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Season 5

Elder Wisdom with Luther E. Smith, Jr.

 

Luther E. Smith, Jr., Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus of Church and Community, Candler School of Theology of Emory University (Atlanta, Georgia), where he served on the faculty for thirty-five years.  The title of his teaching position reflects his commitment to social transformation as an expression of religious conviction.  

He writes and speaks extensively on issues of church and society, congregational renewal, interfaith cooperation, Christian spirituality, and the thought of Howard Thurman. Luther was a theological contributor on the PBS documentary, Backs Against the Wall–about the life of Howard Thurman.

Luther is a founder of the Interfaith Children’s Movement (Georgia) that educates, mobilizes, and networks faith communities in being advocates for all children. He currently serves as the Coordinator for the Pan-Methodist Campaign for Children in Poverty that mobilizes the churches and theological schools of six Methodist denominations to be active in service to and advocacy for children in poverty. He is a certified and practicing mediator.