Kevin Watson, assistant professor of Wesleyan and Methodist Studies at Candler Divinity School of Emory University, will present the Parkhurst Lecture at Southwestern College on Tuesday, March 29, at 7 p.m., in Wroten Hall.  There is no admission charge and the public is invited to attend.

The title of the lecture is “No Holiness but Social Holiness: Small Group Formation in Early Methodist Theology and Practice.”

Watson is a leading scholar in current Methodism. He holds a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma, a master of divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., and a Ph.D. in religious studies from Southern Methodist University. He is an ordained United Methodist elder and a John Wesley Fellow. 

Watson is the author of many important works including “A Blueprint for Discipleship: Wesley’s General Rules as a Guide for Christian Living” and “The Class Meeting: Reclaiming a Forgotten (and Essential) Small Group Experience.”

Last year he was invited to speak to the Council of Bishops about the importance of reclaiming the practice of small groups to the renewal and revitalization of the United Methodist Church.

“Dr. Watson’s scholarship on Wesley’s small groups is an important influence in United Methodism,” says Jackson Lashier, assistant professor of religion at Southwestern. “Our students and community will benefit greatly from hearing his ideas on Wesleyan discipleship.”

The Parkhurst Lecture is one of three annual endowed lectures hosted by the philosophy and religion department of the social sciences division at Southwestern College. This lecture focuses on Biblical studies. 

For more information contact Lashier at (620) 229-6066.