Pilgrim’s Pint is back with a new series! Join us at Post restaurant this fall as we present a new slate of culture-engaging and thought provoking expert-lead talks exploring the shape of human existence through the lens of a Christian worldview, all while enjoying your favorite beverage. 7:00-8:00 pm; 16 Bay Road, Hamilton.
Monday, December 8: Vision Versus (merely) Visible: Imagination as Insight (Not Just Eyesight)
Bruce Herman, Painter & Author
Can art be a vehicle for truth? The poet Emily Dickinson was onto something when she wrote “tell the truth but tell it slant.” To tell it slant simply means to approach it indirectly, adding a unique perspective for the listener. This is actually one way that Jesus communicated in the Scriptures, not in dry, discursive language but in parables – poetic and provocative stories that awaken the imagination. One common theme that underlies Jesus’ message, as well as all of Scripture, is the radical hospitality of God—an invitation to the ultimate feast. Yet over time, this vision of the heavenly banquet has been obscured—buried under layers of history and convention. Could it be that modernity has lost the ability to perceive the immensity of this invitation? Perhaps it is by “telling it slant”—through the use of art, drama, music, and poetry—that this invitation might be conveyed anew to a generation numbed by noise and despair. Join us on Monday, December 8 as renowned painter and writer Bruce Herman re-awakens our imaginations to a world beyond the canvas.
Register here
Monday, December 8: Vision Versus (merely) Visible: Imagination as Insight (Not Just Eyesight)
Bruce Herman, Painter & Author
Can art be a vehicle for truth? The poet Emily Dickinson was onto something when she wrote “tell the truth but tell it slant.” To tell it slant simply means to approach it indirectly, adding a unique perspective for the listener. This is actually one way that Jesus communicated in the Scriptures, not in dry, discursive language but in parables – poetic and provocative stories that awaken the imagination. One common theme that underlies Jesus’ message, as well as all of Scripture, is the radical hospitality of God—an invitation to the ultimate feast. Yet over time, this vision of the heavenly banquet has been obscured—buried under layers of history and convention. Could it be that modernity has lost the ability to perceive the immensity of this invitation? Perhaps it is by “telling it slant”—through the use of art, drama, music, and poetry—that this invitation might be conveyed anew to a generation numbed by noise and despair. Join us on Monday, December 8 as renowned painter and writer Bruce Herman re-awakens our imaginations to a world beyond the canvas.
Register here
Past Lectures
Hitler’s Religion: How the Nazi Party Usurped the German Protestant Church ~ Kevin Adams, Church Historian & Pastor
The story of the German church during the rise of the Third Reich is far more complicated than familiar tales of resistance movements and faithful martyrs. While some pastors and theologians—like Dietrich Bonhoeffer—stood courageously against the tide, the broader Protestant church often stood shoulder to shoulder with the Nazi regime, giving credence to its claims of racial purity. How could a nation so steeped in Reformation theology become one of Hitler’s strongest allies? Join us on Nov 10 as cultural historian Rev. Kevin Adams uncovers the uneasy truth about the church’s complicity in Hitler's rise and explores what happens when the Christian faith trades heavenly promise for political power.
What Does It Mean To Be Human? Rediscovering Purpose Beyond the Digital Horizon ~ Dr. Jordan Cooper, Fellow of Systematic Theology, Weidner Institute
In a world increasingly shaped by algorithms, devices, and digital solutions to our every desire, what does it truly mean to be human? Are we in fact becoming more human as we use technology to maximize efficiency and flourishing? Or are we losing something fundamental as we slowly refashion ourselves in the image of technology itself? The question that first needs to be answered is one of telos - for what purpose does humanity serve in the first place?
