The E. Glenn Hinson Lecture Series honors the life and work of Dr. E. Glenn Hinson. The series, established at Baptist Seminary of Kentucky in 2009 in honor of Dr. Hinson’s 50th year of teaching, explores formational, foundational, and/or future issues in the areas of his passion: spiritual formation/ spirituality, church history, ecumenism, and Baptist history.The 2019 Hinson Lectures took place on Monday, March 4, 2019. Dr. Beth Allison Barr was this year’s speaker.

Dr. Barr’s first lecture, entitled, “Paul and Women: A Medieval Reassessment,” addressed common misconceptions about the role of women in the medieval era church. In this lecture, Dr. Barr described her research in medieval texts that demonstrate the prominent role women played in the church during the medieval era. Dr. Barr also reframed the many Pauline texts that many churches use to define the role of women even today.

In her second lecture, “Biblical Womanhood: A Medieval Perspective,” Dr. Barr demonstrated that the term “Biblical Womanhood” is a fairly new term, coined in the 20th century. Dr. Barr explained that this term is not as historic as many believe it is. During this second lecture, Dr. Barr also told many stories from medieval times in which women performed sacraments and served in leadership roles within Christian settings.

These lecture topics will be a part of a forthcoming book by Dr. Barr, set to be released this year. Dr. Barr’s blog, “Anxious Bench,” can be found here.

See below some pictures from this wonderful event!