Intersections Lecture Series to Discuss 'The Church of the Future'

by Jaime Bates, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

Tony Jones and Doug Pagitt, leaders of the Emergent Church, will speak on "The Church of the Future" as part of the Intersections Lecture Series from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, in the Memorial Drawing Room of the Memorial Residence Hall on the Baylor University campus. The lecture, sponsored by Student Activities and the Honors College, is free and open to the public.

Jones is the national coordinator of Emergent Village, a social network of Christians around the world, and a doctoral fellow in practical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books, including The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life. Jones is a renowned speaker and consultant in the areas of the emergent church, postmodernism and Christian spirituality.

Pagitt is the founder of Solomon's Porch, a holistic missional Christian community in Minneapolis, and one of the founders of Emergent Village. He is the author of several books, including A Christianity Worth Believing, Body Prayer, Preaching Re-Imagined, Church Re-Imagined. Pagitt also has contributed to Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches and An Emergent Manifesto. He is a speaker and consultant for churches, denominations and businesses throughout the United States and around the world on issues of postmodern culture, social systems and Christianity.

"Jones and Pagitt were chosen to speak in this lecture series because they are two of the leading voices in the Emergent Church," said Michael Riemer, associate director of student activities at Baylor. "As issues of postmodernism and holistic spirituality are becoming an increasingly significant part of the Christian dialogue, students in particular have been attracted to forms of Christian expression and churches that are part of the Emergent movement."

The Intersections Lecture Series is designed to explore the connection between faith, culture and theology, exploring topics such as faith and art, faith and literature, and faith and politics.

For more information on this lecture, contact Student Activities at (254) 710-2371.