A Speaking Tour in the United Kingdom

Posted on April 16, 2017 by J Richard Middleton

I am getting ready to head to the UK to give a series of lectures, mostly on eschatology (but with a few other topics included as well). The first stop is in Scotland, with most of my time spent moving southward through England.

I was initially invited by folks who run the Thinking Faith Network (in Leeds) to speak on the topic of my eschatology book, A New Heaven and a New Earth. Given that I would be coming all the way across the Atlantic, they worked out a series of other speaking events for me in the UK.

It is a bit of a grueling schedule, so I would appreciate prayers from anyone who feels so led, both for my sustained energy and that my talks would be helpful to those in attendance.

If you are going to be in the areas where I’m speaking, you are invited to attend any of the public lectures.

So far the following locations and events have been confirmed.

St. Andrews

Two public lectures sponsored by the Logos Institute for Analytic and Exegetical Theology and the School of Divinity (St. Mary’s College), at the University of St. Andrews.

April 20 – “A New Heaven and a New Earth: For God So Loved the World.” Thursday afternoon lecture (4:00 pm), Lecture Room 1, St. Mary’s College, University of St. Andrews.
April 21 – “Voices from the Ragged Edge: The Gritty Spirituality of the Psalms for a Broken World.” Friday afternoon lecture (4:00 pm), Lecture Room 1, St. Mary’s College, University of St. Andrews.

Aberdeen

April 24 – “Voices from the Ragged Edge: The Gritty Spirituality of the Psalms for a Broken World.” Monday morning public lecture (11:00 am), the Humanities Manse, Old Aberdeen, sponsored by the School of Divinity, History, and Philosophy, University of Aberdeen.

Durham

April 25 – “Unbinding the Aqedah from the Straightjacket of Tradition: An Inner-Biblical Interpretation of Abraham’s Test in Genesis 22.” Old Testament research seminar for postgraduate students in the Department of Theology and Religion, Tuesday afternoon (4:00-5:30 pm), Seminar Room C, Abbey House, Palace Green, Durham University.

Mirfield

April 27 – “The Silence of Abraham, the Passion of Job.” Thursday afternoon public lecture (3:00-5:00 pm), Lecture Room 1, Bilson Building, College of the Resurrection, Mirfield. You can download a flier here.

Leeds

Two public lectures in the Life Matters series, Thinking Faith Network, Leeds. Click here for a flier about both talks.

April 28 – “Why Are We Here? Our Sacred Calling in God’s World.” Friday evening lecture (7:30-9:00 pm), Quaker Meeting House, 188 Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
April 29 – “Voices from the Ragged Edge: The Gritty Spirituality of the Psalms for a Broken World.” Saturday morning lecture (10:00 am-12:00 noon), Quaker Meeting House, 188 Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

Oxford

May 1 – “A New Heaven and a New Earth: For God So Loved the World.” Monday evening public lecture (7:30-9:00 pm), Graduate Christian Forum, Oxford University, upstairs in The Mitre pub. Gather at 7.00 PM for snacks, drinks, and conversation.

Cambridge

May 2 – “Human Distinctiveness and the Origin of Evil in Biblical and Evolutionary Perspectives.” Tuesday lunchtime research seminar, (1:00 pm), open to the public, Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, the Garden Room, Library Building, St Edmund’s College, Cambridge. A free light buffet lunch and drinks are served from 12:30 pm.
May 2 – “A New Heaven and a New Earth: For God So Loved the World.” Tuesday evening lecture (6:30-8:00 pm), Jubilee Centre, 59 St. Andrews Street, Cambridge. Gather at 6:00 pm. You can download a flier here.

Oxford

May 3 – “A New Heaven and a New Earth: For God So Loved the World.” Wednesday public lecture (10:15 am; place TBA), Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford.

Cheltenham

May 3 – “A New Heaven and a New Earth: For God So Loved the World.” Wednesday evening public lecture (6:00-7:30 pm), University of Gloucestershire, Room TC001, Francis Close Hall Campus, Swindon Rd., Cheltenham. You can download a flier here.

Bristol

May 4 – “Does God Come to Bury Job or to Praise Him?” Thursday afternoon research seminar for postgraduate students, Trinity College, Bristol.
May 4 – “A New Heaven and a New Earth: For God So Loved the World.” Thursday evening public lecture (7:00-9:00 pm), Trinity College, Bristol. You can download a flier here.

New Creation Has Begun—The Haverim Lectures at the Center for Judaic-Christian Studies

Posted on March 16, 2017 by J Richard Middleton

I am about to head off to Dayton, OH to give the Haverim Lectures at the Center for Judaic-Christian Studies (Haverim is Hebrew for friends).

I’ll be giving three lectures on Saturday, March 18, 2017 on the topic of eschatology, with the overall title: New Creation Has Begun: How This Big Idea Changes Everything.

My three lectures will address:

The sacred calling of being human as the image of God
The overall plot of the biblical story
The Bible’s vision of the consummation of all things

They will be based on my book A New Heaven and a New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology (Baker Academic, 2014) and will focus on how the biblical vision of the origin and destiny of creation can inspire and empower us for living today.

You can access more information about the lectures here.

The Center for Judaic-Christian Studies plans to make recordings of the lectures available for those interested.

Evolution and the Historical Fall—What Does Genesis 3 Tell Us about the Origin of Evil?

Posted on March 2, 2017 by J Richard Middleton

Last year I was appointed a BioLogos theology fellow, commissioned to write a series of six blog posts on Christian faith and evolution. My mandate was specifically to bring my own expertise in biblical studies (particularly the Old Testament) to bear on the question of evolution.

My own personal slant has been to explore questions at the intersection of faith and evolutionary science, both respecting the science and remaining steadfast as an orthodox, evangelical Christian (this, of course, challenges the truncated understanding of “evangelical” that the media often promulgates).

My fourth Biologos blog has just been published on the BioLogos website. It addresses the question of a historical Fall (the origin of sin) and how this might be compatible with the evolution of Homo sapiens. You can read it here.

This blog is based on the much longer chapter I wrote for the book Evolution and the Fall (Eerdmans, 2017), edited by James K. A. Smith and William Cavanaugh. You can see an interview with the editors about the book on the publisher’s blog site.

My previous BioLogos blogs addressed:

My final two BioLogos blogs will address:

The providence of God in a world of death and randomness (often thought by Christians to be consequences of the Fall).
How cosmic evolution might relate to the biblical promise of a new heaven and a new earth.

You can find all my BioLogos blogs in one place (including upcoming posts); just scroll to the bottom of the page.

BioLogos was founded by Francis Collins, the scientist in charge of the human genome project, which cracked the human genetic code; he is also an evangelical Christian. He founded BioLogos to encourage all people to see the hand of God in the evolutionary processes of nature.

The current BioLogos purpose statement reads:

“BioLogos invites the church and the world to see the harmony between science and biblical faith as we present an evolutionary understanding of God’s creation.”

Please join me as I explore these fascinating questions at the intersection of evolutionary science and Christian faith.

I welcome responses to my post on the BioLogos website.

You can also post responses to the blog about my post at the Jesus Creed website, hosted by Scot McKnight (the blog is by an excellent science and faith blogger who goes by RJS).