For Immediate Release

South African Scholar to Lecture at Princeton Seminary on the Church and Global Change

Princeton, NJ, November 8, 2005– The local congregation should be at the cutting edge of mission. However, many congregations find themselves facing tensions from rapid global changes, and many find themselves torn apart over the issues. How are congregations able to discern the times in which they live? In what way is the “mind of Christ” embodied in the life of congregations?  These are among the questions that will be addressed at Princeton Theological Seminary on Wednesday, November 16 at 7:30 p.m. by Dr. John W. de Gruchy in his lecture, “Re-forming Congregations in a Time of Global Change.” 

De Gruchy is professor emeritus of Christian studies and formerly director of the Graduate School in Humanities at the University of Cape Town, where he taught for more than 30 years while concurrently serving as an associate minister of the Rondebosch United Church. He holds two doctorates, one in theology and one in social science, and has received honorary doctorates from Chicago Theological Seminary and Rhodes University. During his career he has become internationally known for his contribution to the study of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s theology, the history of the church and public theology in South Africa, and, more recently, theology and art. He has lectured in many countries, notably in the United States, Britain, and Germany. He gave the Warfield Lectures at Princeton Seminary on Liberating Reformed Theology in 1990. In 2000 he received the Karl Barth Prize from the Evangelical Church in Germany for his work on Dietrich Bonhoeffer. His most recent books are Christianity, Art and Transformation (Cambridge University Press); Reconciliation: Restoring Justice (Fortress), based on his Hulsean Lectures at the University of Cambridge in 2002; and Daring, Trusting Spirit: Bonhoeffer’s Friend Eberhard Bethge (Fortress).  His Confessions of a Christian Humanist is currently in press with a projected release date of May 2006. 

De Gruchy now lives at the Volmoed Christian Conference Centre in South Africa, where he writes, makes furniture, and conducts theological workshops. He is also a senior research associate at the University of Cape Town and an honorary professor at the University of Stellenbosch.

The Frederick Neumann Memorial Lecture was established in 1983 by Dr. Edith Neumann in memory of her husband. Frederick Neumann (1899–1967) was a philosopher, biblical scholar, missionary, and pastor.

The lecture will take place in the Main Lounge of the Mackay Campus Center, followed by a reception in the Private Dining Room. It is open to the public and free of charge. For more information, call 609-497-7760 or visit www.ptsem.edu.