Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2010-03-18

Graham Walker, associate dean of Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology, will present this year’s James A. Auchmuty Lecture at Samford University Thursday, March 25, at 10 a.m. in Reid Chapel. The public is invited free of charge.

Dr. Walker, a specialist in world Christianity, will speak on the topic, “Difference and Reverence: Building Community Beyond Religious Dialogue.”

A former professor and dean at Asia Baptist Graduate Theological Seminary in Baguio City, Philippines, Walker also taught theology and Asian cultural studies at Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been a visiting professor of religion at Samford. He joined the McAfee faculty in 1999.

Walker has written on topics related to the dialogue between science and religion, world Christianity, the problem of evil and suffering, and the Holocaust for Christian theology. His books include Elie Wiesel: A Challenge to Theology.

A graduate of Florida State University, Walker holds master of divinity and Ph.D. degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.

The lecture is presented by Birmingham’s Shades Crest Baptist Church and Samford’s Resource Center for Pastoral Excellence through the Auchmuty Fund for Congregational Leadership. The fund honors former Shades Crest pastor Dr. James Auchmuty, a 1957 Samford graduate who served the church for 27 years.

 
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.