Thomas H. Lake Lecture
Annual Lecture on Faith & Giving
Named in honor of philanthropic leader Thomas H. Lake, this annual lecture invites a noted scholar or practitioner to speak on a topic related to faith and giving, and includes opportunities for audience conversation and interaction with speakers.
20th Annual Thomas H. Lake Lecture with Dr. Willie Jennings
Date: Friday, April 11, 2025 at 4 pm
Location: Witherspoon Presbyterian Church, 3535 W Kessler Blvd N Dr, Indianapolis, IN 46222
About Our Speaker
Dr. Willie James Jennings is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Theology and Africana Studies at Yale University Divinity School.
Dr. Jennings was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dr. Jennings received his B.A. in Religion and Theological Studies from Calvin College (1984), his M.Div. (Master of Divinity degree) from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena California, and his Ph.D. degree from Duke University. Dr. Jennings, who is a theologian, teaches in the areas of Christian thought, race theory, decolonial and environmental studies. Dr. Jennings is the author of The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race published by Yale University Press. It is one of the most important books in theology written in the last 25 years and is now a standard text read in colleges, seminaries, and universities. Dr. Jennings is also the recipient of the 2015 Grawemeyer Award in Religion for his groundbreaking work on race and Christianity. Dr. Jennings recently authored commentary on the Book of Acts won the Reference Book of the Year Award, from The Academy of Parish Clergy. He is also the author of After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging, which was the inaugural book in the much-anticipated book series, Theological Education between the Times, and has already become an instant classic, winning the 2020 book of the year award from Publisher’s Weekly. It was also selected as a finalist for the 2021 American Academy of Religion Book of the Year in the Constructive- Reflective Studies category, and in 2023 won the Lilly Fellows Program Book Award. Dr. Jennings has been selected to give several prestigious lectures, including the Bampton Lectures at Oxford University, the Huslean Lectures at Cambridge University, the Cole Lecture at Vanderbilt University, the Parks-King Lecture at Yale University, the Ferguson Lecture at Manchester University, and the Hughes-Cheong Lecture at the University of Melbourne.
Now Dr. Jennings is hard at work on a two-volume work on the doctrine of creation, tentatively entitled, “Reframing the World.” Volume two is entitled Jesus and the Displaced: Race, Theology, and the Built Environment.
In addition to being a frequent lecturer at colleges, universities, and seminaries, Dr. Jennings is also a regular workshop leader at conferences. He is also a consultant for the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, and for the Association of Theological Schools.
He served along with his wife, the Reverend Joanne L. Browne Jennings as associate ministers at the Mount Level Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina, and for many years, they served together as interim pastors for several Presbyterian and Baptist churches in North Carolina. They are the parents of two wonderful daughters, Njeri and Safiya Jennings.
Past Lake Lectures
2024 – Susannah Heschel
Title: “Generosity of Spirit: Exploring Jewish Traditions and Relational Philanthropy”
Speaker: Susannah Heschel
Date: April 18, 2024
Watch video
2023 – Mona Siddiqui
Title: “Art, Philanthropy, and Belonging: The Disruptive Nature of Giving”
Speaker: Mona Siddiqui
Date: March 2, 2023
Watch video
2022 – David Brooks & Anne Snyder
Title: “Revival or Decline? American Faith and Philanthropy Face the Future”
Speakers: David Brooks & Anne Snyder
Date: March 31, 2022
Read transcripts: David and Anne
Watch video
2019 – Lynne Twist
Title: “The Soul of Money: Shifting from Scarcity to Abundance”
Speaker: Lynne Twist, author of The Soul of Money
Date: April 11, 2019
Watch video
2018 – Scott Harrison
Title: “Reinventing Charity”
Speaker: Scott Harrison, founder and CEO of charity:water
Date: March 8, 2018
Watch video
2017 – Eboo Patel
Title: “Building a Diverse Democracy: Exploring the Theologies and Practice of Interfaith Cooperation.”
