ATLANTA — Noted preacher, lecturer and author Thomas G. Long, Ph.D., will be the featured speaker at the 2007 William L. Self Preaching Lectures on Feb. 19-20 at McAfee School of Theology of Mercer University, 3001 Mercer University Drive, Atlanta. Named by Baylor University in 1996 as one of the 12 most effective preachers in the English-speaking world, Long is the Bandy Professor of Preaching at the Candler School of Theology of Emory University.
His theme for the Self Lectures is “Preaching in Every Tense.” The lectureship will begin Monday at 2 p.m. with the lecture entitled “Refreshing the Narrative Memory of the Church.” Long will speak again at 7 p.m. on “Proclaiming the Present Action of God.” The series will conclude on Tuesday with a lecture at 10:45 a.m. entitled “The Life of the Pastor.”
An ordained Presbyterian pastor since 1971, Long is well-known in seminary circles, where his books on the art of preaching are standard texts. His books include The Witness of Preaching, Testimony: Talking Ourselves into Being Christian, Beyond the Worship Wars: Building Vital and Faithful Worship and A Chorus of Witness: Model Sermons for Today’s Preacher.
With a bachelor’s degree from Erskine College, he earned a master of divinity degree from Erskine Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has taught at Princeton, Columbia and Erskine theological seminaries and served as director of Geneva Press, a division of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation.
Registration for the Self Lectures, which includes dinner on Monday, is $35 before Feb. 9 or $45 at the door and $10 for students and spouses. Registration forms are online at http://theology.mercer.edu under Special Events. For more information, contact Diane Frazier at (678) 547-6470 or (888) 471-9922 or at frazier_d@mercer.edu.
About the Self Lectures:
The William L. Self Lectures at the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology was established to promote the practice of faithful and effective preaching of the gospel. The series is named in honor of William L. Self, who has a national reputation as a gifted preacher, pastor, author, lecturer, motivational speaker and innovator in church growth.
Self achieved considerable acclaim by leading Atlanta’s Wieuca Road Baptist Church to a place of prominence in Georgia and the nation. As pastor of Johns Creek Baptist Church in Alpharetta, he has provided leadership that has brought the church to the vanguard of fast-growing churches.
About McAfee School of Theology of Mercer:
Established in 1996 on Mercer’s Atlanta campus, the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology offers the master of divinity and the doctor of ministry degrees. The school has six areas of concentration in conjunction with the Master of Divinity core: Academic Research, Business Administration, Church Music, Christian Education, Pastoral Care and Counseling, and Urban Mission. McAfee is one of Mercer’s 11 schools and colleges serving 7,300 students enrolled at the University’s two major campuses and four regional academic centers across the state.
