Saturday, February 21, 1998

Lecturers to examine Galatians

By LORETTA FULTON / Abilene Reporter-News

Seven lecturers will dissect the book of Galatians during the 80th Annual Lectureship at Abilene Christian University Sunday through Wednesday night.

All lectures will be in Moody Coliseum. Sunday's kickoff lecture will be at 7:30 p.m. Other lectures, beginning Monday, will be at 9:45 a.m. and 7 p.m.

In addition to the lectures, which annually bring up to 10,000 people to Abilene, the next few days will be filled with special guests and award ceremonies, booths and displays and a lot of reunions.

Peggy Wehmeyer, the ABC News religion correspondent, is scheduled to speak to students Monday on "Religion, the Hidden Story."

Wehmeyer was the first correspondent hired by a major network to cover religion exclusively.

Today's schedule includes Sing Song, one of the highlights of the lectureship each year. Sing Song concludes with performances at 3 and 8 p.m. today.

The exhibit centers will open at 1 p.m. in Bennett Gym and the Biblical Studies Building.

Theme for this year's Lectureship is "The Real War: Flesh vs. Spirit." A committee chooses the theme and type of lectures each year and then invites speakers, said William E. "Bill" Young, director of church relations/lectureship at ACU.

ÔI always believe that we've chosen well and then hold our breath and hope all goes well," he said.

Being ask to be a guest lecturer is such an honor that only dire circumstances keep speakers from attending, he said.

"They feel it's a special privilege," he said.

The city of Abilene also feels it's a special privilege to host the lectureships. The annual event has a $1.2 million impact on the city's economy, said Nancy Liles, head of the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The lectureship, the state 4-H Horse Show and the annual high school finals rodeo are the top three events in Abilene as far as number of people attending and financial impact, she said.

Guest speakers at the 80th Annual Lectureship are:

-- Dr. John O. York will be the opening lecturer at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. He will speak on "Christ is All -- or Not at All."

York became pulpit minister for the Westside Church of Christ in Beaverton, Ore., in June 1997. He preached for Brentwood Hills Church of Christ in Nashville from 1993-97 and Western Hills Church of Christ in Temple from 1989-93.

York is a former adjunct professor at Harding Graduate School of Religion, David Lipscomb University and the Institute for Christian Studies in Austin.

York holds an associate degree from Columbia Christian College, and bachelor of arts, master of arts and master of divinity degrees from ACU. His doctorate in New Testament is from Emory University.

-- Monday's 9:45 a.m. speaker will be Dr. Eddie L. Sharp Jr., who will speak on "Redeemed From the Curse of the Law."

Sharp has been pulpit minister for University Church of Christ in Abilene since 1980, and since 1990 he has taught one undergraduate Bible course per semester at ACU and coordinated the field education for students in the master of divinity program.

Sharp formerly served churches in Voca and Trent as well as churches in New Mexico.

A native of Bronte, Sharp has three degrees from ACU, including the doctor of ministry awarded in 1990.

-- At 7 p.m. Monday, Floyd E. Rose, minister at River Street Church of Christ in Valdosta, Ga., will speak on "True Unity is Grace Unity."

First preaching at age 12, Rose attended Nashville Christian Institute and Southwestern Christian College in Terrell.

He spent most of his adult years in Toledo, Ohio, and first served the Ridgewood Church of Christ, ministered for several Baptist churches for about 15 years and then returned to the churches of Christ.

He has been featured in many programs and lectureships throughout the country including a presentation at ACU on black church history.

-- Dr. James W. James Thompson, chair of the graduate department of Bible and professor of New Testament at ACU, where he has taught since 1992, will be the lecturer at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. He will speak on "What is Freedom?"

Before joining the ACU faculty, Thompson taught at the Institute for Christian Studies in Austin.

Thompson has served churches in several capacities, including being pulpit minister for the Queens Church of Christ in New York City from 1967-70. He was associate director of the Bible Chair at Texas Tech University from 1965-67.

Thompson has published books and articles for both academic and popular audiences.

A native of Tyler, Thompson holds bachelor's and master's degrees from ACU, a bachelor of divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York and a doctorate from Vanderbilt University.

-- At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Phil Ware, minister at Westover Hills Church of Christ in Austin, will speak on "A Time for Passion." He is also co-founder and co-editor of Heartlight Magazine, which was selected as one of the top 10 Christian sites on the World Wide Web by Best of the Christian Web.

For seven years, Ware was an adjunct professor of practical ministry at the Institute for Christian Studies in Austin. He co-wrote "Bible Alive," a computer learning tool for ages 8 and up.

Over the years he has spoken at many seminars, lectureships and other events and has written articles for newspapers, magazines and radio programs. He earned a bachelor's degree from ACU in 1977 and a master's in 1985.

-- Dr. Robert A. Ethington, pulpit minister for Kingwood Church of Christ in Kingwood since 1991, will speak at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday on "The War Within."

thington served as pulpit minister at Westgate Church of Christ in Abilene from 1986-91 and Chula Vista Church of Christ in San Diego, Calif., from 1981-86. Ethington has served on the ACU Board of Visitors and the advisory board of Noble Development Corporation.

Ethington graduated from Oklahoma Christian University and earned a master of divinity degree at Bethel Theological Seminary in 1986. He also earned a doctor of ministry degree from ACU in 1992.

-- Closing out the lectureship will be Roy F. Osborne Jr., speaking at 7 p.m. Wednesday on "God Will Not Break His Promise."

Osborne retired in 1991 as pulpit minister for the Sunset Ridge Church of Christ in San Antonio after preaching there for 21 years.

Having completed 59 years of preaching in December 1997, he continues to speak on invitation across the nation.

Osborne serves on the board of directors for the Baxter Institute in Honduras and the development board for the Institute for Christian Studies in Austin.

Osborne attended David Lipscomb University, ACU, the University of Denver and the University of California at Berkeley, where he did his graduate studies in clinical psychology.

Having also studied general semantics at San Francisco State University, he is often called to lecture on the subject of communication in the family, the church and on the job.