Perkins Lecture Series have been one of the most significant events at FUMC since 1943. Paul E. Martin, beloved former pastor of FUMC, conceived the idea for the Perkins Lectures. Mr. and Mrs. J. J. (Lois) Perkins founded the Lectureship in 1943. Research indicates that this is the first lecture series of its kind nationwide, established in a local church. The Lectureship’s purpose is stated in its original charter, drafted in 1943: “To bring consecrated, capable speakers of note to deliver in said First Methodist Church, talks or lectures pertaining to and in furtherance of the Christian Religion . . . for the benefit of the members of said Church, for the benefit of Methodism generally, and for the benefit of the public at large.”
Our 2010 Perkins Lecturer will be Amy-Jill Levine the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, Graduate Department of Religion, and Program in Jewish Studies.
Holding a B.A. from Smith College, M.A. and Ph.D. from Duke University, and honorary doctorates from the University of Richmond, the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, and the University of South Carolina- Upstate, Professor Levine has been awarded grants from the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies. She has held office in the Society of Biblical Literature, the Catholic Biblical Association (she is presently the New Testament book review editor for the Catholic Biblical Quarterly
Her most recent books include:
- The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus
(HarperOne);
- The edited collection, The Historical Jesus in Context (Princeton Readings in Religions)
(Princeton);
- The fourteen-volume series, Feminist Companions to the New Testament and Early Christian Writings
(Continuum);
- The Cambridge Companion to the Bible (Companions to Religion)
(Cambridge).
In addition, she has recorded “Introduction to the Old Testament,” “Great Figures of the Old Testament,” and “Great Figures of the New Testament” for the Teaching Company.
A self-described “Yankee Jewish feminist who teaches in a predominantly Christian divinity school in the buckle of the Bible Belt,” Professor Levine combines history and literary insight with a frequent dash of humor to bring aspects of the Scriptures down-to-earth. In all of this, she maintains a commitment to eliminating anti-Jewish, sexist, and homophobic theologies.
This year, the lectures will be:
- Sunday, March 7, 2010 – 10:30am
The Good Samaritan - Sunday, March 7, 2010 – 7:00pm
Hearing the Parables Anew - Monday, March 8, 2010 – 12:00noon
The Prodigal Son - Monday, March 8, 2010 – 7:00pm
The Laborers in the Vineyard
Our 1997& 2008 Perkins Lecturer was and will be Dr. R. Maurice Boyd, whose ministry has included preaching and teaching in the major pulpits and universities of the Nation and abroad and he has been the Theme Speaker at many conferences. For instance, he delivered the 
Our 1983 & 2007 Perkins Lecturer was Dr. Fred B. Craddock, who is minister emeritus of Cherry Log Christian Church in Cherry Log, Georgia and Bandy Distinguished Professor of Preaching and New Testament, Emeritus, in the Candler School of Theology, Emory University. An ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Dr. Craddock has also served pastorates in Tennessee and Oklahoma. Much sought after as a lecturer, he has delivered the Lyman Beecher Lectures at Yale, the Scott Lectures at Claremont School of Theology, the Adams Lectures at Southeastern Baptist Seminary, the Schaff Lectures at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, the Cole Lectures at Vanderbilt, the Westervelt Lectures at Austin Presbyterian Seminary, the Mullins Lectures at Southern Seminary, Earl Lectures at Pacific School of Religion, and even the Perkins Lectures here at FUMC in 1983.
