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Public Lectures and Special Events The Religion & Theology Department at Taylor University College regularly sponsored special events and public lectures on various topics, including the Taylor Public Lecture Series on Religion & Theology. The 2008 Lectures included a special public lecture by noted evangelical theologian, Dr. John Franke. For lectures from 2007 or earlier (including free downloadable MP3s), please go to the Public Lecture Archive page. 2008 Taylor Public Lecture Series on Religion & Culture
Was Charles Darwin an atheist? A Christian? Or an agnostic? Few will dispute that his theory of biological evolution had significant implications that reached far beyond science, even to religion. In his best-seller The Blind Watchmaker, Richard Dawkins proclaims that “Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist.” This presentation reviews passages from Darwin’s letters and books, and even defends the provocative thesis that Darwin made it possible, for the presenter, to be an intellectually fulfilled theist!
Upon the release of “The Golden Compass,” the film adaptation of the first book in Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials, Christians across North America campaigned to boycott, or if possible, ban the film entirely. While Pullman is clearly an atheist, and his trilogy is purportedly anti-Christian, many Christians profess to be great fans of the series. Is Pullman's series the atheist answer to Narnia,
Where does Evangelicalism stand at the beginning of the twenty-first century? Generally speaking, Evangelicalism finds its roots in the Age of Enlightenment and to some extent Enlightenment ideals have come to define certain aspects of Evangelicalism. This presentation seeks to outline the influence of Enlightenment thought on Evangelicalism and to find resources within Evangelicalism to deal with the challenges that this influence raises.
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. Special Religion & Theology Lecture: Tuesday 21 October 2008 (7:30 pm, S1) “Bearing Manifold Witness: by Dr. John R. Franke Clemens Professor of Missional Theology, The term "emerging church" has become a common descriptor for alternative and nontraditional approaches to thinking about and doing church. As such it has taken on a wide array of meanings with both positive and negative connotations. Some see it has the great hope for the future of North American Christianity, while others view it as a harbinger of increasing cultural accommodation in the church and the sacrifice of orthodoxy for the sake of relevance. A common question that arises with this heightened sense of expectation or concern is this: What does the emerging church really believe? This lecture will suggest that the story of the emerging church is found in the numerous and multifaceted micro-narratives among the individuals and communities that make up the fabric of this conversation and will explore its distinctive shape in relation to Scripture and the Christian tradition
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Lecture 1: “The Religious Evolution of Charles Darwin: 
Lecture 2: “Dust, Daemons, and the Demiurge in 'The Golden Compass'” by Mike Perschon
(MA; PhD Student, Comparative Literature, University of Alberta),
English Instructor, Grant MacEwan College and
The King’s University College,
Edmonton, AB
(Thursday 23 October 2008 – 7:30 pm).
Lecture 3: “Whither Evangelicalism? Looking to the Origins of Evangelicalism to Chart its Future” by Dr. Jeffrey A. McPherson
(PhD, McMaster University),
Associate Professor of Religion & Theology,
Taylor University College,
Edmonton, AB
(Thursday 6 November 2008 – 7:30 pm).
John R. Franke is the Lester and Kay Clemens Professor of Missional Theology at Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, PA. He holds the DPhil degree from the University of Oxford and is particularly interested in engaging postmodern thought and culture from the perspective of missional Christian faith in order to explore the opportunities and challenges presented for the witness and ministry of the gospel in the contemporary setting. He has spoken on the relationships between the gospel, theology, mission, and culture throughout the US and around the world. He is actively involved in research and writing and in addition to publishing numerous articles and reviews he is the coauthor of Beyond Foundationalism: Shaping Theology in a Postmodern Context (Westminster John Knox Press), the author of The Character of Theology (Baker Academic) and Barth for Armchair Theologians (Westminster John Knox) as well as the editor of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture series (InterVarsity Press). His most recent book, Manifold Witness: The Plurality of Truth, is forthcoming from Abingdon Press. He currently serves on the Coordinating Group of Emergent Village and as the co-chair of the Evangelical Theology Group of the American Academy of Religion. He has also been an appointed representative of Emergent Village to the Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches and chair of the Evangelical Theology and Postmodernity Study Group of the Evangelical Theological Society.