HUNTINGDON COLLEGE
News Release
October 1, 2024
For more information, contact:
Laura Brelsford | laura.brelsford@hawks.huntingdon.edu | 334-833-4563
Dr. Esau McCaulley Inspires at Moore Lecture
Montgomery, AL – Dr. Esau McCaulley, author and the Jonathan Blanch Association Professor of New Testament and Public Theology at Wheaton College, offered inspiration and wisdom to Huntingdon College students and guests during his visit to Huntingdon College on September 26 and 27. Dr. McCaulley visited Huntingdon as the guest lecturer for The Marsha and Tom Moore Endowed Distinguished Lectureship on Equity, Justice, and Peace. The lectureship was created in 2021 by Huntingdon alumni, Dr. Tom Moore ’73 and his wife, Marsha Kirk Moore ’74, of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The series brings speakers of national prominence to Huntingdon College to engage the campus and the community in a discussion that advances the issues of equity, justice, and peace.
On Thursday evening September 26, Dr. McCaulley spoke to a full house in Ligon Chapel. After opening remarks from President Anthony Leigh recognizing Tom and Marsha Moore, speaking briefly on the history of the lectureship series, and introducing the guest lecturer, Dr. McCaulley took to the lectern. He spoke to the audience about not only his career and published works, but also about his personal experiences as a young man living and growing up in north Alabama in a challenging home environment and a racially divided society. His personal testimony of growth, forgiveness, and understanding was met with applause, a standing ovation, and cheers from the Huntingdon students and guests. Dr. McCaulley concluded his remarks by opening the floor for questions from students and elaborating on a few of the themes including forgiveness and motivational drive.
After the event, guests patiently stood in line to meet and thank Dr. McCaulley and Dr. and Mrs. Moore for the moving and empowering evening. Myles Johnson ’26 from Florence, Alabama commented after the lecture, “I enjoyed the event thoroughly. Hearing what he (Esau McCaulley) had to go through to be successful pushes me to keep going because there were many times in his life where he could have just given up. It also inspired me to keep faith in God because He has a path for me, and I need Him to stay on track.”
Katie Wade ’25 from Phenix City, Alabama was moved by Dr. McCaulley’s remarks to implement change in her campus groups, “As president of the Alpha Omicron Pi chapter at Huntingdon, I am always looking for ways to better myself and my sisters. It is a goal of our chapter to provide an inclusive space for all to feel welcome, and this lecture opened my eyes to the deep trauma that racial discrimination can lead to in a person’s life. The stories and advice that Dr. Esau McCaulley shared will help me to be a better leader and a better follower of Christ, because it has inspired me to love my fellow man more intentionally.”
On Friday, September 27, Dr. McCaulley spent the morning leading workshops for the Huntingdon College faculty followed by a luncheon with the members of the Department of Religion and History.
Dr. Sarah Sours, Huntingdon College vice president for academic affairs and dean for faculty spoke highly on the impact that Dr. McCaulley and the workshop sessions had on the faculty, “Dr. McCaulley’s visit was equal parts challenging and motivating. Every single Huntingdon faculty member strives to make Huntingdon a place where students are supported on their path to academic excellence and professional success. Hearing about the support Dr. McCaulley needed—and sometimes didn’t get—on his journey to becoming a New Testament scholar and public theologian prompted us all to examine our own pedagogical practices and to recommit ourselves to being fully invested in the success of our students.”
Dr. Esau McCaulley is a nationally recognized lecturer. His writing and speaking focus on New Testament Exegesis, African American Biblical Interpretation, and Public Theology. He has authored numerous books including, Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope, which won numerous awards including Christianity Today’s book of the year. He also served as the editor of New Testament in Color: A Multi-Ethnic Commentary on the New Testament. On the popular level, Dr. McCaulley’s recent memoir, How Far to the Promised Land, explores his family’s multigenerational search for hope and faith in an often poverty-stricken and racially hostile American south. It has received distinction as one of Amazon’s top five non-fiction books of 2023 and a Publisher’s Weekly top five book in religion.
The September 2024 lecture was the second in The Marsha and Tom Moore Endowed Distinguished Lectureship on Equity, Justice, and Peace. The next installment will take place in the 2026-2027 academic year.
Huntingdon College, grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition of the United Methodist Church, is committed to nurturing growth in faith, wisdom, and service and to graduating individuals prepared to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Founded in 1854, Huntingdon is a coeducational liberal arts college.
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