In honor of Claude H. Moore, Mary Virginia Moore gave the church a gift in order to provide an opportunity to invite scholars and leaders in the church to come and speak at Auburn First Baptist. Several years ago, we invited Dr. Bill Leonard as the inaugural speaker for the Claude H. Moore Lecture.
This year we will also honor Mary Virginia’s memory. In conversation with the Moore family, we will rename this event the Claude H. and Mary Virginia Moore Lecture, which is fitting. Claude and Mary Virginia cared deeply for Auburn First Baptist, serving it in so many ways. These lectures will continue to serve the congregation, furthering its study and lifting its soul, as we widen and deepen our understanding of the life of the gospel and the calling of the church.
We will welcome Dr. Thomas Long on September 16 as our Claude H. and Mary Virginia Moore speaker this year. Dr. Long is Bandy Professor Emeritus of Preaching at Emory University. He received his Master of Divinity at Erskine Theological Seminary and his Doctor of Philosophy from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Dr. Long has written numerous books, including the textbook, The Witness of Preaching, which is a standard in seminary education. It has been translated into multiple languages and is used widely in theological schools around the world. In 2010, Preaching magazine named it one of the twenty-five most influential books in preaching in the last twenty-five years. He has also given the esteemed Lyman Beecher Lectures at Yale, which became his book, Preaching from Memory to Hope.
He is also deeply invested in biblical studies and practical theology. He has written commentaries on the book of Hebrews, the Gospel of Matthew, and the Pastoral Epistles. His books on the Christian funeral, Accompany Them with Singing and The Good Funeral, have helped the church speak of hope at hard times. Long’s book, What Shall We Say? Evil, Suffering, and the Crisis of Faith, which addresses the issue of innocent suffering and the goodness of God was selected as the Book of the Year for 2011 by the Academy of Parish Clergy.
We will welcome Dr. Thomas Long as our speaker on September 16, as we continue to give thanks and honor the memory of Claude H. and Mary Virginia Moore. We will have a brunch at 9:15 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall, and then all our youth, college, and adult classes are invited to stay for his lecture.
-Tripp