The Seminary Explores

Dr. Kenneth Mott, Professor of Political Science, Gettysburg College; author of “The Supreme Court and the Living Constitution” takes us on a tour of the U.S. Constitution.  In addition to a structure and a process for an American government, the Constitution assumes a distinction between permanent principles and occasional demands, between the “permanent” will of the people and the “whim” of frequent change. Thus what is left unsaid is the key to the endurance of the Constitution. The role of the Supreme Court becomes critical in keeping this dialogue alive and well.

When it comes to poet/priests, R.S. Thomas is about as good as it gets. This Seminary Explores conversation includes insight into his relevance and the brilliant tensions in his work by John McEllhenney, author of A Masterwork of Doubting Belief: R.S. Thomas and His Poetry.

For more information on the R.S. Thomas Literary Festival visit: http://www.st-hywyn.org.uk/rst.html

In this episode, Pastor Karoliina Nikula discusses the larger field of Bio-Ethics, using the specific example of cochlear implants in Finland.

In this episode, a part of our ongoing series about Science for Seminaries, geneticist Dr. Jennifer Powell describes her work and the importance of genetics for understanding life.

Astrophysicist Dr. Craig Foltz makes physics come alive in this engaging discussion of the origins of time, how telescopes work, and what it all means for our knowledge of the world and ourselves. 

As part of our Science for Seminaries series, Dr. Michael Wedlock explains what chemistry is, why it was once called the “central science,” and most importantly, how it helps us better understand and appreciate the world.

Dr. Vincent Evener, Visiting Instructor in Reformation and Lutheran Studies at the Gettysburg Seminary discusses his choice of the ten top stories/events in religion for 2015. These include: The visit of Pope Francis, the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, issues of violence in particular the A.M.E. church killings in Charleston, South Carolina and terrorism, and immigration. He highlighted his concern for cooperation, openness, constructive endeavors to counter the rhetoric of suspicion and hate.

Continuing our focus on “Science in the Seminary” this year, in this episode, Dr. Stephenson offers a basic description of physics and the kinds of things physics teaches us about the world.   Then moving into some specific theories about creation, the universe and how it all matters to our understanding of God.

Dr. Principato describes with clarity and precision the importance of geology for understanding our world, and the current state of the climate.  She is informative, interesting, and compelling!