LAKELAND, Fla. (Jan. 29, 2007) —The Department of Religion and Philosophy at Florida Southern College will hold its annual Symposium in Scripture and Tradition on Feb. 12 and 13. The event will be held in the William M. Hollis Seminar Room on campus starting Monday at 10 a.m. with registration at 9:30 a.m. The day’s sessions conclude at 3 p.m.  Tuesday’s sessions begin at 8:30 a.m. and the symposium will adjourn at 1 p.m.

The theme of this year’s symposium is “Violence in Scripture and Tradition.” This timely and important topic has been the focus of much discussion lately among Biblical scholars, Christian and non-Christian theologians, church historians, laypersons, and Middle East experts. A distinguished panel of scholars, listed below, will discuss these issues from different points of view.

Monday
10 a.m.  Dr. John J. Collins, a native of Ireland, currently holds the Holmes Chair in Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale Divinity School. His four principle areas of interest within Old Testament studies include Apocalyptic writings, Wisdom, Hellenistic Judaism and Dead Sea Scrolls.

1 p.m.  Dr. Richard A. Horsley is Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and the Study of Religion at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Horsley is an internationally renowned scholar and interpreter of the Historical Jesus, Paul, and Early Christianity against the politics of the Roman Empire.

Tuesday
9 a.m. Dr. Sharon Welch is Professor of Religion and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her areas of interest concern the relationship between religion and social change, multiculturalism, post-modernity, and post-colonial comparative religious ethics.

11 a.m. Dr. Ted Jennings, a native Floridian and member of the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, currently serves as Professor of Biblical and Constructive Theology at Chicago Theological Seminary. His research interests include Christian doctrine, biblical theology, gay studies, and contemporary philosophy, particularly J. Derrida.

The registration fee is $25 ($10 for retired persons). Students with appropriate ID are admitted free. Lunch on Monday will be available in the Hollis Room for $5. For students, two Continuing Education Units will be available for attending the entire symposium.

For further information and reservations, contact Beverly Johnson in the religion department at 863-680-4180 or email: bjohnson@flsouthern.edu.

About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 38 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 13:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 25 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U. S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelor’s institutions and by the Princeton Review as a “Best Southeastern College.” Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.