Dr. Alyce M. McKenzie to lead special, two-day Houston Lay School of Theology focusing on Biblical wisdom
Perkins School of Theology will present “The Wit of Alyce McKenzie & The Wisdom of the Bible” at the two-day Houston Lay School of Theology, Aug. 16-17, 2019, at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, located at 5501 Main Street in Houston.
DALLAS (SMU) – Perkins School of Theology will present “The Wit of Alyce McKenzie & The Wisdom of the Bible” at the two-day Houston Lay School of Theology, Aug. 16-17, 2019, at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, located at 5501 Main Street in Houston.
The event begins with a free evening lecture, “Advice We Wish We’d Taken! The Proverbial Wisdom of the Bible,” on Friday, Aug. 16, from 7:30 to 9 p.m., followed by a daylong class on Saturday, Aug. 17, “Wise Up! Four Biblical Virtues for Navigating Life” from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Presenting the lecture and class will be Alyce M. McKenzie, Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. Prof. McKenzie is the author of a new book, also titled “Wise Up! Four Biblical Virtues for Navigating Life” (Cascade Books, 2018).
Proverbs have been called “short sentences gleaned from long experience.” McKenzie’s Friday night lecture will place the pithy, pungent proverbs of the Bible, both of the Old Testament and of Jesus’ short sayings, side by side with common cultural sayings. It will explore how heeding the wisdom of biblical proverbs paves the way for a faith-filled, disciplined, compassionate life.
The daylong course will explore four virtues derived from the wisdom literature of the Old and New Testaments, including Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job and the short sayings of Jesus. The four virtues are faith, compassion, discipline and moral courage. Calling these virtues the awestruck attitude (fear of the Lord, or faith), the listening heart (compassion), the “cool spirit” (self-discipline), and the courageous voice (moral courage), McKenzie will lead participants in a look at each virtue as it appears in Scripture and offer practical ways to cultivate it in daily life. As one reviewer said about McKenzie’s book, this course will share wisdom that “soothes the soul and troubles the conscience … deepens faith, fires compassion, cools destructive desire and nudges the sleeping conscience awake.”
Advanced registration is open now through Aug. 9. Visit the website here.
Registration will also be available at the door. Advanced registration is $70 per person and includes lunch on Saturday; on-site registration is $80 per person. Continuing Education Unit (0.5 CEU) is available for an additional $15 fee per person.
For more information about the bi-annual Houston Lay School of Theology or the annual Perkins Theological School for the Laity in Dallas call 214-768-3664 or email theoexternalprograms@smu.edu.
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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 Arts in Ministry, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Pastoral Music as well as the Ph.D., in cooperation with The Graduate Program in Religious Studies at SMU's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.