Rev. Dr. Lillian Daniel

Sunday, March 11, 2012

3 p.m.: “When spiritual but not religious is not enough: The limits of taste”

7:30 p.m.: “When spiritual but not religious is not enough: Finding God in unexpected places, even the church”

First Presbyterian Church, 302 W. Whitner Street, Anderson, SC 29621

Lillian Daniel comes to Anderson from Illinois, where she leads the First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn.

Lillian Daniel has been senior minister of the First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, since 2004. Before that, she spent 14 years in Connecticut, going to graduate school, growing up, raising a family and leading two churches, most recently the Church of the Redeemer, in New Haven, Conn.,. from 1996 to 2004.

She is the author of the book “Tell It Like It Is: Reclaiming the Practice of Testimony,” which is the story of one church’s attempt to get mainline Protestants to talk to each other about God. Her newest book, “This Odd and Wondrous Calling: The Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers,” co-authored by Martin B. Copenhaver is a humorous and honest look at the ministry.

Daniel also hosts the Chicago-based public television program “30 Good Minutes,” which airs Sundays at 5 p.m. on WTTW Channel 11. You can also watch the show online at 30goodminutes.org.

An editor at large for Christian Century Magazine and a contributing editor at Leadership, Daniel’s work has also appeared in The Huffington Post, Christianity Today, Leadership Journal, Books and Culture, The Journal for Preachers and in the daily email devotionals available at ucc.org, with more than 15,000 subscribers.

She has taught preaching at Yale Divinity School, Chicago Theological Seminary and the University of Chicago Divinity School.

Daniel serves on the Board of Trustees of Chicago Theological Seminary and the Board of Advisors at Yale Divinity School. In October 2010 she received the distinguished alumni award from Yale Divinity School for “Distinction in Congregational Ministry.”

A frequent speaker around the country, in the last year Daniel has preached at the National Cathedral, Duke Chapel, and the Festival of Homiletics and delivered preaching lectures to clergy at Kings College, London and Queen’s College, Ontario.

Daniel is married to Lou Weeks, a labor-union organizer who chose not to take her name when they got married back in 1991. She is the mother of two teenagers, Calvin and Abigail Weeks.

John Shelby Spong

Aug. 4, 2012

9:30 a.m..: “Separating the Fourth Gospel from the Synoptics – Mark, Matthew and Luke”
1 p.m.: “The Crucifixion in John: The Time of Jesus’ Glorification”

Clemson United Methodist Church, 300 Frontage Road, Clemson, S.C.

Shelby Spong will be speaking in the Anderson, S.C., area on Aug. 12, 2012.

Bishop John Spong will be speaking on the topic, “The Fourth Gospel – Tale of a Jewish Mystic, during his visit to Clemson.

Spong was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, N.J., for 24 years before his retirement in 2001. A fearless supporter for church reform, he is known internationally as a speaker and author.

His admirers acclaim him as a teaching bishop who makes contemporary theology accessible to the ordinary layperson — he’s considered the champion of an inclusive faith by many, both inside and outside the Christian church.

Spong’s books, which include “Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World” (2011) and “A New Christ for a New World” (2002), have sold more than a million copies.

His website, johnshelbyspong.com lists the bishop’s latest essays and news announcements.

James Carroll

Sept. 30, 2012

Lectures at 3 and 7:30 p.m.; Topic and location to be announced

James Carroll is a best-selling author who will be in Anderson Sept. 30.

James Carroll is a distinguished scholar-in-residence at Suffolk University in Boston and is a weekly columnist for the Boston Globe newspaper.

He was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1969 and served as chaplain of Boston University.

Carroll left the priesthood to write full-time and is the author of 10 novels and six works of non-fiction, including “Jerusalem, Jerusalem: How the Ancient City Ignited Our Modern World” (2011) and “Constantine’s Sword” (2001), which was made into a documentary film.