Dr. Jerry Root, emeritus professor of evangelism at Wheaton College, will be on campus as the guest lecturer for the Willson Lectures Series at Wayland Baptist University on Feb. 2. Root, who earned his Ph.D. at the Open University in England, is an authority on the life and work of C.S. Lewis. (Provided Photo)
PLAINVIEW — Dr. Jerry Root, emeritus professor of evangelism at Wheaton College, will be on campus as the guest lecturer for the Willson Lectures Series at Wayland Baptist University on Feb. 2. Root, who earned his Ph.D. at the Open University in England, is an authority on the life and work of C.S. Lewis.
Root will speak at the weekly chapel service at 11 a.m. in Harral Auditorium. The public is welcome to attend and hear Root discuss “Faith Integration & the Liberal Arts: C.S. Lewis as a Model for Addressing the Problem of Evil.” Following chapel, students can take part in a question and answer luncheon at the University Center, Room 211. Root will also visit several classes throughout the day.
Formerly the director of the Evangelism Initiative at the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton College, Root has authored and co-authored six books on C.S. Lewis, including The Surprising Imagination of C.S. Lewis, and The Neglected C.S. Lewis. He has also written a number of other books as well as countless articles for publication in periodicals, journals, magazines and papers. Along with his prolific writings, Root has lectured on C.S. Lewis, mission work and other topics at 79 colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and in 18 different countries.
An avid sportsman and adrenaline junky, Root played some sort of American football for 44 years, including earning varsity letters in football and wrestling while a student at Whittier College. He once served as the player/coach for the Oxford Bulldogs. According to his bio, Root loves “virtual fear including turbulence on airplanes, skydiving, swimming with sharks, hammerhead stalls in biplanes and has bungee jumping equivalents 100 times.” He and his wife, Claudia, have been married since 1975 and have four grown children and 15 grandchildren. Root served as the guest speaker for Wayland’s faculty development days in August 2021.
The Willson Lectures series was established in the 1950s with generous gifts from Floydada residents James M. and Mavis Willson.
Editor’s Note: This story was provided by Wayland Baptist University with additional reporting by the Floyd County Record.
