The Department of Philosophy and Religion invite UTC Faculty, Staff,
Students, and the general public to the following lecture to be held today,
Monday, April 14th, at 2:00 p.m. in Holt 205.

The lecture will be presented by Dr. Sean McCloud, a professor at The
University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. McCloud is a candidate for
the Leroy A. Martin Distinguished Professorship of Religious Studies
position in the Department of Philosophy & Religion.  He will be presenting
the following lecture as part of his visit at UTC.

"Economic Arminianism: An American Theology of Class"

This presentation reflects Dr. McCloud's initial attempt at identifying some
recurrent religious explanations of social differentiation in American
history. He calls these cosmologies, some of which are explicit and
systematic and others which are implicit and fragmentary, "theologies of
class".  Specifically, McCloud's focus is on something he calls "economic
arminianism". This theology of class emerged amidst nineteenth century
Evangelicalism, Republicanism, and the development of industrial class
relations.  Asserting that all human beings have the free will to progress
in both religious and financial endeavors, economic arminianism is the most
dominant class theology today and can be seen in movements as variant as the
prosperity gospel and New Age channeling.