2021 News and Events

Nominations are now open for the 2022 Perkins School of Theology Woodrow B. Seals Laity Award and will be accepted through December 17, 2021. The annual award is presented to a layperson in the United States who exemplifies an exceptional commitment of service to Christ through faith and action in the church, community and world.

Perkins School of Theology will offer a new course, Contemporary Issues in the Philosophy of Religion: The Work of William J. Abraham (TC 8308) during the Spring 2022 semester. The course will be open to Perkins students as well as to anyone with an interest in Abraham’s life and writings.

The Nov. 15 Inside Perkins event, an on-campus experience for prospective students, will include a unique ‘extra’: participants will not only have an opportunity to visit the Perkins School of Theology campus, meet students and faculty and experience community worship, but also will attend a lecture by internationally renowned scholar and teacher Dr. Amy-Jill Levine and will have the option of attending the 2021 Fall Convocation at a significant discount.

The Perkins School of Theology Alumni/ae Council has selected Evelyn L. Parker as the 2021 recipient of the Perkins Distinguished Alumnus/a Award.

It is with profound sadness that Perkins School of Theology announces the sudden death of Dr. William J. “Billy” Abraham on Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021.

The Lilly Endowment-funded initiative at Perkins School of Theology, “Testimony HQ,” has selected 10 congregations for the first cohort of developing thriving congregations through the practice of testimony as community engagement.

Perkins School of Theology’s Baptist House of Studies will co-host a Women in Ministry Day with Texas Baptist Women in Ministry (TXBWIM) on Wednesday, October 13, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., at the Perkins campus at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Prospective students are invited to explore the possibilities of a life-changing graduate theological education at Perkins School of Theology this fall through a series of in-person and virtual programs hosted by the Office of Enrollment Management (OEM).

Read Perkins Dean Craig C. Hill's sermon, “A Modest Proposal: Let’s Tell the Truth About Each Other,” preached Aug. 25 at the annual Feast of Beginnings – the first worship service of the 2021-22 academic year, which welcomed new and returning students and recognized new faculty, staff and student leaders.

Registration is now open for the 2021 Roy D. Barton Lecture, which takes place Monday, September 20 at 6:30 p.m. at Perkins School of Theology, SMU. The featured speaker, Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey, will share “Tales from the Edge of the Inside.”

With the theme, “Speak Up! Stories for a New Day,” the annual Fall Convocation at Perkins School of Theology will take place Monday and Tuesday, November 15-16, 2021. Attendees may attend the hybrid event virtually or in person at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas.

A new virtual event series sponsored by the Perkins School of Theology Office of Development will offer opportunities for engagement and learning with Perkins faculty and staff.

Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University is accepting nominations for its 2021 Distinguished Alumnus/a Award.

As Americans celebrated Juneteenth last weekend – the first time ever as a federal holiday – members of Moody Memorial First United Methodist Church in Galveston had a special opportunity to hear from a key leader in the battle for civil rights and equality.

Perkins School of Theology announces the appointment of two new holders of two endowed chairs: Dr. Rebekah Miles as the Susanna Wesley Centennial Professor of Practical Theology and Dr. Ted Campbell as the Albert Cook Outler Professor of Wesley Studies.

The public is invited to an online program, “Do No Harm: Black Bodies and Bioethics,” from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, April 26. The event is sponsored by Perkins School of Theology, the Robinson Arts Fund at the Perkins School of Theology, and the Perkins African American Fine Arts and Bioethics Project.

This Zoom event is designed to be a space where we come together to learn and to speak out about racism. Please join this multicultural group of speakers from Perkins School of Theology as we strive to increase awareness of social injustices and racism against marginalized communities in the United States.

Bridwell Library (Perkins School of Theology and SMU Libraries) at Southern Methodist University has been named the recipient of the collections of the recently closed World Methodist Council Museum in Lake Junaluska, N.C.

“Words Matter: The Intersectionality of Race, Religion and Public Policy”, a Zoom webinar, will be held at 7 p.m. on April 19, 2021. The event is sponsored by Perkins School of Theology’s Center for the Study of Latino/a Christianity and Religions and the Department of World Languages and Literature at Dedman School of the Humanities and Sciences.

The violence that unfolded in Atlanta March 17 against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community is a tragic reminder of the continued increase in racist acts targeting these and other innocent persons across the United States.

The Lilly Endowment funded initiative at the Perkins School of Theology, “Reboot: The Congregation as Youth Worker,” released the first guide for churches interested in discerning and eventually implementing an innovative and sustainable model for a congregational ministry with youth.

Many urgent needs of area churches, clinics and nonprofits were met thanks to an emergency grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, in partnership with Perkins School of Theology.

A virtual gathering for those considering a vocation of ministry or service is set for Feb. 25 at 12:30 p.m. (Central) with noted preacher and Perkin professor Dr. Alyce McKenzie.

Perkins School of Theology is honored to announce the 2021 recipients of the Woodrow B. Seals Laity Award: Nancy Seay, a philanthropist and elder of Highland Park Presbyterian Church (HPPC) and Lisa Tichenor, an active community leader and lay member of Highland Park United Methodist Church (HPUMC).