Category Archives: Theology

A Final Plug for the Global Theology Conference in Toronto this Saturday (October 3, 2015)

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The Canadian Evangelical Theological Association (CETA) will hold its fourth annual Fall theology conference on Saturday, October 3, 2015 at Tyndale University College and Seminary in Toronto.

The theme of the conference is “Global Evangelical Theology.” The keynote speaker, Dr. Las Newman (president of the Caribbean Graduate School of Theology in Jamaica), will address the topic: “Theology on the Move: Discerning Global Shifts in Theological Thinking from the Global South.”

The conference runs from 8:00 am (beginning with registration and a continental breakfast) through 4:30 pm (ending with the presentation of the annual theological excellence award and a closing liturgy).

There will be about 50 paper presentations, in six concurrent sessions, on topics historical, theological, biblical, and missional—relating to the conference theme.

Click here for the conference schedule. And click here for online registration (though you can also register at the door). The registration site also has information about overnight accommodation if you want to travel to Toronto the night before.

If you want to check out my previous blog posts on this conference, they are here, and here, and here (in chronological order).

“To Love What God Loves”: Holistic Eschatology Presentation at Cornell University (September 25, 2015)

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This Friday (September 25, 2015) I will be giving a talk, based on my eschatology book A New Heaven and a New Earth, at Cornell University, in Ithaca, NY.

The talk is entitled “To Love What God Loves: Understanding the Cosmic Scope of Redemption.” I will address the Bible’s vision of God’s intent to redeem creation and the implications of this holistic eschatology for our lives today.

The talk is co-sponsored by the Asian-American Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship at Cornell together with Chesterton House, a innovative Christian study center on the Cornell campus.

The talk will be presented in the large group meeting of the Asian-American IVCF chapter, which begins at 7:15 p.m. in the Robert Purcell Community Center (RPCC), second floor auditorium.

Prior to the talk there will be a Q&A where I will be interviewed by Karl Johnson, the director of Chesterton House, at 5:00 p.m. in the Robert Purcell Community Center, with pizza provided for attendees.

Further details about the talk can be found at here (including a map, with directions).

Is Yahweh a God of Violence?

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This is a heads-up about an upcoming lecture for anyone in the Rochester area.

This Friday afternoon (September 4, 2015) there will be a public lecture on the campus of Roberts Wesleyan College, entitled: “Yahweh, a God of Violence? Understanding God’s Old Testament Reputation.”

The lecture will be held at 3:00 pm in the Ellen Stowe dining room.

The speaker is Tyler Williams, an excellent Old Testament scholar, who is currently lead pastor at Greenfield Community Church in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He previously taught at Taylor University College and Seminary and at The Kings University College. he continues to serve as an adjunct professor at King’s.

I got to know Tyler Williams some years ago when he was teaching full-time, before he began his pastoral position at Greenfield. He has amazing expertise in biblical languages, and has done a lot of work on the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament.

I still remember his paper at a biblical studies conference, where he demonstrated that the Greek version of Psalm 151 (found in the Septuagint) was original, and the Hebrew version in the Dead Sea Scrolls was derivative (an expansion of the Greek). He argued this counter-intuitive point so well, by careful exegesis of the psalm, that I have been convinced ever since.

This is his website with resources on biblical studies, including some of his course syllabi.

In his lecture at Roberts, Tyler will address the impression many people (both Christians and non-Christians) have, that the God of the Old Testament is a violent deity.

Please join me in attending this fascinating lecture, if you are able to. It is free and open to the public.

Click here for a flyer of the event.