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Past Public Lectures and Special Events The Religion & Theology Department at Taylor University College regularly sponsored special events and public lectures on various topics. This page archives some of these past lectures for you to enjoy. 2007 Taylor Public Lecture Series on Religion & Culture
Does the Bible get the science right? And if not, what does this mean for Scripture’s authority and inspiration? The Church has long had the theological resources to deal with the apparent difficulty created by conflicts between the Bible and science. Evangelicals have largely forgotten these resources, which we shall try to recover.
While we agree with Eric Hoffer’s observation that “You can never get enough of what you don’t need to make you happy”, practically speaking our lives are shaped by the pursuit of material goods. In this lecture we will examine consumerism as a quasi-religious reality that seeks to form us into narcissistic disciples of consumption in diametric opposition to the true disciple of Christ.
Many Christians today are embarrassed of the violence and the abuse of power which are so much a part of the historical legacy of the Christian tradition, especially as we live in a world where the cries for peace too often come from non-Christian voices. This presentation will explore ways in which Christians can find resources within the teachings of Scripture to be more faithful witnesses to the Prince of Peace.
All lectures are FREE and will be held in Stencel Hall, in the Taylor Seminary Building, 11525-23 Avenue (access from the West parking lot off 23 Avenue). Please feel free to promote these lectures using these promotional resources: For past lectures (including free downloadable MP3s), please go to the Public Lecture Archive page. 2007 Taylor Faith & Culture Conference
The purpose of Taylor University College’s annual “Faith & Culture Conference” is to bring in an engaging Christian speaker to present on a topic relating to the integration of Christian faith and life in today’s world. In 2007 the Religion & Theology Department brought Dr. Kenton Sparks to speak on "God’s Word in Human Words: The Prospects and Perils of Believing Criticism." The individual sessions were as follows:
2006 Taylor Public Lecture Series on Religion & Culture
Cultural critic Terry Eagleton claims there is a crisis in Western culture. Global pressures are forcing the West to think deeply about its past and future at a time when our cultural habits have deprived us of the ability to do so. Christian and secular thinkers alike are now prepared to denounce cultural relativism in search of a common humanity. Intellectuals are now proclaiming the end of atheism, indeed even of the secular university and are discussing the return of religion to the academy. This lecture describes and attempts a theological assessment of this "return of the gods" to a formerly secular intellectual culture. What does it mean for our culture and its institutions when the Pope, atheist statesmen, and academics are jointly calling for a return to values and religion?
This lecture will consider the treatment of visual dynamics both in Jane Austen's novels and in the film adaptations of those novels, with a focus on Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Mansfield Park. Representing her heroines as landscape connoisseurs, Austen satirizes the wildly dangerous sublime, sympathizes with the rudely cultivated picturesque, and finally conceives of her own spiritually contemplative sublime. After considering this progression through Austen’s texts, we will critically examine our own complicity in the pleasures and dangers of landscape aesthetics as we view Austen’s spectator characters on film.
With the increase in terrorism and war in the Middle East, it is more important than ever for Christians to think through their approach to war and violence. This lecture will look at different perspectives on Christian engagement with culture in discussions on war and violence, in light of the biblical portrayal of God as a violent deity.
N.T. Wright has identified apocalyptic “as a way of investing space-time reality with its full, that is, its theological, significance.” Rather than denying the world, this reading suggests that apocalyptic affirms the world by saying “no” to the finality of evil. This lecture will investigate how two television programs, each created by “rabid atheist” Joss Whedon, see the meaning of the world in terms of impending apocalypse, and how the stories they tell in its light serve to invest the world with theological significance.
2005 Fall Public Lecture Series on Religion & Culture
This lecture addresses why all church conflict is about leadership; all leadership is about character and all character is about community. If the church is to be the Gospel in a conflicted world, leaders and members must make reconciliation a way of life.
The Da Vinci Code has been on the best-seller list for months because it is a fascinating book Brown bases his plot on the neglect of Mary Magdalene in the church. How much fact is there in the fascinating? This lecture reviews Brown's book and explores Mary Magdalene's role in scripture and the early church.
Many Christians see postmodernism as a threat to their faith. This lecture takes a closer look at this perceived threat and uncover how many aspects of secular postmodernism are actually useful in proclaiming the Christian faith.
C.S. Lewis once said that his task as a writer was to get past the "watchful dragons" of his readers. This presentation examines the literary techniques that Lewis employed to get past those watchful dragons and to appeal to as broad an audience as possible.
