Perkins Baptist House of Studies to Host Amanda Tyler Oct. 3

DALLAS (SMU) – The Perkins Baptist House of Studies will host Amanda Tyler, Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, for two events on Thursday, Oct. 3. 

Ms. Tyler will be guest preacher during the 11:30 a.m. chapel service. Her sermon, "The Temptation of Christian Nationalism: Power Brokers over Prophets," will be based on Luke 4:1-20.  Chapel will be followed by Lunch and Conversation with Ms. Tyler on the subject of "Resisting Christian Nationalism" from noon to 1:15 p.m. All events will take place in the Great Hall, Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Hall and are open to the public. To attend Lunch and Conversation with Amanda Tyler, please register at this link. Cost is $5 for students and $10 for non-students.

As Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC) in Washington, D.C., Tyler leads BJC as it upholds the historic Baptist principle of religious liberty, defending the free exercise of religion and protecting against its establishment by government.

The first woman to hold the position of BJC Executive Director, Tyler speaks frequently in churches, educational institutions and denominational gatherings, and she provides commentary on church-state issues to the media. Called a “powerful advocate” and “rising star in the sector” by The Nonprofit Times, she was named one of the nation’s top 50 nonprofit leaders in 2018. A member of the Texas and U.S. Supreme Court Bar, she has experience working in Congress, in a private legal practice and serving as a law clerk for a federal judge.

About Perkins Baptist House of Studies

The Baptist House of Studies (BHS) at Perkins School of Theology fosters community for ministerial students, faculty, and staff who identify with the Baptist and Free Church traditions. The BHS is a spiritual, rather than a physical, house that especially supports and encourages students as they pursue their academic and ecclesial training in an ecumenical and university-based seminary.

During their time at Perkins, Baptist students and those from Free Church traditions such as the United Church of Christ, the Christian Church/ Disciples of Christ, Mennonite and non-denominational churches, will be able to participate in mentoring, internships and fellowship provided by the Baptist House and take classes relevant to leadership within the Free Church tradition.

Director of the Perkins Baptist House of Studies is Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles, Professor of New Testament at Perkins School of Theology and Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor at Southern Methodist University. An ordained Baptist minister, Dr. Clark-Soles is the only female director of a Baptist House of Studies in the United States. 

To learn more about The Perkins Baptist House of Studies visit smu.edu/perkins/baptist.

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Perkins School of Theology, founded in 1911, is one of five official University-related schools of theology of The United Methodist Church. Degree programs include the Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Music, Master of Theological Studies, Master of Arts in Ministry, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Pastoral Music as well as the Ph.D., in cooperation with The Graduate Program in Religious Studies at SMU's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.