2012 Staley Distinguished Christian Lecturer on Tuesday, February 7.
Her talk is titled "Learning to Walk in the Dark: The Ancient Way of
Unknowing," and will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Duke Family Performance
Hall. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not
required.
Dr. Taylor is the Butman Professor of Religion at Piedmont College in
Demorest, Ga. She also taught for many years on the faculty of
Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga. Ordained as an Episcopal
priest in 1982, she served as Rector of Grace-Calvary Episcopal Church
during the 1990s. In 1996 she was named one of the twelve "most
effective" preachers in the English-speaking world by Baylor University.
Dr. Taylor has authored many articles and twelve books on Christian
spirituality, including the New York Times bestseller An Altar in the
World (2009), Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith (2006), The Luminous
Web: Essays on Science and Religion (2001) and The Preaching Life
(1993). She was votedGeorgia Author of the Year in 2006.
Dr. Taylor received her B.A. in Religion from Emory University and her
Masters of Divinity from Yale Divinity School. She has also been
awarded the Doctor ofDivinity degree from various institutions,
including Wake Forest University, the University of the South
(Sewanee), and Yale Divinity School.
Her Staley Lecture at Davidson College will be based on the book she's
currently writing, the thesis of which is that darkness has gotten a
very bad name among religious people, when it is in fact where Goddoes
some of God's best work. Additional information may be found at www.davidson.edu/religiouslife
or by calling the Office of the Chaplain at 704-894-2423.
Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for
1,800 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, N.C.
Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has
graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of
the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through The Davidson
Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the
nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aidpackages,
giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free. Davidson
competes in NCAA athletics at the Division I level, and a longstanding
Honor Code is central to student life at the college.
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