The 40th Anniversary of the Thorne Sparkman School of Religion, hosted by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church with the active involvement of other local Episcopal parishes, will be held on Wednesday evenings Feb. 20–March 20.
Established in 1973 through the vision and leadership of The Rev. John H. Bonner, Jr., who served as Rector of St. Paul’s, the Sparkman School’s purpose is to offer to the extended community, “the best in education in crucial areas including worship, ethics, liturgy, history, literature, music, and critical thinking.” Named in honor of The Rev. Thorne Sparkman, who served St. Paul’s Parish 1938-49, the School has become an important annual educational offering to those in our area.
This year’s Sparkman School features presentations by an outstanding, diverse, and engaging group of well-known scholars and speakers:
Feb. 20 - Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author; Executive Editor, Random House Publications
Feb. 27 - Prof. Amy Jill Levine, Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, Vanderbilt University Divinity School
March 6 - The Rt. Rev. Neil Alexander, Dean, The School of Theology of The University of the South, Author
March 13 - The Rt. Rev. Frank T. Griswold, Retired Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, Author
March 20 - Andrew Exum, American Scholar on the Middle East, Fellow of The Center for a New American Security, Washington, D.C.
Schedule for each evening:
5:45 p.m. - Book Sales begin (publications by each of the presenters will be available for purchase)
7 p.m. - Speaker Presentations
8 p.m. - Questions from the audience for each of the presenters
8:15 p.m. - Book sales and signing by presenters
Costs for the School:
Advance registration for all 5 evenings = $35
Cost for individual evening presentations = $10 at the door
Church Office - stpauls@stpaulschatt.org or 423 266-8195 or via the web at www.stpaulschatt.org.