Why the World Exists: Genesis, Cosmology and the Origins of All Things ~ Dr. Nathan Barczi, Senior Theologian, Octet Collaborative at MIT
Why does the world exist? Why is there something rather than nothing? These are questions that philosophers, scientists, and theologians alike have spilled much ink over in their pursuit of an answer. The book of Genesis provides us with an intriguing narrative of creation but first demands that we understand the ancient cosmology of its time - appreciating how the author and audience comprehended their world. Dr. Nathan Barczi explores creation ex nihilo (something from nothing) as conveyed in Genesis, and examines the impact such a reality would have on modern worldviews.
Israel & Palestine: At Home in an Unfinished Story ~ Dr. Seong Hyun Park, Professor of Old Testament, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
The Israel-Palestine conflict is older than you might think. Competing claims to divine promise, sacred land, and historical destiny have fueled strife not for hundreds of years but for thousands. Is this conflict simply a question of settling land rights before a peace can finally be accomplished? Or must we first confront bigger questions about the nature of conflict itself, about ultimate power and true identity? Dr. Seong Hyun Park excavates the history behind these competing sacred narratives and examines the desire to tie ultimate meaning to earthly, temporal kingdoms.
Re-Engineer Mortality: The Ethics of Aging in a Youth-Obsessed Culture ~ Dr. Autumn Ridenour, Professor of Ethics, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
If you could remain young forever, would you? Whether you realize it or not, this is a question that is asked of you every day: marketing emails promoting anti-aging products, influencers endorsing energy boosting supplements, billboards advertising clothes for young people and technologies that promise to turn back the clock. The subtle message behind all of this is one that equates youth with beauty, vitality and value while devaluing traits such as wisdom, memory, perspective and forged character. One might think it is dignity which is gained through the ability to “choose your own destiny” but what if this message is actually doing exactly the opposite? What if this message is fundamentally distorting the desired limits of what St. Augustine refers to as an ordered life of love? Dr. Autumn Ridenour explores our modern fountain-of-youth culture and uncovers the striking implications it has for our world.
St. Patrick & the Birth of Ireland: How a Slave Recast Irish Culture ~ Dr. Jennifer Hevelone-Harper, Professor of History, Gordon College
The real-life St. Patrick is an enigmatic figure. He has captivated both scholarly and popular imaginations around the world, especially every March 17th. Born on the outskirts of Roman Britain during a time of significant upheaval, Patrick lived in a world where life could be brutishly short and only the powerful thrived. Enslaved as a boy, it wouldn’t have been surprising had his story ended there. So how did Patrick actually go from slave to saint of a nation? Who is this man behind our modern myths and what parallels exist between his world and ours? Historian Dr. Jennifer Hevelone-Harper peels back the layers of the patron saint of Ireland.
Homo Religiosus: To be Human is to Worship Something ~ Dr. David Currie, Professor of Pastoral Theology
Bob Dylan was right, you're gonna have to serve somebody. And what you serve, or worship, will come to define you. As it turns out, worship is not just a religious practice but is present in everyday activities: praising nature, social activism, singing your favorite song, celebrating birthdays, even gold medal ceremonies at the Olympics. Simply put, worship is the giving of praise & adoration. So what if anything is unique about the way Christians worship? Dr. David Currie speaks on the nature of worship, why we pursue it & what governs its practice.
From Secular to Sacred: A Brief History of Handel’s Messiah ~ Dr. David Rox, Emeritus Professor of Music, Gordon College
Are you an Opera fan? Neither was London in the 1730s. As the musical tastes of the time shifted away from opera, so too did the career of George Frederic Handel. You might know him best for his composition of Messiah, a perennial favorite during Advent, but you might not know that he started out his career writing secular music in smoky Italian opera houses. So how did he go from the modern day equivalent of a Taylor Swift mega tour to... well... to Handel's Messiah? Dr. David Rox brings to life the story behind one of our most cherished pieces of Christmas music and illuminates how this monumental work has taken on a life of its own. Clips from Messiah will most certainly be played.
