Princeton Seminary President to lead Cammack Preaching Lectures

BUIES CREEK – Craig Barnes, new president of Princeton Theological Seminary, will be the lecturer for the Cammack Preaching Lectures at Campbell University on March 11-12.

Barnes, former pastor of the Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Penn., began duties as president of Princeton and professor of pastoral ministry on Jan. 1. In addition to leading the 1,100-member Pittsburgh church, he served as the Robert Meneilly Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Leadership at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

Barnes is a 1981 Master of Divinity graduate of Princeton and has served as a trustee. He earned his Ph.D. in American church history from the University of Chicago, where Martin Marty served as his advisor. He served other pastorates in Colorado Springs, Colo., Madison, Wis., and Washington, D.C.

A columnist for The Christian Century magazine, he is the author of eight books and is a frequent lecturer and preacher at conferences, in congregations and in academic settings across the United States. The Christian Century Editor John Buchanan says of Barnes, “He is an exquisitely trained scholar, an eloquent proclaimer of the Gospel, a thoughtful analyst of culture and a graceful and prolific author.”

“It is an exciting privilege for us to have the opportunity to hear from such a distinguished lecturer and church leader,” says Dr. Derek Hogan, assistant dean for Campbell University Divinity School. “Dr. Barnes’ lectures will benefit students, graduates and church leaders who appreciate the unique demands of preaching in the life of the church today.” 

In 2011, Chris Cammack established the James C. Cammack Institute of Preaching Fund, which supports the Cammack Preaching Lectures, to honor his father’s love and legacy of preaching and his parents’ service to the church. James Cammack was pastor of Snyder Memorial Baptist Church, Fayetteville, for 30 years, in addition to serving churches in Smithfield, N.C., and Rock Hill, S.C.

The Cammack Preaching Lectures are in Butler Chapel on the Buies Creek campus of Campbell University on Monday night, March 11, at 7 p.m. and on Tuesday, March 12, at 10:40 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. The lectures are free and open to the public. For reservations or additional information, go to the Campbell Divinity School website  under Ministers Continuing Education or call 1-800-334-4111, ext. 1849.