WILSON, N.C. — April 22, 2019 — Barton College will hold its annual spring E. G. Purcell, Jr. Bible Conference Lecture and Thedford G. and Woodrow W. Sprinkle Lecture on Saturday, April 27, during the 171st Regional Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in North Carolina. The lectures will be held in Howard Chapel on the Barton campus, free of charge to the public, and the community is invited to attend.
This year’s Purcell Lecture will be delivered at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday morning by Dr. Matthias Henze, Isla Carroll and Percy E. Turner Professor of Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism, and Founding Director, Program in Jewish Studies at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Henze received his Ph.D. from Harvard University (1997), a Master of Arts degree also from Harvard University (1996), and a Master of Divinity degree from University of Heidelberg, Germany (1992). Among his many publications is his recent book “Mind the Gap: How the Jewish Writings between the Old and New Testament Help Us Understand Jesus” (Fortress Press, 2017).
At 1:45 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, Dr. Anna Carter Florence will deliver the Sprinkle lecture. She is the Peter Marshall Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga. She received a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary (2000), a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary (1988), and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University (1984). Florence is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She is a highly sought-after preacher and lecturer, and has spoken at the Festival of Homiletics. Among her many publications is her book titled “Preaching as Testimony” (Westminster John Knox Press, 2007).
The Purcell Bible Conference was established in 1984 with an endowment given by family, colleagues, friends, students and parishioners to honor the life and ministry of Eugene G. Purcell Jr. A graduate of Duke University and Duke Divinity School, Purcell joined the faculty of Barton College in 1957 and served 27 years in the Department of Religion and Philosophy. The Thedford G. and Woodrow W. Sprinkle Lectures were established in 1981 by Dr. Stephen V. Sprinkle, a graduate of Barton College, Yale Divinity School and Duke University. The lectures were named in honor of his father, Thedford G. Sprinkle and his uncle, Woodrow W. Sprinkle.
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