Literature and Christianity Lecture - 11/13

On Thursday, November 13, at 7 p.m. in RH 104, chair of the English and Modern Languages Department Dr. Karen Swallow Prior will be presenting a lecture entitled "What Hath Beckett to Do with Christ? Toward a Christian View of Literature." This event will be a part of our Faculty Lecture Series. As a reminder, our lecture events are open to both the whole Liberty student body as well as the general public, so invite others to attend. This will certainly be a worthwhile event for those interested in philosophy, theology, or literature, as well as for those who would like to explore the issue of why Christians should study literature.

Speaker Information (Link):
Dr. Karen Swallow Prior is a native of Maine who moved to Virginia from Buffalo, New York, where she completed her undergraduate and graduate studies. She was raised in a strong Christian home and received Christ at a very early age. But it wasn’t until she was in her twenties that Dr. Prior was introduced to the concept of the Christian worldview. This was when her faith became real and she embraced the challenge of not only living biblically, but thinking biblically, too. Her life has never been the same. Dr. Prior incorporates this love of living and thinking biblically into her teaching and her study of literature and language, and it is what fuels her passion for both.

Dr. Prior was the 2003 recipient of the President’s Award for Teaching Excellence. In 2006 she received the Sigma Tau Delta (LU chapter) Teacher of the Year Award. She teaches British literature primarily, with a specialty in Eighteenth Century British literature which she loves for its emphasis on philosophy, ethics, aesthetics, and community, as well as for the correction it offers to the universal human impulse to gravitate toward extremes.

Dr. Prior and her husband Roy Prior live in Amherst where they spend their time renovating their 1912 farmhouse and spoiling their three boisterous and beautiful German Shorthaired Pointers.

Be sure to put this event on your calendar. As always, coffee will be provided.

DLM

Eastern Orthodoxy - 11/10

Attention Phi Sigma Tau society members!

This Monday, November 10, at 12:35 in RH 108, Dr. Jones' Eastern Religions class is hosting Father Gillquist as a guest speaker to present on and answer questions concerning Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Come out to this exciting event to hear an Eastern Orthodox priest discuss his faith. Please be prompt if attending.

DLM

Existentialism Lecture - 10/16

The Liberty University Philosophy Club will host their first lecture event of the semester this Thursday, October 16 at 7 p.m. in RH 108. Dr. Thomas Provenzola will be presenting a paper on the often misunderstood topic of existentialism. A discussion session will follow the lecture for those who wish to stay and interact with the material presented. As always, coffee will be present.

Speaker Information (Link):
Dr. Provenzola’s primary interests are in the areas of religious epistemology, philosophy of religion, philosophical theology, apologetics, metaphysics and ethics. Dr. Provenzola also enjoys discussing the relation of philosophy, religion and morality to literature, as found, for example, in the writings of such figures as Fyodor Dostoevsky and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Prior to coming to Liberty University, Dr. Provenzola was assistant professor of systematic theology at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois and adjunct instructor of philosophy and religion at Roosevelt University, College of Lake County, College of DuPage, and William Rainey Harper College in the Chicagoland area. Dr. Provenzola has also served as interim pastor, senior pastor and associate pastor of college and youth in churches in Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois.

Dr. Provenzola and his wife, Lola, reside in Lynchburg, Virginia. In his spare time, Dr. Provenzola is an avid cyclist, runner and hiker.

Be sure to attend this great presentation.

DLM

Welcome

Welcome to the interim online home of the Liberty University Zeta chapter of the Phi Sigma Tau philosophy honor society. Until an official Liberty University linked web presence can be established, this site is where upcoming events will be posted as well as an occasional article or review by a PSTZ member or officer. Thank you for taking the time to visit our current blog, and check back regularly for news on lectures, presentations, and discussion groups.

DLM