Perkins School of Theology Hosts A Texas Faith Public Forum

Free to the Public

Dallas, Texas – Perkins School of Theology will host a Texas Faith Public Forum, “Elections and the Common Good,” Thursday, September 27, 2012, from 7:00-8:30 pm in the Great Hall of Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Hall. This event, organized by The Dallas Morning News, will be moderated by Dallas Morning News editorial columnist William McKenzie and senior political writer Wayne Slater of the newspaper's Texas Faith blog, which brings together religious leaders and thinkers from diverse faith traditions to discuss contemporary issues and concerns.

Perkins School of Theology Dean William B. Lawrence – one of the forum panelists – notes that this event is scheduled less than one week before the first presidential debate, and provides the opportunity to ask, “How is the 2012 election helping to define the national good – and how can the campaigns do that better?”

In addition to Dean Lawrence, panelists include the following leaders:

Katie Sherrod, an independent writer/producer and Episcopalian activist, Fort Worth;

George Mason, Senior Pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas;

Dwight McKissic, Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Baptist, Arlington;

Gordon K. Wright, Dallas attorney and a North Texas leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints;

Mike Ghouse, President of the Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas.

The public is invited to this event, and there is no charge to attend. Prothro Hall is located on the SMU campus at 5901 Bishop Boulevard in Dallas. Free parking in the Meadows Museum garage, located across the street from Prothro Hall, can be accessed from Bishop Boulevard by turning right on Schlegel Street. Guests must use the left lane of the entryway to the parking garage to avoid a charge for parking. A map of the SMU campus is available at smu.edu/maps.

For more information:

     Connie L. Nelson, Director of Public Affairs and Alumni Relations, 214.768.2335, clnelson@smu.edu;
     Tim McLemore, Associate Director of Public Affairs, 214.768.1393, tmclemore@smu.edu

About Perkins School of Theology:

Perkins School of Theology, founded in 1911, is one of five official University-related schools of theology of The United Methodist Church. Degree programs include the Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Music, Master of Theological Studies, Master of Church Ministries, and Doctor of Ministry, as well as the Ph.D., in cooperation with The Graduate Program in Religious Studies at SMU’s Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.

About The Dallas Morning News:

Established in 1885, The Dallas Morning News is Texas’ leading newspaper and the flagship newspaper subsidiary of A. H. Belo Corporation. It has received nine Pulitzer Prizes since 1986, as well as numerous other industry awards recognizing the quality of its investigative and feature journalism, design and photojournalism. Its portfolio of print and digital products reaches an average daily audience of more than 1.1 million people and includes online news and information sites; iPhone, Android and iPad apps; Al Día, the leading Spanish-language daily in North Texas; neighborsgo, a consumer-generated community news outlet; and Briefing, the free, home-delivered quick-read. For more information about The Dallas Morning News, contact Kelly Christensen, Director of Marketing, The Dallas Morning News, 214-977-7654, kchristensen@dallasnews.com.