“The heavens declare the glory of God.”
“Consider the lilies of the field.”
“Does not nature itself teach
Christianity teaches us that God reveals himself, not only in the pages of holy Scripture, but also in the world that God has made. But how does nature teach us? How does the created order instruct us about God, inform our ethical reasoning, and help us to live the Christian life?
Join Bethlehem College & Seminary and the Davenant Institute for an evening of discussion on the relationship between Scripture and nature for theology, ethics, and the faithful Christian life. Drawing from the Scriptures as well as the thought of Jonathan Edwards, Richard Hooker, and C.S. Lewis, Professor Joe Rigney and Dr. Brad Littlejohn seek to build up the church by recovering creation’s role in Christian formation.
Friday, October 5, 2018 // 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Cities Church, 1524 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul
Schedule
- 6:00 PM — Doors Open
- 6:30 PM — Welcome
- 6:40 PM — First Session: Joe Rigney
- 7:25 PM — 5-minute break
- 7:30 PM — Second Session: Bradford Littlejohn
- 8:15 PM — 10-minute break
- 8:25 PM — Q&A Panel Discussion
- 9:15 PM — Evening Concludes
Session Descriptions
Joe Rigney: 6:40 PMImages of Divine Things: Creation, the Knowledge of God, and the Christian LifeBradford Littlejohn: 7:30 PMRenewing Our Minds: Natural Law, the Problem of Uncertainty, and the Recovery of WisdomAquinas famously said that the first principle of practical reason is that “good is to be done and evil avoided.” Modern Christians are liable to retort, “Well that’s not very useful.” For many today, one of the greatest objections to natural revelation is its lack of precision and certainty. In troubled times, seeking a clear moral compass, Christians cannot understand why we would want to rely on the vague and uncertain guidance of natural law when we have the clear and certain moral teaching of Scripture. In this lecture, I will seek to turn this objection on its head, arguing that, on the contrary, the uncertainty of natural law is its greatest asset. The moral life is always and unavoidably one of uncertainty, requiring the cultivation of profound discernment and wisdom in how to do good and avoid evil in ever-shifting and often murky circumstances. I will argue that the intellectual and spiritual virtues required in discerning and applying what nature teaches—preeminently the neglected virtue of prudence—are precisely those virtues that the Apostle Paul calls disciples of Christ to cultivate as they live out obedience to God’s Word.
Do I need to register?
Yes! This is a FREE EVENT, however, we do ask that you register as a curtesy.
Speakers
Dr. W. Bradford Littlejohn (Ph.D, University of Edinburgh) is the President of the Davenant Institute as well as a scholar and writer in the fields of political theology, Christian ethics, and Reformation history. He is the author several books, including Two Kingdoms: A Guide for the Perplexed and Richard Hooker: A Companion to His Life and Work. He teaches political philosophy at Patrick Henry College.
Joe Rigney serves as Assistant Professor of Theology and Christian Worldview at Bethlehem College & Seminary, where he teaches Bible, theology, history, philosophy, history, and Jonathan Edwards. When he’s not teaching college and seminary students, he spends time enjoying his lovely wife, laughing with his two sons, reading medieval theology, playing flag football, and eating fish tacos. He is the author of Live Like a Narnian: Christian Discipleship in Lewis’s Chronicles and The Things of Earth: Treasuring God by Enjoying His Gifts.
Questions?
Please contact us at [email protected].
