Windows on the World
Windows on the World is intended to stimulate personal involvement in and knowledge of some of the crucial and controversial issues facing Christians today. Through these forums, the campus community is exposed to Christian thinkers and activists who model our motto of “the whole gospel for the whole world.”
Presentations are Fridays, 10 a.m. in McInnis Auditorium (St. Davids campus) unless otherwise indicated.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Open to the public.
Click here to download PDF of the schedule
Spring 2012
January 20: MARTIN LUTHER KING JR COMMEMORATION: Key Arts Production. “Go Down Moses”. Created by slaves on plantations in the American south and sung by protesters and worshipers today, spirituals powerfully combine despair, hope, anger and promise, protest and deliverance. “Go Down Moses” is a live concert and visual presentation that features soul stirring renditions of classic spirituals. Melodies that weep and cry, that laugh and exult.
January 27 *: Daniel Sheyesta, Director of the inter-denominational organization “Exodus from Darkness”, and a National Evangelist for the Christian and Missionary Alliance of Australia and America. "Christ and the Heart of Islam”. Come hear Daniel’s story – the journey of a radical Muslim leader to Christ.
February 3: Dr. Ken Maahs, Eastern professor of Biblical Studies. “Walking the Revelation”. Beloved EU professor Ken Maahs will “take a stroll” with us through what has been called “the most misunderstood book in the Bible” – Revelation. Often abused by cults or sensationalized as a soothsayer’s manual to the future, this book has a timely and timeless message for our generation.
February 10 *: Faith Forum: Eric Metaxas. Eric Metaxas is the author of the New York Times #1 bestseller, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. Called a “biography of uncommon power,” Bonhoeffer appeared on numerous 2010 “Best of the Year” lists and was featured in the Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, The New Republic, Harper’s, Kirkus (starred review), NPR, FoxNews, C-SPAN’s Book TV, Christianity Today, The Weekly Standard, and First Things. Eric will be our Faith Forum Speaker (on the St. Davids campus) from Feb 8 – Feb 10. This will be a significant event for our university. See http://www.ericmetaxas.com
February 17 *: Jim Ball, Executive Vice-President for Policy at the Evangelical Environmental Network. “Global Warming and the Risen Lord”. Rev. Ball will: (1) help us understand why Christians should care about global warming; (2) how Christ is with us as we follow Him in overcoming global warming; and (3) how it is possible to overcome global warming in a way that makes our lives better and provides the poor with opportunities to create better lives for themselves as well.
February 24: Dr. Francesca Nuzzolese, Assistant Professor of Spiritual Formation and Pastoral Care at Palmer Theological Seminary. “What’s love got to do with it? The challenge of human trafficking to Christian (pastoral) ethics”. Having just returned to teaching at the Seminary after sabbatical field research in Asia, Europe, and the U.S., Francesca has been wrestling with the ways in which we as Christians - called to balance love for God, self and neighbor - go about “business as usual” while our sisters and brothers around the world are being used and abused, de-humanized and tortured. Come take a serious look at the phenomenon of human trafficking and the ways it fuels our economy. Wrestle with Francesca about our Christian commitment to transformational knowledge – knowledge aimed at bringing justice, change and healing into our world.
March 2: Spring Break Commissioning. Dr. Andy Horvath, Director of Christian Formation will facilitate a formal commissioning of Eastern students who will spend their Spring Break on Eastern-sponsored service trips (academic, athletic, missions).
March 16: Dr. Ron Sider, founder and president of Evangelicals for Social Action, professor of theology/holistic ministry/public policy at Palmer Seminary. “Using your Grandchildren’s Credit Card: Fixing the Budget Crisis”. Ron Sider will discuss the current federal debt/deficit crisis and suggest biblically grounded norms and concrete proposals for fixing the problem.
March 23: Theresa Noye, Worship Team Advisor and Resident Director of Kea-Guffin Hall. “Regalosophy: Why autism is NOT a life sentence!” At age 3, Theresa and Henry’s son Regal was diagnosed with PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder) which is a form of Autism. Their family chose not to believe the negative reports they were receiving and resolved to help their son overcome his diagnosis. Seven years later, through faith, an intensive home therapy program, and a loving, supportive community, Regal is doing things the doctors never thought he would be able to do. Come be challenged, encouraged and inspired by this family’s journey.
March 30: Rev. Dr. Wilson W. Goode, Sr. Dr. Goode, EU Board member and Director of the Amachi Program (see http://www.amachimentoring.org), will speak to us about issues raised in his new book, Ministry with Prisoners & Families. The Way Forward by W. Wilson Goode, Sr., Charles E. Lewis, Jr., and Harold Dean Trulear (Judson Press, 2011). This edited volume considers the impact of incarceration on the African American community and the biblical mandate for an intentional response from the church. The book features models for ministries that address: incarceration, prisoner reentry, care of families, and political advocacy around issues in criminal justice reform. Come think with us on this important and relevant issue.
April 13: * Mark Galli, Senior Managing Editor of Christianity Today. Many Christians – and former Christians! – are sorely disappointed with the church and with Christians in general. And for good reason. Most of the time, we are hardly a shining light in the darkness, and sometimes we seem to contribute more than our fair share to the world’s problems. Why bother with the church? What difference does it make to be a Christian, since there seems to be little evidence of significant moral improvement among many Christians? Is there a way to live and serve Christ in joy in the midst of this discouraging reality? Mark Galli, senior managing editor of Christianity Today, and author of Chaos and Grace: Discovering the Liberating Work of the Holy Spirit will try to help us discover some answers.
April 20: * Isabel Castillo, undocumented community activist. "Undocumented and Unafraid: Personal Lessons from Community Organizing”. Isabel is a passionate young advocate of the DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) which would give legal standing to undocumented college students whose parents brought them to this country illegally when they were children. She has become a nationally recognized spokesperson for the plight of undocumented young people in the U.S. Come hear her story.
April 27: * Rev. Gregory Johnson and Dr. Robert Millet, “Dialogue Not Debate: A Mormon and an Evangelical in Conversation”. Dr. Robert Millet of Brigham Young University, a prolific author and Professor of Religion, and Rev. Gregory Johnson, an ordained Baptist Minister who leads an evangelical unity ministry in Utah and who is a former member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints himself, are the best of friends. They are both convinced that they walk in the truth of Christ and would love to persuade the other to join them on their path. At the same time they honor one another by engaging each other in spiritual conversations that are guided by the values of respect, love, and civility. For over a decade Bob and Greg have been showing audiences all over the United States and in Canada and England that Mormons and evangelicals can dialogue substantively and at the same time be wonderful friends seeking the Truth together.
* After this presentation, the Provost’s Office will host a luncheon in Baird Library to extend the conversation over a meal. These informal Windows luncheons are held from 11:30 until 1 or so in Baird Library in Walton Hall (2nd floor). Participants go through the Dining Commons line and bring their lunches back to Baird Library. Any guests who do not have a meal plan just give their names to the Sodexo cashier outside the Dining Commons (mentioning the Windows Luncheon).
