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SHERMAN, TEXAS—The Reverend Dr. Whitney Bodman, associate professor of comparative religion at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, will present the annual Cunningham Lectures at Austin College on Wednesday, April 13, and Thursday, April 14. The first lecture, “Word of Mouth: The Beauty of the Qur’an,” will be presented Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., with “Word of Mind: Minding the Meaning of the Qur’an” presented Thursday at 11 a.m. Both lectures, free and open to the public, take place in Hoxie Thompson Auditorium of Sherman Hall. A carry-your-tray Q & A session in Wright Campus Center’s Moseley Room will follow the Thursday luncheon.
After earning a bachelor’s degree at University of North Carolina and a master’s of divinity degree in 1977 at Duke Divinity School, Dr. Bodman was ordained in the United Church of Christ, pastoring churches in Massachusetts for 12 years. He earned a doctorate in theology at Harvard Divinity School in 2004, his dissertation was titled “The Poetics of Iblis: Qur'anic Narrative as Theology, Islamic Studies, and Comparative Religion.”
During his ministry and schooling he has been involved in various interfaith organizations including the Interfaith Relations Commission of the National Council of Churches and the Massachusetts Conference of Churches’ Jewish-Christian and Muslim-Christian dialogues. His current research focuses on the Qur’an, modern Islam in the Middle East, and political theology.
Bodman is president of Texas Impact and on the board of the related Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy. He was a board member of the Texas Conference of Churches until its demise in 2013. He is currently active in Interfaith Action (iACT) and Austin Interfaith and the NCC Jewish-Christian Dialogue and Local and Regional Ecumenism Committee.
The Austin College Cunningham Lectures were established by a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Shem Cunningham of Wichita Falls so that the Austin College community might benefit from the visits of distinguished speakers. Mr. Cunningham was a 1920 alumnus of Austin College.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book College’s That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates and inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.
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