Jesus in the Dead Sea Scrolls?
The Dead Sea Scrolls reflect the messianic expectations in Judaism - and especially among those Jews known as the Essenes - in the two centuries leading up to the coming of Jesus. In fact, the scrolls reveal that these Jews expected two messiahs, a priest and a king. We will examine the most recent developments in Dead Sea Scroll study in an effort to understand more fully the world of Jesus and the nature of his ministry as documented in the pages of the gospels.
Fall 2004 Religion & Popular Culture Public Lectures
"Self construction" and "affluenza" all make promises they cannot keep. When we overbelieve in the church and underdiscern in the world we are vulnerable to the pain of "Enemies with Smiling Faces." The evening will focus on Don Posterski's latest book and expose the pitfalls of having an insufficient cultural critique.
In depicting the relationship between Christianity and the other religions, Evangelicals have traditionally held to exclusivism. This lecture will explore the recent movement toward inclusivism, a view positioned between exclusivism and pluralism.
Few issues have captured the public imagination like the search for UFOs and extra terrestrials. From NASA sponsored studies, to blockbuster films, to fringe cults, the possibility of alien intelligence continues to fascinate our culture. This lecture will explore this cultural and religious fascination from a Christian perspective as we work toward that fundamental question: are we alone in the universe?
Throughout the centuries, the book of Revelation has been interpreted in a variety of ways. This lecture will look at the basic assumptions of the immensely popular Left Behind series with special emphasis on imagery such as the Beast and his Mark, the Tribulation, the Rapture, Armageddon and the New Jerusalem.
Main Lecture: "Mel's Passion: An Analysis of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ from an Evangelical Perspective" by Tyler F. Williams, Chair of the Religion & Theology Program and Assistant Professor of Old Testament, Taylor University College
Response 1: "A Catholic Perspective" by Rev. David Norman, O.F.M., Professor of Systematic Theology at Newman Theological College, Edmonton.
Response 2: "A Jewish Perspective" by Rabbi David Kunin, Beth Shalom Synagogue, Edmonton.
Fall 2003 Religion & Popular Culture Public Lectures
Research shows that religion often benefits our health, but now some health care professionals promote generic spirituality. In this talk, we will explore truths and lies wrapped up in ways that health care uses spirituality to "better" our lives.
The Harry Potter books are famous for, among other things, eliciting opposition in the Christian community because of their portrayal of witchcraft and wizardry. Most critiques of the books, however, have relied primarily on hearsay and on mistaken pop culture beliefs about magic. This lecture will provide a more informed assessment of the nature of the magic in the Harry Potter books, one based on the application of relevant biblical and literary scholarship.
The ministry of exorcism has become the focus of considerable interest both in popular culture and in evangelical Christianity through films such as The Exorcist (1973) and the public ministries of such practitioners of deliverance ministry as Neil Anderson and Bob Larson. In this lecture, we will explore the question of whether exorcism should be practiced today.
Music has incredible power. When we sing in worship we experience many different things that have emotional, psychological, and theological implications. This lecture will explore the phenomenon of congregational singing in the context of today’s churches.
Fall 2002 Religion & Popular Culture Public Lectures
Merely another animal? Not too different from artificial intelligence? An eternal soul housed temporarily in a body? This lecture explores the implications of the Christian faith for understanding what it means to be truly human.
In the last five years, the Old Testament has enjoyed significant press due to the New York Times bestsellers The Bible Code and The Prayer of Jabez. This lecture looks at the phenomenal success of these works as examples of the popular understanding of the Hebrew Bible and seeks to evaluate them in light of the Bible’s historical and cultural context.
In the wake of the new movies, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings has received a lot of attention in the Christian community. All too often, attempts are made to force the story and characters into some kind of allegory. This lecture takes a close look at Christianity in these classic books.
Suicide terrorists claim to be fulfilling the will of Allah while Muslim clerics contend that Islam is a religion of peace. This lecture explores the connection between Islam and the global crisis brought about by the events of September 11, 2001.
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Lecture 1: “God’s Astronomy: Accommodation, Inspiration,
and the Bible” by Dr. Kenton Sparks
(PhD, University of North Carolina), Professor of Biblical Studies,
Eastern University,
Pennsylvania (Thursday 27 September 2007 – 7:30 pm).
