Theologian in Residence Rev. Dr. Ted Smith

Sunday | April 14 

Rev. Dr. Ted Smith will preach at the 9:30 a.m. Sanctuary service and the 10:45 OnPoint Main Hall service 

Followed by Lunch & Learn
Lunch | Geneva Hall | 12:00-12:45 p.m. | Registration required
Cafe Carolina will provide boxed lunches for $13/person. Please note, you do not need to register for the lecture if you are not eating lunch.

Lecture | Main Hall 12:45-2:15 p.m.

Church between the Times: Christian Life in an Age of Individualization
Much has been made of the rising number of “nones,” or people who have no particular religious affiliation. Ted Smith argues that what’s happening is not secularization, at least not in the sense of a decline in religious belief and practice. It is rather a kind of individualization that is unraveling associations of every kind. Smith will offer historical and sociological analysis of these dynamics. But most of all he will offer ways to think about this present moment theologically. And he will suggest some practical, faithful ways forward for congregations, families, and individual Christians.

Rev. Dr. Ted A. Smith is Charles Howard Candler Professor of Divinity at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. He works at the intersections of practical and political theology, paying special attention to the forms church life takes in modern societies. He currently serves as Director of Theological Education Between the Times, a project that gathers diverse groups of people to think together about the meanings and purposes of theological education. In May 2023, he published The End of Theological Education in which he analyzes the history of religion in the United States and the changing landscape of theological education. In this insightful book, Smith calls readers to reimagine church, ministry, and theological education for this time between the times.