The Annual Spring Lectureship at North Park Theological Seminary is quickly approaching! This Spring, we will be hosting the A. Eldon Palmquist Lectureship. This Lectureship is specifically focused on preaching and was founded to honor the late Rev. A. Eldon Palmquist. Rev. Palmquist was a pastor and superintendent in the ECC, who was well known for his lively and grace-filled preaching. Every other year, NPTS hosts this lectureship specifically focused on preaching.
This year, the speaker is Rev. Dr. Frank A. Thomas. He is a Chicago native, and is currently serving as the Nettie Sweeney and Hugh Th. Miller Professor of Homiletics at Christian Theological Seminary in Indiana, as well as the director of the African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric PhD program. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as a preacher, pastor, and scholar. He is one of few scholars focusing on the history of African American preaching in the United States.
His books include Preaching As Celebration, Preaching with Sacred Fire: An Anthology of African American Preaching from 1750 to Present, How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon and Introduction to the Practice of African American Preaching.
Rev. Dr. Thomas will be giving two lectures on Wednesday, February 12th.
6:30-7:30 – 400 Years of African American Preaching: What Do These Words Mean?
This lecture will explore four-hundred year legacy of the genius, power, depth, and beauty of African American Preaching that has sustained African American people and made a significant contribution not only to African Americans but also to America and the world.
8:00-9:00 – A Requiem – “I’m Happy Tonight: Four Qualities of Moral Imagination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
This lecture will explore Martin Luther King Jr.’s “moral imagination” contained in his last sermon, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” delivered one night before his death, April 3, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.
Both lectures are free and open to the public. They will also be streamed live at northpark.edu/live. There will be snacks between the two lectures. We are looking forward to seeing you there!