Lecture 2: “Sold Out to Stuff:
Consumerism as False Religion” by Dr. Randal Rauser
(PhD, King’s College, London),
Associate Professor of Historical Theology,
Taylor Seminary,
Edmonton, AB
(Thursday 18 October 2007 – 7:30 pm).
Lecture 3: “Violence, Power,
and the Politics of Jesus” by Dr. David Williams
(PhD, Drew University),
Academic Vice President and
Professor of Philosophical Theology,
Taylor University College,
Edmonton, AB
(Thursday 15 November 2007 – 7:30 pm).
Lecture 1: “Return of the gods? Faith and Intellectual Culture after Secularism” by Dr. Jens Zimmerman, Associate Professor of English and Canada Research Chair in Religion, Culture, and Interpretation, Trinity Western University, B.C. (Thursday, September 28, 7:30-9:00 pm).
Lecture 2: “Sense and Sensuality: Jane Austen on the Spiritual Pleasures and Dangers of Visuality” by Dr. Natasha Duquette, Assistant Professor of English, Taylor University College, Edmonton (Thursday, October 19, 7:30-9:00 pm)
Lecture 3: “Christians: Servants of a Violent God?” by Dr. Jerry Shepherd, Associate Professor of Old Testament, Taylor Seminary, Edmonton (Thursday, November 2, 7:30-9:00 pm)
Lecture 4: “‘What’s the Plural of Apocalypse’? Disclosing the End(s) of the World in the TV Series’ Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel” by Dr. Stephen W. Martin, Assistant Professor of Theology, The King’s University College, Edmonton (Thursday, November 16, 7:30-9:00 pm)
Lecture 2: "Responding to The Da Vinci Code: Mary Magdalene in History and Canon" by Dr. Jo-Ann Badley, Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies, Newman Theological College, Edmonton (Thursday, October 13, 7:30-9:00 pm).
Lecture 3: "Religious Uses of Secular Postmodernism: Toward a Postmodern Christian Faith" by Dr. Merold Westphal, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Fordham University, New York (Thursday, October 27, 7:30-9:00 pm). 
Lecture 4: "Past Watchful Dragons: Christianity in C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by Dr. Martin Friedrich, Associate Professor of English, Taylor University College (Thursday, November 10, 7:30-9:00 pm). 
"Jesus in the Dead Sea Scrolls? Messianic Expectations at Qumran" by Dr. Martin Abegg, Graduate Program Director and Professor of Religious Studies, Trinity Western University, British Columbia (April 4, 2005).
Lecture 1: "Enemies With Smiling Faces: Exposing 'Quick Fix Faith' and 'Spiritual Superiority'" by Donald Posterski, Director, Faith & Development, World Vision International (September 30, 2004).
Lecture 2: "Jesus: Still the Only Way?" by Dr. Benno Przybylski, Professor of Biblical Studies, Carey Theological College, Vancouver (October 21, 2004)
Lecture 3: "God and ET: Christian Reflections on UFOs and Little Green Men" by Dr. Randal Rauser, Assistant Professor of Historical Theology, Taylor Seminary (November 4, 2004)
Lecture 4: "Understanding the Book of Revelation: Don't Be 'Left Behind'" by Ralph Korner, Instructor in Religion and Theology, Taylor University College (November 18, 2004)
Mel’s Passion: An Analysis of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ from Evangelical, Catholic, and Jewish Perspectives (14 April 2004)
Lecture 1: "Spirituality without God? A Christian Response to Fads in Spirituality" by Dr. Marvin McDonald, Graduate Program Director and Professor of Counselling Psychology, Trinity Western University British Columbia (Oct 2, 2003).
Lecture 2: "A Primer on Spiritual War(lock)fare: Biblical & Literary Perspectives on Harry Potter" by Dr. Anita Helmbold, Professor of English, Taylor University College (Oct 16, 2003).
Lecture 3: "Exorcism Today? Biblical and Psychological Perspectives" by Dr. Sydney Page, Professor of New Testament, Taylor Seminary (Oct 30, 2003).
Lecture 4: "Is it Really 'All About Jesus'? Music, Mood and Emotion in Today’s Worship" by Gordon Adnams, Music Program Co-Chair and Professor of Music, Taylor University College (Nov 13, 2003).
Lecture 1: "'Who Am I and Why Am I Here?' Androids, Homelessness and Humans as the Image of God" by Dr. Stanley J. Grenz, Distinguished Professor of Theology, Baylor University, Texas (Oct 17, 2002). 