'God and Athletics'
Focus of Tusculum February Lectures
Tusculum College's popular Theologian in Residence
series for 2002 will take place the four Tuesdays in February and focus
on the theme of "God and Athletics in the Modern World."
Two noted speakers will be featured in the series,
which is presented in the Chalmers Conference Center of the Niswonger
Commons building on the Tusculum campus. Dr. William J. Baker of the
University of Maine, author of "If Christ Came to the Olympics,"
will speak on Feb. 5 on the subject "How Americans Stopped Hating
Sport and Started Loving It."
On Feb. 26, Dr. Baker, a historian, will speak
on "Why the Religious South Makes a God of Football."
The middle two sessions will feature Dr. Robert
J. Higgs of East Tennessee State University. On Feb. 12, he will speak
on "Soldiers and Saints in the Stadium." On Feb. 19, he will
talk on the theme of "Religion, Sports, and Humor: The Eternal
Triangle."
His talks will focus on the way athleticism "feeds
off" two major symbolic representations of faith: Christians as
valiant "knights," and Christians as compassionate "shepherds."
He will also discuss how the spirit, body, and mind work together in
a complementary way in our experiences of sport, particularly as related
to sports humor.
Theologian In Residence presentations take place
during morning hours, with a shorter wrap-up session in the afternoon.
For more information, contact the office of Mark Stokes, vice president
for administration at Tusculum College, at 1-800-729-0256, extension
638.
