2008 Woodie Awards
Faculty uncovers 'Christ-haunted' South
Athens' conference brings in over 200 attendees
by Elise Lumpkin
Issue date: 2/25/08 Section: News
Flannery O'Connor said, "While it is dangerous to make any statement about Southern belief, I think it is safe to say that while the South is hardly Christ-centered, it is most certainly Christ-haunted."
The Christ-haunted South was the topic covered this past weekend by Dr. Barbara Brown Taylor and other faculty at the Athens campus. Taylor was the keynote speaker, while Dr. Lisa Hodgens, Dr. Stephen Whited, Dr. Timothy Lytle, Dr. Barbara Steinhaus, Dr. Patrick Taylor and Reverend W. Michael Chittum held workshops on various subjects following the theme. Workshop subjects ranged from What is a Nice Spiritual Like You Doing in a Church Like This? by Steinhaus, to Looking for the Bible in All the Right Places by Lytle.
"My workshop had lively discussion on the roles of mystery and grace in O'Connor's fiction," says Hodgens, who presented The Real Heart of the Story.
Attendees traveled from as far away as Michigan to attend the conference.
"I came to be inspired and was not disappointed," says Lane Gresham, a Piedmont student.
The purpose of the conference was to explore the topic of religion in the South. In her speech Red Letters in Red Clay: How Southerners Have Found Themselves in the Bible, Taylor articulated that culture affects the way people read the Bible.
"I have spent most of my life in what I call a 'densely religious' part of the country," says Taylor. "When I travel outside Georgia now, what I notice is that church membership is not nearly as taken-for-granted in other parts of the country as it is in the South. In Georgia, one of the first things people ask you is where you go to church."
The conference consisted of a reception and dinner with a speech given by Taylor on Friday night. On Saturday, conference attendees ate breakfast before hearing Taylor speak again. They then chose two presentations to attend. A united worship service ended the conference.
Approximately 200 people attended the conference, more than were originally expected. Piedmont Chaplain, Reverend Dr. Ashley Cleere, says the conference exceeded expectations.
"We've received a lot of positive responses and are very pleased," Cleere says.
"Our preliminary discussions [for next year's event] have been about a conference on religion and the liberal arts in Appalachia," says Taylor about next year's theme. "It will involve music and dance along with social and religious analysis."
The Christ-haunted South was the topic covered this past weekend by Dr. Barbara Brown Taylor and other faculty at the Athens campus. Taylor was the keynote speaker, while Dr. Lisa Hodgens, Dr. Stephen Whited, Dr. Timothy Lytle, Dr. Barbara Steinhaus, Dr. Patrick Taylor and Reverend W. Michael Chittum held workshops on various subjects following the theme. Workshop subjects ranged from What is a Nice Spiritual Like You Doing in a Church Like This? by Steinhaus, to Looking for the Bible in All the Right Places by Lytle.
"My workshop had lively discussion on the roles of mystery and grace in O'Connor's fiction," says Hodgens, who presented The Real Heart of the Story.
Attendees traveled from as far away as Michigan to attend the conference.
"I came to be inspired and was not disappointed," says Lane Gresham, a Piedmont student.
The purpose of the conference was to explore the topic of religion in the South. In her speech Red Letters in Red Clay: How Southerners Have Found Themselves in the Bible, Taylor articulated that culture affects the way people read the Bible.
"I have spent most of my life in what I call a 'densely religious' part of the country," says Taylor. "When I travel outside Georgia now, what I notice is that church membership is not nearly as taken-for-granted in other parts of the country as it is in the South. In Georgia, one of the first things people ask you is where you go to church."
The conference consisted of a reception and dinner with a speech given by Taylor on Friday night. On Saturday, conference attendees ate breakfast before hearing Taylor speak again. They then chose two presentations to attend. A united worship service ended the conference.
Approximately 200 people attended the conference, more than were originally expected. Piedmont Chaplain, Reverend Dr. Ashley Cleere, says the conference exceeded expectations.
"We've received a lot of positive responses and are very pleased," Cleere says.
"Our preliminary discussions [for next year's event] have been about a conference on religion and the liberal arts in Appalachia," says Taylor about next year's theme. "It will involve music and dance along with social and religious analysis."
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