112th Year of Sprunt Lecture Series Brings Renowned African American Scholar-Authors to Union Presbyterian Seminary

Richmond, VA (April 12, 2023)—The annual Sprunt Lecture Series will be held at Union Presbyterian Seminary May 1 through May 3, 2023. Scores of alumni and guests will gather at historic Watts Chapel to hear Dr. Keri Day from Princeton Theological Seminary and Dr. Kenyatta Gilbert from Howard University School of Divinity. Lectures, led by Dr. Day, and worship, led by Dr. Gilbert, are free and open to the public. Registration is required.

Dr. Day, a nationally recognized scholar, political commentator, and teacher, has a background in Afro-Pentecostalism. She is a fourth-generation preacher in the Church of God in Christ and a prolific author. The lecture theme will be “Undomesticated Faith: A Decolonial Theology of Spirit.”

Dr. Day said, “What I am after in these lectures is staking the claim that discourses on the Spirit are treated as an addendum, but the theology of the Spirit should be understood as the beginning point of theology.”

Dr. Gilbert is an author and authority on African American preaching. For the worship services, he  foresees a message that addresses today’s racial and political climate, divisions in society, and environmental concerns.

On Tues. May 2, the Alumni luncheon speaker is Dr. Ted Wardlaw, past president of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. On Wed. May 3, the Black Alumni Association will present its Trailblazer Award to Dr. Hoffman Brown, and Dr. Dawn Devries will present the Distinguished Alumni Award to Dr. Rosalyn Murphy.

The Sprunt Lecture Series began in 1911, suspended only in 1918-1919 due to the influenza epidemic. They have been held every year since—through two world wars and a pandemic.

For a complete schedule of the lectures and receptions, visit https://bit.ly/Sprunt23schedule

To register for the Sprunt Lecture Series and the alumni luncheon, visit https://bit.ly/registerSprunt23

Learn more about the Sprunt Lecture speakers and events at this link:

https://www.upsem.edu/newsroom/2023-sprunt-lectures-may-1-3-2023/

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Barb Dodd, Director of Communications
Union Presbyterian Seminary
bdodd@upsem.edu
804.278.4279 direct