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Lecture Series

Bullard-Templeton Lecture Series
This series, originally begun in 2000 under a Templeton grant, was renamed in 2006 after Howard A. Bullard, Jr. and Marta Bullard. Their generosity has helped establish an endowment at Methodist University that funds this ongoing annual lecture series. These lectures are offered to the Methodist University and larger Cumberland County communities and is designed to explore the relationship between science and religion.

Recent Lectures

  • 2013: "Darwin and God: What Is The Problem?" by John Haught
  • 2012: "Are We Alone in the Cosmos?" by Owen Gingerich
  • 2011: "Cosmology: Science and Theology in Creative Mutual Interaction" by Robert Russell
  • 2010: "The Battle over Evolution: Who's Fighting Whom About What?" by Ted Peters
  • 2009: Karl Giberson
  • 2008: "On Space and Spirit: God, Physics, and the Culture Wars" by Margaret Wertheim
  • 2007: "Anti-evolution in America: From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design" by Ronald Numbers
  • 2006: "The Beginning and End of the Universe" by William Lane Craig
  • 2005: "Galileo Still Haunts the Church" by George Coyne
  • 2003: "Has Science Discovered God?" by Michael Corey
  • 2002: "Creation and Evolution in America: From Natural Selection to Intelligent Design" by Ronald Numbers
  • 2001: "God and Physics: A Brief History" by Margaret Wertheim
  • 2000: "When the Sacred Cows of Religion and Science Meet" by George Coyne

Wesley Heritage Celebration
The Wesley Heritage Celebration's benefactors, Dr. L. Elbert Wethington and his wife, Lois, have graciously provided the endowment for the Wesley Heritage programs, which is administered through the United Methodist Foundation. The monies from this endowment can be used for lectures, dramas, library resources, workshops, special faculty studies, ecumenical conversations, course offerings, a visiting Wesley scholar, or other approved projects.

Dr. Wethington was an educator in the US and the Philippines for many years and since 1990 has served as president of the Wesley Heritage Foundation. Through the years, he and his wife have donated several books and collections to Methodist University, including Mrs. Wethington's book, Visual Poetry: My Journey into Chinese Painting and a set of John Wesley's works in Spanish entitled Obras de Wesley, 14 volumes.

Recent Events

  • 2012: Lecture "Methodism Comes to America: The Bristol Connection" by David Worthington, Manager of the New Room at John Wesley's Chapel in Bristol, England
  • 2011: Lecture "Whence Methodist U?" by Dr. Mark Wethington, on John Wesley's legacy in education and its implications for Methodist University, and the presentation of an original student project on Wesley.
  • 2010: Wesley Heritage Seminar featuring a screening of Wesley with panel discussions featuring the film's producer, Rev. John Jackman, and lead actor, Burgess Jenkins, along with Dr. Mark Wethington, Dr. M. Elton Hendricks, and the Rev. Phil Bauguess
  • 2009: Wesley Workshop featuring "John Wesley: A Life Committed to Social Justice" by Dr. Mark Wethington, "Charles Wesley and a New Era for Congregational Singing" by Dr. Stan McDaniel, and "Will the Real John Wesley Please Stand Up?" by Dr. Kenneth J. Collins
  • 2009: Ride! Ride!: A True Story from the Life of John Wesley, a two-act musical by Penelope Thwaites (music) and Alan Thornhill (libretto). Performed at Methodist University by special arrangement with Bardic Productions of London, England
  • 2006: "The Whole Wesley's Mission of Holistic Salvation: A Model for Today" by Randy L. Maddox
  • 2005: "Sweet Singer: A musical play about Charles Wesley, the Sweet Singer of Methodism" by Steven Kimbrough with Timothy E. Kimbrough
  • 2004: "A Matter of Heart and Life: John Wesley's Protestant Course-Correction" by David Lowes Watson
  • 2004: "Afternoon Tea with John Wesley" by Denny Wise

Womack Lecture Series
This endowed, annual lecture series intends to promote public awareness of religious scholarship by bringing an expert in the field of religion, philosophy, or ethics to Methodist University to deliver two scholarly lectures. The series recognizes the university's commitment to religion and its ecumenical spirit. The series broadens student's liberal arts education, raises moral and spiritual issues in the public consciousness, and provides an educational and cultural service to the community. The lecture is named for and honors Dr. Samuel J. Womack and Mrs. Norma Womack.

Dr. Samuel J. Womack was Methodist University's first instructor in religion and a member of the original faculty of the college in 1960. He organized the Department of Philosophy and Religion and began its operations. He was the college's first chaplain and the first chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion. In 1965 he became Academic Dean. He served in that capacity for fourteen years while continuing to teach religion courses. In 1979 he left the Office of the Dean and returned to full-time teaching in philosophy and religion until his retirement in 1984.

Mrs. Norma Womack was a Methodist University graduate. She became a college librarian in1965 and head librarian in 1979. She retired in 1988.

Recent Lectures

  • 2013: "Conceiving Ultimate Reality: The Dialectic of Transcendence" and "Engaging Ultimate Reality: The Abundance of Symbols" by Robert C. Neville
  • 2012: "Spirituality: the Enduring Connection of Humanity and the Divine" by Louay M. Safi
  • 2010: "Love and Justice: What's the Problem?" and "Love and Justice: What's the Solution?" by Nicholas Wolterstorff
  • 2009: "Taking Physical Mediumship Seriously" and "Do We Survive Death? The State of the Debate" by Stephen Braude
  • 2008: "Alternative Religious Movements in American History" and
    "Reflections on the Globalization of American Religion" by Stephen Stein
  • Fall 2007: "The Great Tradition: What It Means to Be an Educated Human Being" by Richard Gamble
  • 2007: "The Golden Rule on Classical Judaism" and "Resources of Religious Toleration in Formative Judaism" by Jacob Neusner
  • 2006: "Walls Come Tumblin' Down: American Protestants and the First Amendment" and "Creationism by Design: The Religious Right's Quest for Academic Legitimacy" by Randall Balmer
  • 2005: "Capturing Jesus on Film: Pictures We Like to See" and "Being the Perfect Audience" by Clayton Jefford
  • 2005: "When Religion Becomes Evil" by Charles Kimball
  • 2004: "All About Eve" and "Hidden Power: Women's Religious Culture in Ancient Israel" by Carol Meyers
  • 2003: "The Advantages of Virtues: Practical and Theoretical" and "Races and Persons" by Jorge L. A. Garcia
  • 2002: "'God the Father': A Critique," "'The Trinity': A Recasting" by Ferederick Ferré
  • 2001: "Human Spirit in the Third Millennium" and "Common Vision of the World's Religions" by Huston Smith
  • 2000: "The Medieval Stained Glass and Sculpture of Chartres Cathedral" by Malcolm Miller
  • 2000: "Jesus in the Culture Wars" and "Why the Humanity of Jesus is Important" by Luke Timothy Johnson
  • 1999: "Solomon and the Global Economy" and "Thinking Otherwise: Elijah's Wild Card" by Walter Brueggemann
  • 1998: "Dying as a Christian in a Post-Christian Age" and "Re-Thinking American Health Care" by H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr.
  • 1997: "The Dead Sea Scrolls Revisited" and "Luke and Scripture" by James A. Sanders
  • 1996: "The Ethics of War: Realism Reconsidered" and "Pacifism Reconsidered" by Stanley Hauerwas
  • 1995: "Denominationalism: End or Beginning" and "Reforming the Connection" by Russell Earle Richey
  • 1995: "Albert Schweitzer and the Historical Jesus" and "From Schweitzer to the Jesus Seminar" by Walter Weaver
  

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