Anderson to Kick-Off Spring Philosophy Forum Series Feb. 26

February 24, 2021

Dr. Tawa Anderson, associate professor of philosophy, will deliver a faculty lecture for the first Philosophy Forum of the spring semester. The event will take place Friday, Feb. 26, at 4 p.m. in rooms 218-220 in the Geiger Center. [Please note: This event was rescheduled from its original date of Feb. 12 due to winter weather.] Anderson’s lecture is titled, “The Quest for a Satisfied Insignificance.” The forum is scheduled to conclude by 5:15 p.m.

Philosophy Forums bring issues of broad philosophical importance to the sphere of public conversation on campus. Anderson organizes the Philosophy Forum series.

“Aspiring pastors are frequently accused of possessing a 'Messiah complex,' a pressing need to be needed, and/or a desire to be important or influential,” Anderson said. “More broadly, Western society celebrates the contributions of significant personages who chart the course for institutions or nations. We admire C. S. Lewis for his literary and apologetic impact; we respect Winston Churchill for fortifying the United Kingdom in its mortal battle with Nazi Germany; we idolize Martin Luther King Jr. for sparking the end of racial segregation. We do not merely admire, respect, and idolize such figures - we want to be like them ourselves.”

In this reflective and self-critical Forum, Anderson will diagnose his own delusions of grandeur, while contemplating what a life of Christian discipleship, virtue and faithfulness ought to look like. Particular attention will be paid to the spiritual disciplines of simplicity and submission and the spiritual virtue of humility. Ultimately, Anderson will argue that, “fulfillment in Christ is attained through meaningful contentment in obscurity ... or in prominence, should the Lord so require.”

The second Forum of the spring will take place Friday, March 5, from 4 to 5:15 p.m., also in GC 220. Dr. Robert B. Stewart, professor of theology and philosophy at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, will deliver the lecture, “A-Paul-ogetics: The Apologetics of the Apostle Paul.”

The third Forum will be held Friday, April 16, from 4 to 5:15 p.m. in Stavros Hall room 214. Dr. Matthew Halsted, associate professor of biblical studies at Eternity Bible College, will deliver a lecture titled, “Can God Be Incited to Cause Suffering? Evaluating Job 2:3 in Light of Gregory of Nyssa’s Philosophical Theology.”

The fourth and final Forum of the spring 2021 semester will happen Friday, April 30, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in Stavros Hall 214. This event will be a mock debate, featuring Joshua Knox, senior philosophy major, versus Anderson. The duo will debate the question, “Does God Exist?” with Knox debating the yea, while Anderson will debate the nay.

The events are free and open to the entire campus community. Face coverings and physical distancing are required for those in attendance.