Faithful Presence: Engaging Our Culture in the 21st Century

with guest lecturer

Dr. James D. Hunter

On Friday, December 2, Biblical Seminary held its fourth lecture in the series, Conversations on Christianity & Culture, featuring Dr. James Davison Hunter, author of To Change the World: the irony, tragedy, and possiblity of Christianity in the late modern world, and LaBrosse-Levinson Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture and Social Theory at the University of Virginia. Dr. Hunter is also author of The Death of Character: Moral Education in a Day without Good or Evil, and, Culture Wars: The Struggle to Control the Family, Art, Education, Law, and Politics in America. Dr. Hunter will speak on the theology of Faithful Presence from his book entitled, To Change the World.

Faithful presence is not about changing culture, let alone the world, but instead emphasizes cooperation between individuals and institutions in order to make disciples and serve the common good. "If there are benevolent consequences of our engagement with the world," Hunter writes,

"it is precisely because it is not rooted in a desire to change the world for the better but rather because it is an expression of a desire to honor the creator of all goodness, beauty, and truth, a manifestation of our loving obedience to God, and a fulfillment of God's command to love our neighbor."

The conference also featured special guests, Pennsylvania State Senator Stewart Greenleaf, and Katherine Leary Alsdorf, Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Faith and Work at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC.  Senator Greenleaf shared his thoughts on a Faithful Presence in politics, and Ms. Alsdorf duiscussed Faithful Presence in the meaningful integration of people’s faith and their professional work.

The Conversations on Christianity & Culture lecture series invites leading Christian thinkers in the fields of theology, culture, science, and the arts to address current cultural issues in a public gathering and participate in a Q & A. Sponsored by Biblical Seminary, each conference is free and open to the public. The lecture series is made possible by a generous grant.

A DVD of the conference will be available soon.  Place your order today.

Listen to a clip of Dr. James Hunter speak on "Sacredness".  This interview can be found in full at Mars Hill Audio.