Dr. Michael Heiser, a scholar in the fields of biblical studies and the ancient near east, will present a series of lectures as part of an academic colloquium titled “Biblical Context and Worldview of Biblical Authors” at Missouri Western State University on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2 and 3. The colloquium is sponsored by Missouri Western’s Campus Navigators club. It is free and open to the public.
Dr. Heiser is a scholar-in-residence at Faithlife Corporation, the makers of Logos Bible Software. He studied at Dallas Theological Seminary, has a Master of Arts in Ancient History from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Arts and PhD in Hebrew Bible and Semitic Languages from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has published widely in scholarly journals and popular periodicals.
There is little doubt that the Bible has been the most influential book in Western civilization. But those who hold the book most sacred have had its content filtered by traditions that are far removed from the cognitive frame of reference of the biblical writers. Dr. Heiser’s lectures will illustrate how the Bible reads when understood through the pre-modern mind of the biblical writers and provide an overview of biblical theology on its own terms, unfiltered by subsequent traditions. He will also illustrate the fallacies behind some modern instances of taking the Bible out of its own context, both by those who embrace the Bible as sacred and those who consider its teachings fictitious.
The schedule of the colloquium is below.
Day One, “The Bible Unfiltered”
Friday, Oct. 2, Kemper Recital Hall, Spratt 101
6 p.m.: Lecture 1, “The Supernatural Worldview of the Old Testament”
7 p.m.: Lecture 2, “The Godhead of the Old Testament”
8 p.m.: Lecture 3, “The Supernatural Worldview of the New Testament”
9 p.m.: Question and Answer Session
Day 2, “How to Take the Bible Out of Context”
Saturday, Oct. 3, Hearnes Center, Room 102
9 a.m.: Lecture 4, “The Pagan Christ: Correlation and Causation Really Aren’t the Same Thing”
10 a.m.: Lecture 5, “The Gnostic Christ: The DaVinci Code Really is Fiction”
11 a.m.: Lecture 6, “Cinematic/Scientific Theology”
Noon: Lunch break
1 p.m.: Lecture 7, “Liberating the Bible from Science, Part 1 (Why Genesis 1:1-3 Doesn’t Help Young Earth Creationism)”
2 p.m.: Lecture 8, “Liberating the Bible from Science, Part 2: Biblical Racism (The Side-Effect of Presuming the Bible Teaches Science that You Won’t Hear in Church)”
3 p.m.: Question and Answer Session
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.