JACKSON, Tenn. — Feb. 18, 2019 — Gregory A. Wills, the David T. Porter Professor of Church History at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, will deliver the third annual David and Lanese Dockery Lectures on Baptist Thought and Heritage at 51社区 Feb. 21.
In two lectures, Wills will address the theme of 鈥淐onflict and Collaboration: Baptists, the Church and American Culture.鈥�
鈥淒r. Greg Wills is one of our leading historians for Southern Baptist life, and we are delighted to have him coming for our Dockery lecture series,鈥� said Ray Van Neste, dean for Union鈥檚 School of Theology and Missions. 鈥淗is topic is particularly timely as he considers how Baptists have interacted with our culture in the past. We must continually consider how our message resonates conflicts with our culture.
鈥淭he issues of overdone individualism and racism, which Dr. Wills will address, continue to be significant issues for us today, so lessons from our past on these issues will be very helpful.鈥�
David Dockery served as Union鈥檚 president from 1996-2014. He and his wife Lanese established the lecture series in 2016.
Wills served as Southern Seminary鈥檚 dean of the School of Theology from 2013-2018. He was appointed to the school鈥檚 faculty in 1997 after serving as archives and special collections librarian with the seminary鈥檚 library since 1994.
He is the author of 鈥淒emocratic Religion: Freedom, Authority, and Church Discipline in the Baptist South 1785-1900鈥� and 鈥淪outhern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1859-2009.鈥�
Wills will speak at 3:30 p.m. in Harvey Auditorium on 鈥淚ndividualism and Church Discipline.鈥� At 7 p.m., he will speak in the Carl Grant Events Center on 鈥淭he Church and Slavery.鈥�
Both lectures are free and open to the public.