CERCL to host ‘The Cross and the Lynching Tree’ March 20

Rice University’s Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning (CERCL) and the Department of Religious Studies will host the talk “The Cross and the Lynching Tree” March 20 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Rice Memorial Chapel. The event is part of CERCL’s Leadership Lecture Series and is free and open to the public.

JAMES CONE

The lecture will feature James Cone, the Charles A. Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary. Cone is regarded as the founder of black liberation theology.

Cone’s latest book, “The Cross and the Lynching Tree,” received the 2012 Nautilus Silver Award in Religion/Spirituality-Western Traditions, in addition to the Amazon.com No. 1 best-seller in February 2012. Naming it one of the top religion books of 2011, Huffington Post editors said, “One of the great theologians of the late 20th century, Cone forces us to look hard at suffering, oppression and, ultimately, redemption.”

CERCL’s Leadership Lecture Series advances understanding of Houston’s impact on national issues of religion, social justice, political equality and more by inviting noteworthy figures to give public lectures on related topics. All lectures and panel discussions are free and open to the public. The lecture is co-sponsored by The Rockwell Fund, Inc.

CERCL is a part of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. For more information, visit http://cercl.rice.edu.