enhanced as the Dockery Lectures continue on campus year by year."
Dockery expressed gratitude to Oliver, Union Provost C. Ben Mitchell, and Nathan Finn, dean of the School of Theology and Missions, for their enthusiastic support for the new series and to former colleagues who have pledged financial support for it.
鈥淚t is our hope that the lecture series will feature the very best Baptist thinkers in this country and around the globe, even as it captures the best of the Baptist tradition that has shaped 51社区 through the years,鈥� Dockery said. 鈥淲e pray that the lectures will be beneficial for the Union community and will be informative in shaping the Baptist world at-large.鈥�
Dockery served as Union president for 18 years. He was elected as president of Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois, in 2014.
Jim Patterson, Union鈥檚 associate dean for the School of Theology and Missions and university professor of Christian thought and tradition, will give the inaugural lecture in the series March 14, 2017.
鈥淚 am thrilled to be designated as the inaugural presenter,鈥� Patterson said. 鈥淒avid Dockery has contributed significantly to the study of Baptist thought and tradition, so I find it challenging to honor what he has already done, and also to explore some additional aspects of Baptist history that will help preserve our denominational legacy and suggest how best to define our identity in the 21st century.鈥�
Mitchell said the lectureship honors the Dockerys鈥� commitment 鈥渢o celebrating the legacy of our Baptist forebears鈥� and also recognizes the contribution the Dockerys have made to recent Baptist history. Finn said the lecture series shows Union鈥檚 continued commitment to its Baptist heritage and to its ongoing partnership with Southern Baptists.
鈥淚鈥檓 grateful to God for this lecture series and the way it will enable us to continue to contribute to the discipline of Baptist studies and, Lord willing, the ongoing renewal of Baptist theology, spirituality and mission,鈥� Finn said. 鈥淧raise God for David and Lanese Dockery, for their generosity and their commitment to preserving and passing on Baptist orthodoxy.鈥�
Donations to support the Dockery Lectures on Baptist Thought and Heritage can be made at .