The Rev. Dr. Hueston Finlay, warden of St. George’s House and vice-dean of the College of St. George at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom, will speak at Shenandoah University at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 27, in Halpin-Harrison Hall, Stimpson Auditorium (1460 University Drive, Winchester, VA 22601).
Finlay will present “Human Being.” Regarding his talk, Finlay noted that “truth, law and authority are words that have been with us from the earliest times. They are concepts much valued by Martin Luther who 500 years ago this fall, nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg. That action altered the course of intellectual, cultural and religious history.”
“I want to suggest that current use of the concepts of truth, law and authority has radically changed, so much so that they have affected our human being,” added Finlay. “The proliferation of regulation; the suspicion with which all forms of authority are regarded; the advent of terms such as post-truth, fake news, and alternative facts threaten the very possibility of truth: these shifts in public discourse ought not to go unchallenged.”
A question and answer session will follow. The event is free and open to the public, and is part of the school of business’ ongoing Distinguished Lecture Series. Light refreshments will be provided during a pre-event reception at 5:30 p.m.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have a thinker of the quality of Dr. Finlay coming to speak at the University,” said Dean of the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business Miles Davis, Ph.D. “His leadership role in the Anglican Church, as a leader in the academic community, and as the ‘ethicist’ to the Queen of England makes him more than deserving to be part of our Distinguished Lecture Series.”
Finlay studied engineering and theology at Trinity College, Dublin, and pursued his doctoral studies at the University of London. Following ordination, he worked in the cathedral parish of St. Canice in the County of Kilkenny, Ireland, where he acted as bishop’s vicar, diocesan librarian and diocesan registrar. While there, he taught theology in Ireland’s largest boarding school and lectured on ethics and doctrine for the diocesan adult education program.
Finlay then moved to Cambridge, England, when he was appointed as curate to the University Church and chaplain to Girton College. More recently, he has served as dean of chapel, director of studies in theology, and tutor at Magdalene College Cambridge. He has also held an affiliated lectureship at the University of Cambridge, where he taught doctrine.
Finlay was appointed a canon of St. George’s Chapel in 2004, warden of St. George’s House in 2008, and vice-dean of the College of St. George in 2014.
For more information about this event, contact Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business Administrative Assistant Donna Fazio at 540/665-4572 or dfazio@su.edu.
