Professor lectures at Bridgewater College on Protestantism in the United States

Dr. David Hollinger, a historian specializing in American intellectual and religious history, will present an endowed lecture at Bridgewater College this evening in Cole Hall.

Hollinger’s 7:30 p.m. lecture is free and open to the public, and it will serve as the keynote address for a symposium organized by BC’s Forum for Brethren Studies.

An author of nine books, Hollinger will discuss his most recent work, “Christianity’s American Fate: How Religion Became More Conservative and Society More Secular,” which was published in 2022. Hollinger describes in the book how the timing of Protestantism’s adoption of liberal ideas alienated both conservative and progressive Protestants. As a result, Protestant conservatives embraced evangelicalism while Protestant progressives turned to secular activism, giving dominance to Protestant evangelicalism within the United States.

Hollinger is the Preston Hotchkis professor of history, emeritus, at the University of California, Berkeley. He is an elected member of the American Philosophical Society and the Society of American Historians. Hollinger also served as president of the Organization of American Historians from 2010-2011.

After Hollinger’s keynote address, a symposium on “Perspectives in the Twenty-First Century: Challenges for the Church of the Brethren” will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in the Boitnott Room in Rebecca Hall on Bridgewater’s campus. The symposium will bring together a group of both young and seasoned scholars with varied perspectives that offer insight into the Brethren experience in the 21st Century. Topics to be discussed include challenges to the Brethren peace position, the role of the Brethren during the American Civil War, gender issues within German Pietism and recent membership trends in the Church as well as the impact of the culture wars on Church membership.

Friday’s symposium is also open to the public, but has a registration fee of $20 per individual. Email Dr. Carol Scheppard at [email protected] to pre-register. Pre-registered attendees will receive parking passes and additional information. Walk-ups are welcome on the day of the event. The $20 registration fee is payable by cash or check at the door.

Hollinger’s endowed lecture is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the event starting at 7:30 p.m. The format for the event is a traditional lecture. Attendees will have an opportunity for a book signing with Hollinger from 8:30 to 9 p.m.

The endowed lecture is sponsored by the Anna B. Mow Symposium on Comparative Religious Ethics and is co-presented by the Forum for Brethren Studies and the College Chaplain’s Office.

Founded in 1880, Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Bridgewater College is home to approximately 1,450 students pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergraduate majors and minors and four graduate programs housed within three distinct schools.