Academic Life ~ Center for Christian Spirituality ~ Fifth Annual Lecture in Christian Spirituality

Fifth Annual Lecture in Christian Spirituality

The Loss of the Good of Intellect: Spirituality in the Academy

Presented by: The Very Rev. Alan Jones, Dean of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

Tuesday, February 13, 2007 - 8:00 p.m.

In celebration of our 30th anniversary, the Center for Christian Spirituality is pleased to announce its Fifth Annual Lecture in Christian Spirituality will be given by The Very Rev. Alan Jones, Dean of Grace Cathedral, San Franciso, CA and founder of the Center for Christian Spirituality.

Truth is the good of the intellect and the supreme truth is the highest good of the intellect, which is God... The life of the mind is concentric and integrating so that "we see life steadily and see it whole".

The danger of modern scholarship is that it pushes toward excessive specialization, in the modern university and beyond. This over-specialization holds the Academy captive, causing many to lose the ability to synthesize and disintegrates the larger vision of Truth. Dean Jones will lead us through a way to comprehend Truth as more than just the assembling of information, to a means for integrating separate insights through their relation to one another, towards a wiser, more holistic understanding.

Dean Jones has been Dean of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco since 1985. He is the author of numerous books, including Common Prayer on Common Ground: The Vision of Anglican Orthodoxy and Reimagining Christianity: Reconnect Your Spirit without Disconnecting Your Mind. In 1976, he founded the Center for Christian Spirituality at the General Theological Seminary, while he was the Stephen F. Bayne Professor of Ascetical Theology (1972-1982).

This lecture will begin at 8:00 p.m. in the Seminary's Seabury Auditorium, with a reception following in Matthew's Lounge. To make a reservation, please contact James W.N. Murphy at 212-243-5150 x269 or by e-mail at ccs@gts.edu. A suggested $25 ($15 for students) donation at the door will be gratefully accepted.

Our annual lecture seeks to promote the academic study of spirituality by providing a forum for prominent voices in the field to be heard and to engage the public on vital topics in spirituality. The Annual Lecture in Christian Spirituality has presented four previous speakers to appreciative standing-room only audiences. In 2003 Dr. Sandra Schneiders, IHM of the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California inaugurated the series with her lecture on "Embodying the Word: The Role of Interpretation in Biblical Spirituality." In 2004 the Rev. Martin Smith presented "Spiritual Resources for the Future: Facing the Challenges of Crossing the Post-Modern Divide." In 2005, the Rev. Dr. Tilden Edwards addressed the topic of "Learning and Living with the Mind in the Heart." In 2006, Dr. Roberta Bondi delivered a engaging lecture on "Julian of Norwich: Life in a Hazelnut".