Smylie to present Blake lecture at VCU

By Lissette Linares

On Feb. 29, Virginia Commonwealth University’s history department will host its seventh annual William E. and Miriam S. Blake Lecture in the History of Christianity. Guest speaker James Smylie, Ph.D., an authority on the history of religion in America, will present "Mark Twain and Slaying Christians," a look at Twain’s humorous and sometimes darker attitude toward Christianity. The lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the VCU School of Engineering Auditorium, 602 W. Main St.

Smylie has authored or edited six books and numerous articles. He currently is writing a book about faith and life in American history as mirrored in fictional literature. An ordained Presbyterian minister, Smylie served as editor of the Journal of Presbyterian History for nearly 30 years.

He is Professor Emeritus of Church History at the Union Theological Seminary of Richmond and has taught or lectured at numerous colleges, universities and seminaries.

Smylie’s lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, call the VCU Department of History at 828-9670.