Dr. Loyd Allen, retired professor of church history and spiritual formation at Mercer University, presented three lectures on spiritual formation during the inaugural Dr. James Shields Speaker Series at Howard Payne University on October 21 and 22.
Earlier this year, HPU alumnus Bob Carter ’73 approached Dr. Hines about the opportunity to begin a speaker series with the first year’s theme centered on spiritual formation. Dr. Hines expressed his gratitude for God’s provision for this initiative.
“I am thankful for Bob Carter’s desire to honor Dr. Shields through this new series,” said Dr. Hines. “It was a blessing to have Dr. Allen with us this week to provide meaningful insights into the importance of spiritual formation. This was a wonderful inaugural event, and we look forward to a great impact through this series in the years to come.”
The Dr. James Shields Speaker Series was established in honor of the late Dr. James Shields, former professor of Christian Studies at HPU. Dr. Shields’ children, Dr. Jerry Shields and Cindy (Shields) DeJulio, were in attendance for the speaker series.
“We are deeply grateful for the way HPU has honored the life and legacy of our father, whose commitment to spiritual growth and education touched countless lives,” said Dr. Jerry Shields, pastor of First Baptist Church of Brownwood. “His [Dr. James Shields’] years of service as a Bible professor at Howard Payne University reflected his unwavering belief in the transformative power of faith, learning, and community. We sincerely appreciate the messages from Dr. Loyd Allen and the generosity of Bob Carter, who made this lecture series possible.”
“We extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Hines for hosting with such warm hospitality and to the Howard Payne University community for their partnership in preserving our father’s vision and continuing his work of nurturing minds and hearts for generations to come,” he continued.
During the two-day series, Dr. Allen detailed the evangelical response to Christian conversion and spiritual formation dating back to the 1500s, with a renewed emphasis that began in the 1960s among Baptists in the U.S.
In the first lecture on Tuesday evening, Dr. Allen defined spiritual formation as “the process of being formed in the image of Christ for the sake of others and the world.”
He went on to discuss four natural conversions that many believers experience in their lifetime, derived from Donald Gelpi’s research of affective conversion, intellectual conversion, moral conversion and socio-political conversion. Over the last century, evangelical Christians have placed significant emphasis on the conversion experience, or being “born-again.” Dr. Allen encouraged attendees to embrace the idea of “Christian conversion for the whole of Christian life, not just the beginning.”
On Wednesday morning, Dr. Allen addressed the student body during the weekly chapel service with an emphasis on grace during Christian conversion. He encouraged students to acknowledge and receive the love of God, which cannot be achieved and is expressed through grace.
“Let grace set you free from trying to be a law-abiding, self-righteous Christian,” Dr. Allen said. “Grace already has you covered.”
At the faculty and staff luncheon, Dr. Allen reiterated the importance of developing a personal understanding of Christian spiritual formation in order to guide students on their individual paths to develop intellectual conversion. He discussed spiritual disciplines as “practices that ready us to receive the Spirit’s transforming initiatives.
Dr. Allen shared how prayer is more than talking to God, but the practice of listening to Him as well. Through the practice of spiritual disciplines, Dr. Allen said, “believers can be prepared to be surprised by grace.”
The Shields Speaker Series will be an annual event each fall at HPU. Information on the next series will be available in 2026.