Speaker: Eboo Patel, Ph.D., Founder and President of Interfaith Youth Core
Date: March 30, 2017
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2016 – Jonathan Walton
Title: “Jesus, Chief Executive: The Gospel of Health and Wealth at the Core of American Religion.”
Speaker: Jonathan Walton, Ph.D., Plummer Professor of Christian Morals, the Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church and Professor of Religion and Society at Harvard Divinity School
Date: March 31, 2016
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2015 – Christian Smith
Title: “The Generosity Equation: Donors, Faith, & Avenues to Giving”
Speaker: Christian Smith, Ph.D., William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at the University of Notre Dame
Date: March 12, 2015
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2014 – Craig Dykstra
Title: “Cultivating Thriving Communities of Faith: The Promise of Strategic Religious Philanthropy”
Speaker: Craig Dykstra, Ph.D., Research Professor of Practical Theology and Senior Fellow in Leadership Education at Duke Divinity School
Date: March 27, 2014
Watch video | Read lecture
2013 – Ann Braude
Title: “Walking the Second Mile: Women, Religion, and Philanthropy”
Speaker: Ann Braude, Ph.D., director of the Women’s Studies in Religion Program and Senior Lecturer on American Religious History at Harvard Divinity School
Date: April 11, 2013
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2012 – James Hodge
Title: “If Philanthropy Is All About Relationships, Then Why Do Metrics Only Measure Money?”
Speaker: James M. Hodge III, Vice Chair and Director of Principal Gifts at the Mayo Clinic
Date: March 22, 2012
Watch video | Read lecture
2011 – Richard Gunderman
Title: “The Undiminished Flame: Education, Giving and the Quest for Faith”
Speaker: Richard Gunderman, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Radiology, Pediatrics, Medical Education, Philosophy, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy at Indiana University
Date: March 24, 2011
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“Lake Institute is a rare place because people are invited to reflect on stewardship, faith, and giving in a rich environment where both a scientific and theological component are valued.”
2010 – Ingrid Mattson
Title: “Zakat in America: The Evolving Role of Islamic Charity in Community Cohesion”
Speaker: Ingrid Mattson, Ph.D., Professor of Islamic Studies and founder of the Islamic Chaplaincy Program and director of the Macdonald Center for the Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations
Date: March 25, 2010
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2009 – Elliot Dorff
Title: “Donations of Ill-Gotten Gain: A Jewish Legal Perspective”
Speaker: Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff, Ph.D., Rector and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles
Date: March 26, 2009
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2008 – Paul Schervish
Title: “Receiving & Giving as Spiritual Exercise: The Spirituality of Care in Soul, Relationship, and Community”
Speaker: Paul Schervish, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy (CWP) at Boston College, and National Research Fellow at the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy
Date: April 10, 2008
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2007 – Mark Noll
Title: “The Logic of Evangelicalism & The Challenges of Philanthropy”
Speaker: Mark Noll, Ph.D., the Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame and co-founder of The Institute for the Study of American Evangelicalism
Date: March 29, 2007
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2006 – Luke Timothy Johnson
Title: “The Life of Faith & the Faithful Use of Possessions”
Speaker: Luke Timothy Johnson, Ph.D., the R.W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University
Date: April 6, 2006
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2005 – Martin Marty
Title: “The Market & the Donor: Creative Destruction and Creative Construction”
Speaker: Martin Marty, Ph.D., the Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago
Date: March 10, 2005
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2003 – Robert Wuthnow
Title: “Faith & Giving: From Christian Charity to Spiritual Practice”
Speaker: Robert Wuthnow, Ph.D., Director of the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University
Date: September 25, 2003
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Insights, a bi-weekly e-newsletter, is a resource for the religious community and fundraisers of faith-based organizations that provides:
- Reflections on important developments in the field of faith and giving
- Recommended books, studies and articles
- Upcoming Lake Institute events