Theologians, Biblical scholars, ministers, administrators, church leaders, seminary students and college students will gather to discuss globalization and related issues at St. Andrews Presbyterian College, April 19-20.

It is for the college's Consultation on Globalization and Diversity.

"The project was the result of a Lilly grant written by some folks at Presbyterian College in South Carolina," said Dan Ott, assistant professor of religious studies and coordinator of the project at St. Andrews. "They invited teams of a Presbyterian-related college, a seminary and two or more churches to write an application to participate.

"We partnered with the Women's Center at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary, First Presbyterian in Durham, N.C., and First Presbyterian in Palo Alto, Calif. Our application was accepted. We have since added Laurinburg Presbyterian Church as a partner."

Representatives from all the partners will be attending the events as well as a representative from the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities, which is administering the larger project.

"One of the things that we wanted to do as part of the Globalization and Diversity Project was to hear from top scholars about immigration, the place of women in globalization, the burgeoning of Christianity in the global South, etc.," Ott said. "This gave us the opportunity to bring Dr. Philip Jenkins to campus, not only to deliver the E. Hervey Evans lecture, but to have conversations with us about these important issues."

Currently the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Humanities at Pennsylvania State University, Jenkins will add his voice to the discussion. In nearly 30 years at Pennsylvania State University, Jenkins has published more than 20 books and 120 book chapters and referenced articles.

He has also delivered more than 100 papers to scholarly gatherings and professional associations. Among his presentations are Globalization and the Transformation of Christianity to the Foreign Policy Research Institute and The Competition for Converts between Christianity and Islam at the Harvard Academy Seminar on Globalization and Culture. He has also spoken frequently on aspects of global Christianity and the expansion of Christianity in the global South.

He received his bachelor's degree in history and Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Studies, and a master's degree and doctorate in history from the University of Cambridge.

"Primarily, we will continue to discuss issues that we have been addressing as part of the project," Ott said. "Each partner will also share some assessment of how issues of globalization and diversity are impacting their institutions.

"We will also begin think about how we can summarize our experience and what next steps might look like."

Jenkins will begin his Evans-related schedule by providing the guest sermon at the worship service at Laurinburg Presbyterian Church at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

A public dinner in his honor will be held at 6 p.m. Monday in the Belk Main Room of the William Henry Belk College Center at St. Andrews. The official E. Hervey Evans Distinguished Fellowship Lecture will follow at 7 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public, but reservations are requested, as space is limited. To make a reservation, call 277-5258 or vanhoosert@sapc.edu.

Named in honor of E. Hervey Evans, the Fellowship recognizes people "who are known for the rigor of their intellect, for the depth and breadth of their concerns and competency, and who have gained broad recognition for their wisdom in relating the humane values of the Judeo-Christian tradition to the pressing issues of our time."

Anyone needing more information about the Fellowship or the Globalization Project can contact Ott at 277-3977.