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| Dr. C. Welton Gaddy | Suzii Paynter | Stephen Reeves |
Howard Payne University will host the fifth annual Currie-Strickland Distinguished Lectures in Christian Ethics on Thursday, March 29, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., in the Richard and Wanda Jackson Conference Room of the university’s Paul and Jane Meyer Faith and Life Leadership Center.
The topic of this year’s lecture series is “Faith and Politics: Being Prophetic Without Being Partisan.” Guest lecturers include Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, Suzii Paynter and Stephen Reeves.“We are privileged to host such a distinguished group of lecturers to engage the timely topic of faith and politics,” said Dr. Donnie Auvenshine, dean of HPU’s School of Christian Studies. “Undoubtedly, this will be a thought-provoking, helpful discussion.”
Dr. C. Welton Gaddy is the president of Interfaith Alliance and pastor of preaching and worship at Northminster Church in Monroe, La. He is the author of more than 20 books and hosts the weekly State of Belief radio program. Gaddy provides regular commentary to the national media on issues relating to politics and religion and has appeared on programs such as MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show and Hardball; NBC’s Nightly News and Dateline; PBS’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly and The Newshour with Jim Lehrer; C-SPAN’s Washington Journal; ABC’s World News; and CNN’s American Morning.
Suzii Paynter is the director of the Christian Life Commission and director of advocacy and care of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) in Dallas. The Christian Life Commission addresses a variety of public policy areas including leading the coalition against the expansion of gambling, human trafficking issues, food policy, energy issues, life issues, children’s needs and predatory lending practices. She is an active member of interfaith efforts to affect legislation and policy including the Council on Foreign Relations Religion and Foreign Policy network and the Evangelical Environmental Network. Previously on the faculty at Stephen F. Austin University and Baylor University, she has been an advocate for religious liberty issues, literacy and early intervention for high-risk children.
Stephen Reeves is the legislative counsel for the Christian Life Commission of the BGCT. Working out of the Citizenship and Public Policy office in Austin, Reeves’ primary duties include advocating for moral and ethical public policies in the Texas Legislature, educating church members about current policy issues, encouraging participation by Texas Baptists in the political process and keeping abreast of developments in church/state law. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and serves on the Board of Directors for Stop Predatory Gambling and Christians for Environmental Stewardship. Before joining the Christian Life Commission, he served as staff attorney for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C.
Admission to the lecture series is free, but reservations are required. For reservations, please contact HPU’s Office of University Marketing and Communications by e-mail at currie-strickland@hputx.edu or by phone at 325-649-8009.
The lecture series is made possible through the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Gary Elliston and was established to honor the life of Dr. David R. Currie, retired executive director of Texas Baptists Committed, and the memory of Phil Strickland, who dedicated nearly 40 years of ministry to the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ Christian Life Commission.
