Date/Time
Date(s) - 02/11/2021
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Category(ies)
BYU’s 4th Annual World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW) Lecture will take place on Thursday, February 11, 2021. Renowned Duke Divinity School scholar, Grant Wacker, will speak to the topic “Errand to the World: Billy Graham’s Vision for a Global Gospel.”
For more than five decades Billy Graham (1918-2018) ranked as one of the most influential voices in the Christian world. Nearly 215 million people heard him preach in person or through live electronic media, likely more than any other person in history. While remaining Evangelically orthodox at the core, over time his approach on many issues became increasingly irenic. Graham distinguished himself by his determination to offer a version of the gospel that welcomed as many people as possible—Protestant fundamentalists on his right, Protestant liberals on his left, as well as Catholics, Orthodox, Latter-day Saints, Jews, and secular non-believers. His message was always the same: “I will work with anyone who will work with me.” Though his ecumenical stance provoked fierce opposition from hard-liners, for millions Graham remained less a preacher than a Protestant saint who offered a message of hope to wandering souls everywhere, regardless of their religious orientation.
Professor Wacker is a prolific scholar whose work has won numerous awards. He is the past president of the American Society of Church History, former senior editor of the scholarly journal, Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture, and a trustee of Fuller Theological Seminary. In the words of Yale University religious historian, Harry Stout, “Grant Wacker is the finest Billy Graham scholar in the world today.”
Because of the pandemic, this year’s WIHW Lecture will be a virtual event, livestreamed as a Zoom Webinar. Also different this year is that rather than the usual evening event, it will take place from 11:00-12:00. Additionally, Prof. Wacker has agreed to linger after his lecture for a Q&A session for those who are interested and available.
Attached is a pptx slide and pdf version of the poster for use in alerting your students to this exciting event.
Pre-registration is not required, but by registering on the event website –ro.byu.edu/graham—students (and you) will receive email reminder notices as the event draws near. Because this will be a Zoom Webinar and the audience is invisible, individuals may enter or leave as needed without fear of interrupting Dr. Wacker’s lecture. So, even if a student is able to listen to only a portion of the lecture, they should feel free to tune in!
The Zoom link will be added as we get closer to the event.
