Theologian To Give Willis Lecture On Faith And Capitalism

One of the world’s most prominent theologians will give this year’s Warren W. Willis Lecture in Religion at Florida Southern College on the relationship of faith to economic uncertainty.

Dr. Kathryn Tanner, Frederick Marquand Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale Divinity School, will give the lecture, “Christianity and the New Spirit of Capitalism,” at 7 p.m. Oct. 30 in the Hollis Room on the FSC campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Dr. Tanner’s most recent work is an analysis of world financial markets and argues that Christian faith offers an alternative to financial excesses, competitiveness, and fear. She emphasizes that belief in love and mercy that transcend daily fortunes offers a different understanding of risk and insecurity.

Dr. Tanner joined the Yale Divinity School faculty in 2010 after teaching at the University of Chicago Divinity School for 16 years and in Yale’s Department of Religious Studies for 10 years. She is the author of six books, including Christ the Key (2010) and Economy of Grace (2005), written prior to the recent economic recession.

About the Warren W. Willis Lecture…

A long list of distinguished scholars has visited Florida Southern to deliver the Willis Lecture, including historian Martin Marty, theologian Stanley Hauerwas, and biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan. The lecture is made possible by a generous endowment in honor of the late Dr. Warren W. Willis, a longtime leader in youth work in the United Methodist Church in Florida.