Oct. 1, 2010

Morningside College to host book signing

The Morningside College Bookstore will host a book signing with Morningside professor Bruce Forbes, author of “Christmas, a Candid History,” on Friday, Oct. 8 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in the lower level of the Olsen Student Center, 3609 Peters Ave.

Both paperback and hard-copy books will be available for purchase.

Forbes’ book explains the religious and secular history of Christmas from its pre-Christian roots through modern times. The book offers some ideas for reclaiming the joy and meaning of this beloved, yet often frustrating, season amid the pressures of our fast-paced consumer culture.

“It’s for people who both love Christmas and are driven crazy by Christmas at the same time and want to understand why that is and what they can do about it,” Forbes said.

Forbes, a 1970 graduate of Morningside, is professor and chair of religious studies at the college.  He has written a number of articles and chapters in books examining religion and popular culture.  An ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, 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.  Forbes is also coeditor of “Religion and Popular Culture in America” and “Rapture, Revelation, and the End Times: Exploring the Left Behind Series.”