​2017 SPEAKERS AND TEACHERS

Keynote Speaker: 
The Right Rev. Robert C. Wright

The Right Rev. Robert C. Wright is the 10th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, which covers north and central Georgia and embraces 110 worshiping communities. At the time of his election in June 2012, he had served 10 years as rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta. Prior to that, he was a school chaplain and on the staff of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City.

Since becoming bishop, Wright addressed the Georgia legislature about gun control, spoke up for Medicaid expansion and has been a vocal and active opponent of the death penalty in Georgia.  In commemoration of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, he prayed with a City of Atlanta sanitation crew before taking an early morning shift on the back of a city garbage truck. In January 2015, he was named among the 100 Most Influential Georgians by GeorgiaTrend magazine.
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Wright, 51, was born in a Roman Catholic orphanage in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was adopted at 9 months of age. After graduating high school, he served five years in the U.S. Navy. While attending Howard University in Washington, D.C., he worked as a child advocate for two mayors. He earned an M.Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary, and he has been awarded honorary doctor of divinity degrees by the Virginia seminary and Sewanee: The University of the South.

​Come Hear Bishop Wright Speak on April 5 at 6:30 PM!

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Falling Upward:  
A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life

The Rev. John Talbird
Retired Priest, Former Rector of Good Shepherd, Lookout Mountain

This class will take a close look at Richard Rohr’s book Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life. Rohr, a Franciscan This class will explore the many ways that literature presents alienation and its ef- fects, upon both the alienator and the  priest, is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico... Read more

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Exploring Misunderstood
Scripture in Context

The Rev. Dr. Rebecca Wright​
C. K. Benedict Professor of Old Testament, Sewanee School of Theology

This class will explore several passages of the Old Testament that have been misunderstood because of changes in word meaning, differences in historical or cultural context, or simple mistranslations from the Hebrew into English. For example, what did the angel promise Hagar about her as-yet-unborn son? Is there really unending conflict in view for him?  Read more​

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The Making - and Unmaking - of the Other

Mr. Chris Watkins
English Instructor, Baylor School

This class will explore the many ways that literature presents alienation and its effects, upon both the alienator and the alienated. By considering how the “Other” is created, students will come to appreciate the action’s complex nature. As well, “unmaking” suggests being brought back into the group as well perhaps being destroyed by it...  Read More​

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Speaking and Listening in Love

The Revs. Brad Whitaker, Leigh Preston, and Quinn Parman
Clergy of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Conversation is the most human and humanizing thing we do,” writes media scholar and author Sherry Turkle. It is also a fundamental spiritual practice. In her latest book Reclaiming Conversation: Talk in a Digital Age, Turkle points out that technology has enabled constant communication, while sacrificing real conversation for mere connection...  Read more

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The Role of the Church
​in a Divided World

The Rev. ​C. Stephen "Steve" Byrum
President and CEO of The Byrum Consulting Group and Retired United Methodist Elder

Our world is filled with divisions - many of which threaten to disrupt the very favbric of our lives on this planet.  Yet, God's word advances the idea that God takes pleasure in people dwelling in unity... Read more
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