Peter J. Gomes, author of The New York Times bestseller “The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart,” will serve as Stanford’s 2008 Baccalaureate speaker.

Gomes has served as minister at the Memorial Church of Harvard University since 1970. He spoke at both President Reagan’s second inauguration and President George H. W. Bush’s inauguration, and has been ranked by Time magazine as one of the seven best preachers in America.

The theologian is also the author of “The Book of Wisdom for Daily Living” and “The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus.”

In 1991, the minister publicly announced that he is gay, and has since been an advocate for the tolerance of homosexuality in American society.

The Baccalaureate ceremony will take place on the Main Quad, Saturday, June 14, the day before Stanford’s 117th Commencement. The service is a student-led, multi-faith commemoration.