Dec. 3, 2010

Morningside College faculty member to discuss the history of Christmas

Bruce Forbes, professor and chair of religious studies at Morningside College, will share surprises he discovered in the writing of his book, “Christmas: A Candid History,” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, in Roadman Formal Lounge, 3600 Peters Ave.

This event is free and open to the public.

Forbes said he wrote the book to explain the religious and secular roots of Christmas to people curious about the holiday’s origins who want to get the facts from a scholar in the field. Because of his knowledge in this area, he is currently being featured on national television as one of the experts on “The Real Story of Christmas,” a special that is airing on the History cable channel.

Forbes has written a number of articles and chapters in books examining religion and popular culture. He holds a master of theology degree from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and a doctorate in the history of American Christianity from Princeton (N.J.) Theological Seminary. He is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church.