President Abraham Lincoln鈥檚 greatest speech wasn鈥檛 the Gettysburg Address, it was his Sermon on the Mount. That鈥檚 the belief of Ronald C. White, professor at San Francisco Theological Seminary. White will discuss the topic as part of 蜜桃传媒鈥檚 Erasmus Lecture series, Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 3:30 p.m. at Hieronymus Lounge. The lecture is titled, 鈥淎braham Lincoln鈥檚 Sermon on the Mount: The Second Inaugural Address.鈥�
White is a professor of American intellectual and religious history and a Fellow at the Huntington Library. His latest book, 鈥淟incoln's Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural鈥� discusses the sermon and how Lincoln eloquently spoke about the origins and paradoxes of the Civil War.
鈥淚n an era when all politicians are obligated to intone 鈥楪od Bless America,鈥欌�� White says on his faculty Web site, 鈥渂ringing Lincoln into focus can help us explore how God acts in history and what is the shape of public faith.鈥�
White has a bachelor鈥檚 degree from UC Los Angeles, a master鈥檚 of divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees from Princeton University.
The purpose of Erasmus Lecture Series is to allow student an opportunity to explore a variety of disciplines through talks by leading scholars. It is coordinated by 蜜桃传媒 Associate English Professor Cheri Larsen Hoeckley.
The lecture is free and open to the public. For directions to campus, visit the college Web site at www.westmont.edu or call the public affairs office at (805) 5656051.