Dr. Stephen L. Carter will deliver the 1999 Hubert L. Dellinger Jr. Lecture at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis on Thursday, March 11, 1999. The lecture will take place at 7:00 p.m. in Wyneken Auditorium on the Seminary campus.

Dr. Carter's address will be based on the subject matter of his book The Culture of Disbelief: How American Law and Politics Trivialize Religious Devotion (1993, Doubleday). This book examines the separation of church and state and discusses how America can maintain this separation while embracing, rather than trivializing the faith of millions.

Dr. Carter is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Yale University. He is the author of many critically acclaimed books, including Reflections of an Affirmative Action Baby, Integrity, The Confirmation Mess: Cleaning Up the Federal Appointment Process, Civility: Manners, Morals and the Etiquette of Democracy, and The Dissent of the Governed: A Meditation on Law, Religion and Loyalty. In addition, Dr. Carter writes frequently for law reviews and publications including "The New York Times," "The Wall Street Journal," "The New Republic" and "The New Yorker."

With expertise in constitutional law, intellectual property and contracts, Dr. Carter was a clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. In addition, he was appointed by President George Bush to the National Commission on Judicial Discipline and Removal.

In recent years, Dr. Carter has become known for his thoughtful, contrarian stance on many of the complex issues confronting America today. He is a keen observer of American culture and his observations and reactions are sought by many in mass media. Recently, he was a featured guest on the ABC news program "Nightline."

Established by Dr. Hubert L. Dellinger Jr., M.D. in 1997, the lecture series was designed to feature nationally-known speakers who would address subjects which intersect the disciplines of theology, sociology, philosophy and law. The inaugural lecture in the series was delivered on January 28, 1998 by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

The lecture is open to the public free of charge, and no tickets are issued. While overflow seating featuring closed-circuit television will be available in classrooms, guests are urged to arrive early for the best selection of open seating.

For more information, contact Seminary Relations, Concordia Seminary, 801 DeMun Ave., St. Louis, MO 63105. 314-505-7371; thomasg@csl.edu.