Carl Trueman to address movements, ideas shaping present culture in lecture series

Noted author, historian, and theologian Carl R. Trueman will guide Christians to think through the movements and ideas that are shaping the present culture during a two-part lecture series scheduled Oct. 17-18 at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

The lectures, which are part of the seminary’s historic Day-Higginbotham Lectures, is being presented by the Land Center for Cultural Engagement and the School of Theology.

Trueman will speak on “The Triumph of the Transgressor” at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 17, and “The Culture of Confessions” during a lecture, lunch, and question-and-answer session at noon Friday, Oct. 18, following a time for Research Doctoral Studies students exclusively to meet with him at 10 a.m.

“The Day-Higginbotham Lectures are a long-standing tradition where the Southwestern family and the broader community can gather together to engage theology and church history from today’s top evangelical thinkers,” said Madison Grace, provost and vice president for academic administration and dean of the School of Theology. “We are pleased to have the Land Center join the School of Theology in hosting this year’s lectures with Dr. Trueman.”

Daniel M. Darling, director of the Land Center and assistant professor of faith and culture at Texas Baptist College, said Trueman’s work “has been so important in this moment, particularly The Rise and Triumph of The Modern Self, which has accurately diagnosed expressive individualism and questions about identity.” Darling also called Trueman “an astute observer of both the current moment and of church history.”

Trueman, professor of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College in Pennsylvania, holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Aberdeen. He is a contributing editor of First Things magazine and is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He previously served as the William E. Simon Fellow in Religion and Public Life at Princeton University.

Trueman has authored or edited more than a dozen books, including The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution, which was named the first “Book of the Year” by Southwestern Journal of Theology for its inaugural Book of the Year Awards in 2020.

Trueman’s latest book, Crisis of Confidence: Reclaiming the Historic Faith in a Culture Consumed with Individualism and Identity, will be offered as a giveaway to the first 200 people attending the event.

“Having Dr. Trueman on campus will be a blessing to our students and faculty as well as the pastors and lay leaders who attend,” Darling said. “It’s part of the theological and intellectual formation that’s at the heart of the mission of Southwestern Seminary.”

The lectures are free and open to the public, but registration is required. An option to purchase a meal is available for the luncheon. For more information or to register, please click here.