Pittsburgh Theological Seminary will host the 2011 Albright-Deering Lectures in Methodist Studies May 5. Douglas M. Strong, dean and professor of the history of Christianity at Seattle Pacific University will address the theme “Strangely Warmed, Strangely Free: John Wesley and American Methodism”. Specific topics include “John Wesley and the Extraordinary Action of the Holy Spirit” at 2:00 p.m. and “Doctrine, Spirit, and Discipline: How Not to Be a ‘Dead Sect’” at 3:45 p.m. These lectures are free and open to the public. Contact the Office of Continuing Education at 412-924-1345 or for more information.
Prior to coming to Seattle Pacific in 2007, Strong taught at Wesley Theological Seminary for 18 years. He is a graduate of Houghton College (B.A.) and Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div. and Ph.D.). Strong has published many articles and books, including Reclaiming the Wesleyan Tradition: John Wesley’s Sermons for Today (Discipleship Resources, 2007), Perfectionist Politics: Abolitionism and the Religious Tensions of American Democracy (Syracuse, 1999), and They Walked in the Spirit: Personal Faith and Social Action in America (WJK, 1997). His field of study is American religious history, particularly the history of 19th-century revivalism, social reform, and the Wesleyan/Holiness movement in America. He is a past president of the Wesleyan Theological Society, a co-convener of the History of Methodism Working Group of the Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies, and is on the Steering Committee of the Wesleyan Studies Group of the American Academy of Religion. Strong has conducted several Wesley Heritage Study Tours to England. He has also led students on numerous trips to Russia. Strong has taught four times at the Theological Seminary of the Russian Methodist Church, and served on that school’s board of trustees. He taught at two theological schools in Korea.
Strong is committed to intercultural learning as essential for students preparing to live out their Christian vocation in a global society. He is an ordained clergyman in The United Methodist Church and served for eight years as a pastor in East Brunswick, N.J. Strong is especially interested in reviving the Wesleyan practice of small-group accountable discipleship among today’s Christians.
The Albright-Deering Lectures in Methodist Studies were established in 1999 through individual contributions and a generous gift from Joseph and Gail Deering of Dayton, Ohio, to celebrate Joseph’s career accomplishments and to honor their former pastor, the Rev. Dr. H. Pat Albright. The lectureship is intended to bring outstanding scholars in the Wesleyan tradition to Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s campus.
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is a graduate professional institution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Founded in 1794, the Seminary is located in Pittsburgh, Pa. and approximately 320 students are enrolled yearly in the degree programs. The Seminary prepares leaders who proclaim with great joy God’s message of good news in both word and deed. PTS is rooted in the Reformed history of faithfulness to Scripture and commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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