The King's College President Greg Thornbury Speaks at Manhattan Salon
By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
The new president of The King's College encouraged participants in a New York City Christian Union salon to reflect Christ as they labor in the powerful, but decidedly secular, corridors of their megalopolis.Greg Thornbury spoke on February 20 at the ministry's quarterly salon, which was held at the editorial offices of First Things journal in Manhattan.Thornbury, who stepped into his newest leadership role in July, entitled his message, "He Is Not Far from Any of Us: The Art of Living and Working with People of Non-Faith."
During the evening, Thornbury told listeners to be aware that many of their atheistic and agnostic counterparts are open to meaningful discussions on topics of faith, but they are exhausted with cultural wars.
As one of his central texts, he pointed to Acts 17:26-27, which reads, "From one man, He made all the nations that they should inhabit the whole earth, and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us."
Even in settings where atheism abounds, many individuals are surprisingly attentive to spiritual issues.
"It's about how we engage people, understanding our faith, but not being defensive," said Scott Crosby, ministry director of New York City Christian Union. "There's a lot of questioning and openness toward ideas of faith."
Thornbury, who serves as the sixth president of The King's College, previously acted as dean of the theology school and vice president for spiritual life at Union University in Tennessee.
In addition, Thornbury is a senior fellow with The Kairos Journal and the author of Recovering Classic Evangelicalism: Applying the Wisdom and Vision of Carl F. H. Henry.
New York City Christian Union's salons offer intimate gatherings with top-flight speakers to enable Christian leaders to cultivate meaningful ties and interact on topics that strengthen the intellectual or spiritual dimensions of their faith.
