A Palo Alto resident, Brown taught at Stanford between 1962 and 1976 and became an international leader in civil rights, ecumenical and social justice causes. While at Stanford, Brown campaigned against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and was a co-founder of the group Clergy and Laity Concerned about Vietnam. As a leader of the ecumenical movement, he served as an official Protestant observer at the second session of Vatican II in 1963 and 1964, representing the World Alliance of Presbyterian and Reformed Churches. In 1961, before joining the Stanford faculty, Brown was jailed after participating as a freedom rider in Florida.

The title of this lecture is, "Evil: Problem or Mystery?"