SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER ON THE SOCIAL PRINCIPLES OF THE UMC

July 8, 2016

SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER ON THE SOCIAL PRINCIPLES OF THE UMC

On Sunday, July 24, at 9:45 in Pierce Hall, the Progressive Sunday School Class will be hosting Dr. Darryl Stephens who will lead us in discussing his new book Methodist Morals; Social Principles in the Public Church’s Witness. Darryl Stephens is Director of United Methodist Studies at Lancaster Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania. He is an ordained deacon of the Texas Annual Conference and holds an M.Div. from Perkins School of Theology and a Ph.D. in Christian Ethics from Emory University. Amazon describes the book in this way: “This is the first full-length study of Methodist social teachings in over fifty years. Examining official Methodist teachings from institutional, historical, and cross-cultural perspectives, Dr. Stephens provides a rich analysis of this case study of Protestant social witness, drawing on his expertise in church polity, Methodist history, and Christian social ethics. The issues of war, abortion, human sexuality, and marriage illustrate the messiness of democratic deliberation in an ecclesial context and the evolution of a people ever concerned with the sin of “worldliness” even as they become more attuned to transforming social structures. This work reveals the challenges to and possibilities for achieving moral community in an increasingly global and diverse world.” Signed copies of the book will be available to purchase on July 24 for a special author’s discounted price. You do not need to have purchased or read the book in advance of this class. All are welcomed and encouraged to attend what is sure to be a lively discussion.