Can a college professor still believe in Jesus?
In this university environment where there is often hostility to Christian belief, tonight we meet faculty that say… I (still) believe.
As our culture and campus changes at a fast pace, a new understanding of reality has emerged in our academic setting. A new ideology has eclipsed the old. One might call that ideology, secularism.
What is secularism? What might this ideology have to say? What are the messages that subtly, and not so subtly, ring in our ears in the campus context?
Religion is just an outdated myth. Even if a religion like Christianity has provided some moral guidance or some comfort in the face of suffering, now we know better. Now we know that religion is what less enlightened people have relied upon to explain life in a chaotic world. We know that faith is blind, that faith is always subjective, and that it cannot be proven. We know that the Bible is corrupted, that it contradicts itself. We know religion is irrelevant to the issues that really matter. In fact, Christianity is nothing more than a tool for the oppression of the disenfranchised. Perhaps the university, and society in general, would be better off if we let go of religion all together.
But not all faculty have embraced messages like these. There are some that believe faith can also be reasonable. There are some that believe the person of Jesus is as relevant as ever to the issues that really matter. There are some that still believe that the Bible reveals truth about God and our human existence. There are some that believe that in spite of the complex and, at times, shameful history of Church, that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection offer true hope to our human predicament. There are some that believe that what every individual needs most is not a better resume, not another degree, not more advanced technology, but a relationship with the God of the universe.
Free and open to the public. Join us, March 1st as we hear from three Ohio State faculty. Priority seating to OSU students, faculty, and staff.
Speaker Bios:
Dr. Joshua Watson
The Ohio State University,
Medicine
Dr. Joshua Watson is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in The Ohio State University College of Medicine (OSUCOM) and Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH). As a faculty member, he enjoys teaching medical students during their pediatric clinical rotations. He also serves as the Infectious Diseases Rotation Director for the Pediatric Residency Program and is a member of the Evidence-Based Medicine Committee.
Dr. James B. Odei
The Ohio State University,
Biostatistics
Dr. James B. Odei currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Public Health at OSU’s College of Public Health in the Division of Biostatistics. James’ research focuses on spatial, temporal, spatio-temporal modeling using Bayesian methods and hierarchical modeling and application to ecology and health. Some of his research interests include infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS, TB, etc.), diabetes, and stroke.
Dr. Tonya Orchard
The Ohio State University,
Human Nutrition
Dr. Tonya Orchard is a Registered Dietitian and Assistant Professor of Human Nutrition at the Ohio State University. She is a Buckeye through and through, completing her B.S. in Medical Dietetics, her M.S. in Human Nutrition and her Ph.D. in the Interdisciplinary Nutrition Program, all at OSU. She has been the Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics at OSU since she joined the Human Nutrition faculty in 2013. Her research focuses on dietary components that decrease chronic inflammation, with a special interest in the relationship of dietary fats to osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, and in dietary interventions to reduce side effects of cancer treatment.
Sponsored by: Cru at OSU