C.S. Lewis on Longing & Belonging: What do our desires tell us about ourselves? ~ Dr. Gwenfair Adams, Professor of Church History, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
For C.S. Lewis, human beings have an innate desire for something we can't always describe, like being drawn to "the echo of a tune we have not heard." Instead we use images and memories to approximate this reality, as if receiving "news from a country we have never visited." What does this innate longing reveal about us as humans? Is it a longing for beauty or well-being and nothing more? Dr. Gwenfair Adams speaks on C.S. Lewis, his philosophy of longing & belonging, and what our unique desires reveal about our shared human identity.
The Economics of Sacrifice: Should Everyone Get What They Want? ~ Dr. Robert Gough, CEO, Chatham Hill & Former Economics Advisor, NBC
"You can't always get what you want" said the Rolling Stones in 1969. And in just over a month from now that truism will have profound implications for American citizens as they head to the ballot box and ask themselves the question, 'Will I get what I want?' Within our economic system, several philosophies compete for the answer to this question. Utilitarianism is the most common, requiring the most amount of good for the most amount of people. Egocentrism is another, pitting everyone against each other in a race to get what you want first. But there is something missing from these philosophies, something sacrificial, without which our political and economic systems eventually turn onto an unpaved road covered in broken glass. Dr. Robert Gough speaks on what is required of an intelligent citizenry in order to maintain the true freedom they have so dearly been granted.
Redeeming Capitalism: If It’s Legal, It Must Be Moral… Right? ~ Dr. Kenneth Barnes, Professor of Ethics, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Dr. Ken Barnes speaks about the current state of ethics underlying our economic system and how, from a Christian ethics perspective, it is missing the mark.
The World According to J.R.R. Tolkien: Where Do His Stories Come From? Dr. Sean McDonough, Professor of NT, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
JRR Tolkien is best known today for his much-loved literary series The Lord of the Rings trilogy. But the worlds he created in Lord of the Rings as well as many other works have an uncanny, even eerie, resemblance to the world we live in. Dr. Sean McDonough unpacks the universe of JRR Tolkien, the supernatural themes that undergird his stories and the common threads that run between his fantasy world and our reality.
What’s in a (Biblical) Metaphor: The Language We Use When We Talk About God ~ Dr. Kerilyn Harkaway-Kreger, Professor of English, Gordon College
In most monotheistic religions, the divine being is understood to be transcendent and beyond human capacities to fully understand and describe. And yet in Christianity, God is thought to be knowable, nameable, and even relational. How did this come to be? While Christian theology can seem to be full of technical language and precise terms, when we look deeply at both biblical and spiritual writings we see how important the use of metaphor is for naming and knowing God. Dr. Kerilyn Harkaway-Krieger reveals the rich meaning behind biblical metaphors and how we use this language to describe a transcendent God.
Darwin in Retrospect: How Christian & Evolutionary Science Get Along 160 Years Later ~ Dr. Craig Story, Professor of Biology, Gordon College
Like a new branch on a tree, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution sent the world of modern science shooting down a whole new path. But has religion, Christianity in particular, been at odds with evolution from the beginning? Dr. Craig Story speak on the impact Darwin had on the world in his day and the continuing relationship between evolutionary theory and Christianity today.
Friendship Is More Than a Greeting Card: The Nature of Human Relationships ~ Dr. David Horn, Author & Church Historian, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
“No man is an island” wrote the 17th century Anglican priest and poet John Donne. But what is it about humans that makes us such a social lot? While not everyone desires the same level of engagement with friends and family, our need for meaningful and communicative relationships makes us uniquely vibrant. Dr. David Horn as he talks on the nature of friendship and what is unique to our capacity for it.
Denominations: Why Are There So Many Types of Churches? ~ Rev. Chip Copp, Pastor, Lanesville Congregational Church
The Christian religion is replete with denominations, groups and subgroups whose total number adds up quickly. All of them have something unique about their identity which was formed over many years, in different times and in different places. But if they all believe the same Bible then how have they developed such different, even antagonistic, views about what it says? Rev. Chip Copp speak on why the Christian religion has so many categories and what elements either bind them together or separate them into a new classification.