April 3, 2014 – The Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah celebrates its 25th anniversary with a symposium focused on the legacy of three men who served the LDS Church, the U, their state and the nation in pursuit of more enlightened and humane society. The contemporary impacts of Lowell Bennion, Sterling McMurrin and Obert Tanner will be examined April 11 – 12. All events are free and open to the public.
“This symposium is an exciting opportunity to consider the important contributions of these key Mormon intellectuals,” said Bob Goldberg, professor of history and director of the Tanner Humanities Center. “By highlighting the lives and legacies of Bennion, McMurrin and Tanner, this event will explore the tensions that can exist between faith and reason, conformity and dissent.”
Kathleen Flake, the Richard L. Bushman Chair of Mormon Studies at the University of Virginia will deliver the 23rd annual Sterling McMurrin Lecture on Religion and Culture, Friday, April 11, 7 p.m. at the Salt Lake City Main Library auditorium, 210 E. 400 S. In her lecture, “The LDS Intellectual Tradition: A Study on Three Lives,” Flake will discuss the intellectual lives of Bennion, McMurrin and Tanner in relation to the religious culture from which they came.
Schedule of Events
Symposium: “Faith and Reason, Conscience and Conflict: The Paths of Lowell Bennion, Sterling McMurrin and Obert Tanner,” April 12, Tanner Humanities Center, 215 S. Central Campus Dr., Room 143.
9 – 10:30 a.m.
Challenge of Conscience: Sterling M. McMurrin
Panelists include Bob Goldberg, Jack Newell, James Clayton and Brian Birch.
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Challenge of Loyalty: Lowell Bennion
Panelists include Irene Fisher, Greg Prince, Tony Morgan, Sam Allen and Emma Lou Thayne.
1:30 – 3 p.m.
Challenge of Faith: Obert C. Tanner
Panelists include Greg Thompson, Kent Murdock, Bob Goldberg and Grethe Peterson.
3:30 – 5 p.m.
Public Men and the Challenge of Their Private Worlds
Panelists include Linda King Newell, Carolyn Tanner Irish, Ellen Bennion Stone, Charlotte Hansen Terry and Bill McMurrin.
This event is presented in partnership with the College of Humanities, the Smith-Pettit Foundation and Michael Morris. For more information, contact the Tanner Humanities Center at 801.581.7989 or click here.