Contact: Lyn Perez, Reformed Theological Seminary, 407-366-9493

ORLANDO, Fla., April 5, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Renowned preacher Dr. John Piper will deliver the Inaugural Spurgeon Lecture at Reformed Theological Seminary's Orlando campus at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, 2013. Piper, the author of more than 50 books, is the founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary. For more than 30 years, he served as senior pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church. Piper, a native of Greenville, SC, studied at Wheaton College, Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.) and the University of Munich (D.theol.).

"John Piper and Desiring God Ministries has been a huge blessing to the church -- celebrating God's grace in Christ, uniting head and heart, and pointing us to deep satisfaction and joy in God," said Dr. Don Sweeting, president of RTS Orlando. "In this respect, I think Dr. Piper represents the best of the reformed tradition."

The Spurgeon Lecture is a hallmark of the Nicole Institute of Baptist Studies, which was established on the Orlando campus of RTS in 2012 to honor the legacy of Dr. Roger Nicole (1915-2010). Nicole, a founding editorial board member of Christianity Today, was a distinguished visiting faculty member at RTS from 1989 to 2000. The Spurgeon Lecture, named after the great Reformed Baptist preacher Charles H. Spurgeon, is designed to equip and inform the audience on a broad range of theological, historical and cultural issues.

RSVP to Sarah Vacca at svacca@rts.edu if you wish to attend this free lecture. For more information about the Nicole Institute at RTS, go to rts.edu/Orlando/nibs.

Reformed Theological Seminary was founded in 1966 and is one of the largest seminaries in the country with campuses in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Jackson, Memphis, Orlando and Washington D.C., in addition to a Virtual campus offering online classes.