McConnell Center fall lecture series begins

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The McConnell Center at the University of Louisville will present three public talks this fall, including a daylong conference on “The Legacy of Wendell Berry.”

“This fall, we are excited to help commemorate the legacies of two great Kentuckians—Abraham Lincoln and Wendell Berry, as well as hear from two experts debating the very foundations of our American republic,” said Gary Gregg, director of the center.

All events will be held on Belknap Campus. Details are as follows:

Aug. 29 – Lincoln in Illinois: Kentucky Film Premiere and Talk with Producer American history documentary producer Kent Masterson Brown of Witnessing History will introduce and present his latest film, “In the Declaration All Men Are Created Equal: Abraham Lincoln in Illinois, 1830-1860” ahead of its Sept. 1 premiere on KET. Q&A to follow. Free, Chao Auditorium, lower level of Ekstrom Library, 6-7:30 p.m.

Sept. 11 – Did America Have a Christian Founding? In this Constitution Week event, authors Mark David Hall and Andrew L. Seidel consider whether America had a Christian founding. Hall, author of the forthcoming “Did America Have a Christian Founding? Separating Modern Myth From Historical Truth,” debunks the assertion that America’s founders were deists who desired a strict separation of church and state and instead shows that their political ideas were influenced by their Christian convictions. In contrast, Seidel, author of the recently published “The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American,” challenges the notion that America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Colin Crawford, dean of the UofL Brandeis School of Law, will moderate. Free, Chao Auditorium, lower level of Ekstrom Library, 6-7:30 p.m.

Sept. 14 – The Legacy of Wendell Berry Wendell Berry’s literary and environmental legacy and vision will be the focus of this Front Porch Republic conference hosted by the McConnell Center. Berry, a Kentuckian noted for both his commitment to preserving and developing small communities, as well as his poetry, novels and essays, will deliver the keynote lecture. Speakers include Mary Berry, Jeff Bilbro, Susannah Black, Kate Dalton and others. Visit McConnellCenter.org to register. Registration and fee required, Student Activities Center, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

The non-partisan McConnell Center, created at UofL in 1991, prepares Kentucky’s top undergraduate students to become future leaders; offers civic education programs for teachers, students and the public; and conducts strategic leadership development for the U.S. Army.

For more information, contact GlyptusAnn Grider Jones at glyptusann.jones@louisville.edu or 502-852-4579.

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