College of Liberal Arts Harry Vaughan Smith Lectures

Harry Vaughan Smith Distinguished Visiting Professors of Christianity

Harry Vaughan Smith was a 1924 graduate of Mercer. He served as pastor of several prominent churches in Georgia. From 1946 to 1955, he was Alumni Secretary and Assistant to the President at Mercer. From 1955 to 1970, he served as the Executive Director of the Georgia Baptist Foundation.

In 1990, Dr. and Mrs. Harry Vaughan Smith made a generous gift to Mercer to establish a distinguished visiting professorship and lecture series in the Christianity department. The gift has resulted in Mercer having outstanding theology scholars teach and lecture at the University.

2007 Harry Vaughan Smith Distinguished Visiting Professor

Renita J. Weems, Ph.D.
February 20-21

Prophets, Preachers, and Finding Your Purpose:
Lessons from the Book of Jeremiah

Jeremiah 1:1-10: Your Purpose in Life Is to Figure Out Your Purpose in Life
Jeremiah 7: Politics, Prayer, and Prophets in Times of National Crises
Jeremiah 9:17-21: Weeping, Wailing, and Recovering Women's Voices in the Book of Jeremiah

• • • • •

Renita J. Weems is a writer, minister, Bible scholar and renowned public speaker. With a Ph.D. in biblical studies from Princeton Theological Seminary, she has taught at Vanderbilt University and Spelman College.

An ordained Methodist elder, Dr. Weems has written a number of books, including Listening to God, Just a Sister Away and I Asked for Intimacy. Her book Listening for God: A Minister's Journey through Silence and Doubt (Simon & Schuster) won the Religious Communicators' Council's 1999 Wilbur Award for excellence in communicating spiritual values to the secular media. She is a former contributing editor for Essence magazine.

She lives in Nashville with her husband and daughter.

Coming in 2008...

Tony Campolo

February 26-27

Previous
Harry Vaughan Smith Distinguished
Visiting Professors of Christianity

	1992: Walter Harrelson The Old Testament as Literature The Literature of The Old Testament The Old Testament – as Literature How The Christian Claims The Old Testament as Scripture
	1993: Walter Brueggemann A Counter-Life in a Counter-World Remembering Against Amnesia Hoping Against Despair Covenanting Against Commodity
	1994: Elizabeth Achtemeier Making Sense of The Scriptures The Basic Theme The Theme Worked Out Fulfillment and Future
	1995: Ralph Wood Flannery O'Connor and The Southern Race Question The Place of Blackness in 'The Artificial Nigger' The Racial Legacy of Her Letters Black and White Reconciliation in 'Judgement Day'
	1996: Fred Craddock Jesus and The Life of Prayer Jesus as a Person of Prayer Jesus as a Teacher of Prayer Jesus as Leader of a Community of Prayer
	1997: James Dunn A Faculty For Freedom Freedom's Roots: Presuppositions Freedom's Tracks: Reports Freedom's Future: Challenge
	1998: Paul Duke The Poetic and The Worship of God The Poetry of Awe The Poetry of Lament The Poetry of Vocation
	1999: Barbara Brown Taylor The Luminous Web: Addressing The Gap Between Science and Religion Origins: The Evolution of Praise Community: The Myth of Sovereignty Awe: The Limits of Knowledge
	2000: Martin Marty American Religion At The Turn of The Century The American Past as a Foreign Country Religiously The Familiar Country That Is The American Present: Today's Faiths The Nation On The Horizon of The Future: Religion Tomorrow
	2001: Luke Timothy Johnson Lessons From The Past: Patristic Interpretation of The New Testament Listening To Voices Strange Yet Familiar: The Interpretation of The Bible Before The Reformation Scripture and The Freedom of The Mind: Origen of Alexandria Scripture and The Constraints of Charity: Augustine of Hippo
	2002: James Forbes The Spiritual Renewal of The Nation The Case For Prophetic Patriotism The Recruitment of Human Race Activists Spiritual Courage For Justice, Peace, and Compassion
	2003: Walter Wink Jesus and The Spiral of Violence The Myth of Redemptive Violence Jesus' Answer To Violence Nonviolence For The Violent
	2004: Katie Geneva Cannon Traversals and Reversals in Contemporary Christian Ethics Untying Ethical Tongues: Social Teachings in Black Sacred Rhetoric Unshackling Ethical Truths: a Womanist Critique of The Transatlantic Slave Trade Unearthing Ethical Treasurers: The Intrusive Markers of Social Class
	2005: William E. Hull Best-Selling Christianity: Jesus Christ as Superstar The Da Vinci Code: Dan Brown On Women in The Life of Jesus Beyond Belief: Dan Brown On Jesus Outside The New Testament The Passion of The Christ: Mel Gibson On The Death of Jesus 2006: Bill J. Leonard Signs of the Times: Comtemporary Religion in Historical Perspective Spirituality in America: Catholics, Evangelicals, Buddhists and Serpent Handlers The Church: Joel Osteen, Mega-Churches, and the Non-Denominationalizing of America Drinking the Golden Calf and Other Strange Bible Stories: Revisiting the Ancient Text