Williams Institute Lectures

MTSO’s annual academic lecture series brings renowned scholars to campus.

The Williams Institute is a time-honored tradition at MTSO. The Williams lectures bring to campus speakers from many backgrounds, including theologians, ethicists, poets, biblical scholars, historians, pastoral psychologists and Christian educators. The event includes two lectures as well as opportunities for extensive dialogue and community discussion.

This lecture series began in 1981 to honor the late Dr. Ronald L. Williams, professor of theology from 1971 until his death in 1981.

Past Williams Institute lecturers include Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, Rebecca Chopp, John Cobb, John Collins, James Cone, Michael Cook, Virgilio Elozondo, James Evans Jr., Justo Gonzalez, Jacquelyn Grant, Maria Harris, Beverly Harrison, Mary E. Hunt, Lee Johnson, Charles Kammer III, Martin Marty, Mercy Amba Oduyoye, Schubert Ogden, Thomas Ogletree, Gene Outka, Luis Pedraja, Richard Rohrbaugh, Katherine Doob Sakenfield, Fernando Segovia, Christine M. Smith, C. Joseph Sprague, Kathryn Tanner, Gardner Taylor, Samual Terrien, Mark Trotter, David Lowes Watson, Barbara Wheeler, Edward Wimberly, Philip Wogaman, Robert Wuthnow, Monica A. Coleman, Albert Hernández, Daniel Boyarin, Melanie Harris, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Titus Presler, John Thatamanil, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Mai-Anh Le Tran, Pamela Lightsey and Juan M. Floyd-Thomas.

You'll find video and materials from past Williams Institute events in our events archive.