C. Shelby Rooks Lecture

The Center for the Study of Black Faith and Life at the Chicago Theological Seminary will present the Fifth Annual C. Shelby Rooks Lectureship on Thursday, October 6, 6:30 p.m. (public reception at 5:15), in Graham Taylor Chapel, 5757 S. University Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. Distinguished religious scholar Charles H. Long will deliver the lecture titled “The Secret of the Cargo: Understanding African American Religion."

Prior to his retirement from the Religious Studies Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1996, Dr. Long held faculty positions as Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago, where he earned his doctoral degree; William Kenan Rand, Jr. Professor of History of Religions at the University of North Carolina; Professor of History of Religions at Duke University; and Jeannette K. Watson Professor of History of Religions at Syracuse University.

Long founded the journal History of Religions with Mircea Eliade and Joseph Kitagawa. He was a founding member of the Society for the Study of Black Religion with Dr. C. Shelby Rooks. Rooks, an influential leader in the United Church of Christ and in theological education, was CTS’s ninth president and the first African American to lead a predominately White theological school (1974-1984).

The Center for the Study of Black Faith and Life empowers, equips, and encourages African American students to translate and integrate Black history and culture into a theological educational process that is committed to the liberation of Black people. Chicago Theological Seminary, a seminary of the United Church of Christ, serves Christ and the churches and the wider faith community by preparing women and men in the understandings and skills needed for religious leadership and ministry to individuals, churches, and society. For more information call 773.752.5757.

To watch clips of past Rooks Lectures, visit the Center for the Study of Black Faith and Life.