Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2014-02-26

Theologian and spiritual renewal specialist Andrew Purves will speak to several Samford University audiences March 4-6.

Dr. Purves, professor of historical theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, will present the 2014 William E. Conger, Jr. Lectures on Biblical Preaching sponsored by Samford's Beeson Divinity School, and also give the Ray Frank Robbins lecture sponsored by the Howard College of Arts and Sciences' religion department.

Andrew Purves

The overall theme for the week is "Christ in Ministry." The public is invited to any of the presentations.

The Conger lectures will be in Andrew Gerow Hodges Chapel on Tuesday, March 4, with the topic "No Other Name" (Acts 4:1-12) and on Wednesday, March 5, on the topic, "Who is the Incarnate Savior of the World?".  Both lectures will be at 11 a.m.

Purves will give the Robbins lecture on Thursday, March 6, at 10 a.m. in Reid Chapel on the topic, "The Pastoring God." He will also lead a senior religion seminar on John Calvin and speak to a Wednesday evening gathering at Birmingham's South Highlands Presbyterian church.

A native of Edinburgh, Scotland, Purves came to the U.S. in 1978 and was minister of a Presbyterian church in Pennsylvania until 1983 when he joined the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary faculty.  He is the author of several publications on pastoral theology and ministry and is writing another book, Christology and Atonement.

He holds bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Edinburgh, and a master of theology degree from Duke Divinity School.

The Conger Lectures are made possible through the generosity of the late Colonel William E. Conger, Jr., who served many years as a personal advisor to Ralph Waldo Beeson, the founding benefactor of Beeson Divinity School.

The annual Robbins lectureship, established in 2008 to honor the memory of former Samford religion professor Ray Frank Robbins, focuses on the intersection of scholarship and Christian living.

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.