Contact: Public Relations
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FSC religion department presents
2001-02 Warren W. Willis Lecture in Religion

LAKELAND, Fla. (Oct. 19, 2001) - The Department of Religion and Philosophy at Florida Southern College will present its 2001-2002 Warren W. Willis Lecture in Religion on Friday, Nov. 2, in the Hollis Room on campus. The morning lecture begins at 10 a.m. with a discussion period following the lecture. The afternoon session will be held from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m.

Guest lecturer, Dr. M. Douglas Meeks, will speak on "What Can We Hope for Now? The Global Economy and God's Grace." Dr. Meeks is the Cal Turner Chancellor Professor of Theology and Wesleyan Studies in the Divinity School of Vanderbilt University. Prior to this appointment, he was dean and professor of systematic theology at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. Dr. Meeks has written several books, including "Origins of the Theology of Hope," "God the Economist: The Doctrine of God and the Political Economy," and "Christian Social Ethics in a Global Era."

An ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, Meeks has pastored congregations in Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina and serves as co-chairperson of the Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies. He earned his divinity degree and Ph.D. at Duke University and was selected as a Fulbright Fellow at Tübingen University.

The lecture is made possible by an endowment in honor of Dr. Warren W. Willis, a long-time leader in youth work and camping in the United Methodist Church.

The event is free and open to the public. Lunch may be purchased for $5 and will be served at noon in the Hollis Room. For further information or reservations, please call Mrs. Beverly Johnson at 680-4180 or e-mail her at bjohnson@flsouthern.edu.

About Florida Southern College
Florida Southern is a four-year, private, co-educational liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The college offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and a master of business administration degree accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Located in Lakeland, Fla., the college is home to the largest, single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world.

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