Hickory – The Lenoir-Rhyne University Institute for Faith and Learning will continue its 2019-20 speaker series with a presentation by Richard Beck, Ph.D., Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. in Grace Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.

A professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at Abilene Christian University, Beck is a sought after speaker and an award-winning blogger and author. His presentation is titled after his recently released book: “Trains, Jesus and Murder: The Gospel According to Johnny Cash.”

He is also the author of “Stranger God: Meeting Jesus in Disguise.” Every Monday evening, Beck leads a Bible class for 50 inmates at the maximum security French Robertson unit and has written and spoken extensively about his experiences working in a prison.

Beck earned a doctorate in experimental psychology from Southern Methodist University and received both his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Abilene Christian University. Beck is married to Jana, who is a high school theater teacher, and they have two sons, Brenden and Aidan. The Becks attend the Highland Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas, where he serves as an elder and adult faith Bible class teacher. Beck also serves and leads at Freedom Fellowship, a mission church plant of Highland that reaches out to the poor and homeless of the city.

For the academic year, the speaker series concludes with a presentation by Eboo Patel, Thursday, April 23, at 7 p.m. in P.E. Monroe Auditorium. This event is co-sponsored by the LR Living Well Center for Vocation and Purpose, Institute for Faith and Learning, and Visiting Writers Series, with the Catawba Valley Interfaith Council.

For more information, visit lr.edu/publicevents or contact Jonathan Schwiebert, LR professor of religious studies, at [email protected] or call 828.328.7184.

The Lenoir-Rhyne University Institute for Faith and Learning speaker series invites prominent religious figures and authors to share their work and beliefs with audiences at LR and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. The IFL, in conjunction with the Academy for Faith and Leadership at LTSS, endeavors to provide programming that contributes to and enriches a culture of the intellect that is theologically based. Its programs are directed to Christians of all traditions.

About Lenoir-Rhyne University: Founded in 1891, Lenoir-Rhyne University is a co-educational, private liberal arts institution with more than 50 undergraduate degree programs and over 30 graduate degree programs. LR enrolls more than 2,750 undergraduate and graduate students and has had 11 consecutive years of enrollment growth. LR’s main campus is in Hickory, North Carolina, where both undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered. The University also offers graduate degree programs on its campuses in Asheville, North Carolina, and Columbia, South Carolina. The Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary is also in Columbia. LR is affiliated with the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and welcomes students from all religious backgrounds. The website is www.lr.edu.
Richard Beck