Williams Institute lectures feature scholar and educator Luis Pedraja
Theological scholar and educator Luis Pedraja addresses the challenges facing 21st century theological education in two lectures on the campus of Methodist Theological School in Ohio.
"Liberating our Future: Social Justice, Praxis, and the Dynamics of Change in the 21st Century" is the theme for this year's Williams Institute lectures, to be presented by Pedraja at 7 p.m. March 7 and 11:30 a.m. March 8 in MTSO's Alford Centrum, 3081 Columbus Pike in Delaware, Ohio. The lectures are free and open to the public.
Pedraja's March 7 evening lecture topic is "The Coming Crisis: Social Justice, Education, and the Future of Higher Education in America." He'll speak the morning of March 8 on the topic "Discerning the Future: Theological Challenges for the Next Decade."
Pedraja is vice president of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, one of seven regional accrediting commissions. Before his appointment with the commission, he served as vice president of academic affairs at Memphis Theological Seminary and as Theology and Ethics Division chair at Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology. He earned his Ph.D. in Philosophical Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Virginia.
Among the books Pedraja has authored is "Teología: An Introduction to Hispanic Theology." He also has contributed to "The Encyclopedia of Hispanic Religious Culture." He is a past chair of the American Academy of Religion's Hispanic American Religion, Culture, and Society Group.
MTSO's Williams Institute was begun in 1981 to honor the late Dr. Ronald L. Williams, professor of theology from 1971 until his death in 1981. The institute has featured speakers from many backgrounds, including theologians, ethicists, poets, biblical scholars, historians, pastoral psychologists and Christian educators.
Located in Greater Columbus on U.S. Route 23, Methodist Theological School in Ohio is an ecumenical graduate school, preparing transformational leaders for service to the church and the world. MTSO offers master's degrees in divinity, counseling ministries, theological studies and practical theology, as well as a Doctor of Ministry degree. For more information, visit www.mtso.edu.
CONTACT:
Danny Russell, director of communication
drussell@mtso.edu, 740-362-3322