The Faith Beyond Belief team is doing a series of events in Calgary featuring Canadian historical Jesus scholar Craig Evans. Evans specializes in the historical reliability of the New Testament documents.
Who is Craig Evans?
New Testament scholar, Craig Evans, is the Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity College of Acadia University, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. A graduate of Claremont McKenna College, he received his M.Div. from Western Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Claremont Graduate University in southern California. A well-known evangelical scholar throughout the world, he is an elected member of the prestigious SNTS, a society dedicated to New Testament studies.
After teaching one year at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Evans taught at Trinity Western University in British Columbia for twenty-one years, where he directed the graduate program in Biblical Studies and founded the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute. He was also a Visiting Fellow at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey.
Author and editor of more than sixty books, including a feature in Lee Strobel’s the Case for the Real Jesus, and hundreds of articles and reviews, Professor Evans has given lectures at Cambridge, Oxford, Yale, the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa and the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, among others. He also regularly lectures and gives talks at popular conferences and retreats on the Jesus, Archaeology, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible.
Along with countless interviews on radio networks across Canada and the US, Evans has been seen on Dateline NBC, CBC, CTV, Day of Discovery, and many documentaries aired on BBC, The Discovery Channel, History Channel, History Television and others. He also has served as a consultant for the National Geographic Society.
To find out more about Dr.Evans, please visit his website.
The event schedule is here.
Event schedule
Dr. Craig Evans will be speaking at the following Calgary* events. Except where otherwise noted, the talks are free of charge.
To RSVP for any of these events, please email info@faithbeyondbelief.ca or call (403) 689-5890.
Friday, September 24th, 2010
Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospel
Pastor’s breakfast
Full Gospel Tabernacle
9 am – 11 am
The New Testament: Reliable, Relevant and Redemptive
A talk for Christian post-secondary students & faculty
Rocky Mountain College, Chapel
1 pm – 3 pm
4039 Brentwood Road NW, Calgary, Alberta T2L 1L1
rockymountaincollege.ca
Is the Bible Reliable History?: A Discussion
An interactive forum (talk followed by Q&A); open to the public
University of Calgary, Room KNB 132
5:45 pm – 9 pm
Co-sponsored by the Freethinkers of the University of Calgary
2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4
ucalgary.ca
Saturday, September 25th, 2010
The Origins of Christianity & the Importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Also includes a talk from our special guest, Dr. Craig Hazen (founder of the M.A. Program in Christian Apologetics at Biola University)
Public seminar, $20 at the door ($10 for students) – cash only
Full Gospel Tabernacle
9 am – 5 pm
Why We Trust the Bible
A youth event
Full Gospel Tabernacle
7 pm – 10 pm
Sunday, September 26th, 2010
The Crux of Christianity: Evidence for the Resurrection
Sunday service
Full Gospel Tabernacle
10 am – 12 pm
Where is this happening?
* Note: All events will be held at the Full Gospel Tabernacle, unless otherwise indicated. A free-will offering will be taken at events at this venue only.
Full Gospel Tabernacle
155 Falconridge Cres NE, Calgary, Alberta T3J 1Z9
fullgospeltabernacle.org
If you would like to donate to Faith Beyond Belief, and you should, you can donate at the Faith Beyond Belief web site. The Faith Beyond Belief team informs me that they could really use your support, and please tell them that WK (me) sent you.
Craig Evans is first-rate scholar who is respected across the ideological spectrum. He has been doing stuff with John Ankerberg, participating in debates with John Dominic Crossan, and debating against Bart Ehrman. Canadians should be thrilled to get someone of his caliber in their country. The fact that the organizers have not neglected to schedule academic outreach events is significant. Calgary is the best city in Canada, and located next to the Rocky Mountains.
If you can’t attend the events, but want to learn more about Craig Evans, try this:
Be effective and influential:
Who Made God?
Completely readable – completely excellent. Actually, one of my favorite reads this year. I thought, I could give this to anyone and they would understand it, enjoy it, and be challenged by it. Full of wit, humor, and sharp thinking. This definitely makes it to the top of my list. (review here)
Is God Just a Human Invention?
Another book with a question for a title – but
questions are good, and this book tackles about 18 of them that are being asked the most these days. Written by Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow, with contributions from a ton of excellent specialists, this book is a phenomenal resource and doesn’t have to be read in any particular order. (an interview with the authors here)
is another book loaded with great content – 50 essays! – with contributions from a ton of top-notch apologists. A close competitor with the previously mentioned book that happens to be a great resource.
On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision
by William Lane Craig
is excellent for personal study or group studies. Weighty material that is clear, precise, and put together really well. I’d give this to Christian young people in high school and college who want to strengthen their apologetics foundations. (review here)
And finally, here’s the stocking stuffer of the bunch: Kreeft and Tacelli’s Pocket Handbook of Christian Apologetics
. The reason? Again, lots of material packed into a small book, organized and presented well.
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WINTERY KNIGHT 