Perkins to present Lincoln scholar lecture

Perkins School of Theology, SMU, will host Dr. Ronald C. White, Jr., author of “A. Lincoln: A Biography,” for the inaugural Public Life/Private Faith Lecture and luncheon Feb. 12.

Dr. White’s book is a bestseller with The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times, and was the main selection of The History Book Club for January 2009.

The luncheon and lecture will be held at the Rosewood Crescent Hotel Ballroom, 400 Crescent Court in Dallas, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m., with opening remarks and University welcome offered by SMU President R. Gerald Turner.

The lecture and symposium are being planned by members of the Perkins School of Theology Second Century Campaign Steering Committee, ncluding Talmage Boston, Dodee Crockett, Nita Clark, Rena Pederson, and Holly Philbin.

The event is being underwritten by Dr. Kim Carney and family in memory of Dr. Frederick S. Carney, former Professor Emeritus of Moral Theology and Christian Ethics at Perkins. Gold table sponsors to date include the Vin and Caren Prothro Foundation, the Dallas law office of Winstead P.C., Dodee Crockett, Katherine Glaze Lyle, Holly Philbin, Bob and Lola Sanford, Gay and Bill Solomon, and Kay Prothro Yeager. Proceeds from the lecture will benefit the building projects of the Perkins School of Theology Second Century Campaign.

Dr. White’s noon lecture is titled “Abraham Lincoln’s Sermon on the Mount: His Second Inaugural Address.” The afternoon symposium, “Abraham Lincoln’s Religious Odyssey,” will include responses by Professor Charles Curran, Scurlock University Professor of Human Values at SMU, and Professor Rebekah Miles, Associate Professor of Ethics at Perkins. These presentations are scheduled for 4:00 p.m. in the Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Great Hall, 5901 Bishop Blvd. on the SMU campus. The afternoon event is free and open to the public, with parking in the Meadows Museum Parking Garage available on request.

A graduate of UCLA, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Princeton University, White is presently a fellow at the Huntington Library and a Visiting Professor of History at UCLA.

He has lectured at the White House, as well as at hundreds of universities, civic events, and conventions, and has appeared on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer.

The cost of the luncheon is $150. To purchase tickets, visit smu.edu/perkins/lifeandfaithlecture. For more information, or to request symposium parking, call Amanda Barbour, 214-768-3688 or e-mail: abarbour@smu.edu.