2020 Vision(s): Professor William Willimon
William Willimon
14.56
13 August 2020
27 November 2025
William Willimon is one of America's best-known and respected preachers. He is Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry at The Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. He is a bishop in the United Methodist Church. He has authored some 70 books which have sold over a million copies.
As he says in this stirring video, "We’ve been living through apocalyptic, visionary, revealing times. We’ve had our eyes opened."
To see things properly, to truly perceive the realities around us, requires some disruption and refocussing. 2020's Covid-19 pandemic and "Black Lives Matter" protests against racism have disrupted our lives and opened our eyes. A virus has revealed how fragile and interconnected we all are. The filming of George Floyd's killing has exposed the evil of racism and prompted outrage. William Willimon asks: When "all this is over", do we want to go back to our “normal routine”, or is this a momentous turning point in history? Could this be an "apocalyptic" moment? The word "apocalypse" means “unveiling” or “revelation”. We are certainly seeing the world through newly-opened eyes at the present moment. Will we change for the better as a result? We will see.
ABOUT THE EBOR LECTURES & THIS SERIES
The theme of this series of reflections is “2020 Vision: Sharpening our Focus”. With the Covid-19 pandemic, the year 2020 presents a significant opportunity for individuals and societies to look again and see what and who we might have overlooked, and to gaze towards the horizon of the future.
The Ebor Lectures in Theology and Public Life were established in 2006 in the northern English city of York. This prominent series of lectures, and related events, promotes a conversation between theology and public issues, offered free-of-charge to the general public. Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the Divine and of religious belief. The Ebor Lectures offer a space where theology can dialogue with a range of communities such as educational institutions, public interest groups, religious movements, secular society, and anyone with an interest in contemporary issues.
The Ebor Lectures series is an ecumenical project jointly sponsored and organised by York Minster, York St John University, The Order of Carmelites, The Yorkshire North and East District of the Methodist Church and The C. & J. B. Morrell Trust.