Called “the Thomas Jefferson of the world of theology”
The Rev. Dr. Martin E. Marty, author of more than 50 books, winner of the National Book Award and one of the nation's most prominent interpreters of religion and contemporary culture, will present two events on Tuesday, Nov. 1, as part of the 25th anniversary of the Protestant Campus Ministry this year.
A luncheon lecture, “Literate Faith for College Students: What's In It for U” will be held at 11 a.m. at College Park Hall. Reservation deadline is Oct. 26.
His talk, “When Beliefs Collide: Is There Hope for U?” is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. It will address themes from his book, When Religions Collide. The event is free to the College community; all others are asked to make a $10 donation.
A Lutheran minister, Marty is professor emeritus of religious history at the University of Chicago and longtime columnist for The Christian Century magazine. He won the National Book Award for Righteous Empire: The Protestant Experience in America.
His scholarly research is centered in a multi-volume work titled Modern American Religion, three volumes of which have appeared: The Irony of It All, The Noise of Conflict and Under God, Indivisible.
Known as an enthralling speaker, Marty has been called the nation's “most influential interpreter of religion” by Time magazine and “the Thomas Jefferson of the world of theology” by the late Sen. Paul Simon. He was among the rare Protestant ministers participating in Vatican II, the Roman Catholic Church's historic summit meeting. The recipient of numerous honorary doctorates and scholarly medals, he has served on two U.S. presidential commissions and as president of the American Academy of Religion.
His campus visit is supported by funding from Union's Lamont Funds and First Methodist Church Carl lecture funds, in cooperation with the Capital Region Theological Center.
For more information, contact Viki Brooks-McDonald, campus Protestant minister, at 388-6618, or brooksmv@union.edu.