The Roundtable is a monthly discussion group where graduate students, local professionals, and professors gather to explore the implications of Christian teachings and practices for all spheres of life. Topics are chosen from subjects of current interest with the goal of encouraging critical thought about difficult and complex issues from a Christian perspective. On many issues we are able to take advantage of the interdenominational make-up of the members of GCF itself by presenting issues from a variety of perspectives. All members of the Cornell and Ithaca community are encouraged to attend these free events. The Roundtable is co-sponsored by Graduate Christian Fellowship and Chesterton House Centre for Christian Studies, and is funded in part by GPSAFC.

See the schedule from previous semesters here

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Fall 2007 Schedule

Saturday, October 20^th, the Roundtable is hosting Dr. Heather DeHaan.

About Our Topic

Rethinking Soviet History: Reflections on Faith and Ideology

When historians travel back in time, they arrive armed with a series of questions--questions that do not necessarily emerge from the past, but rather from their present, generally from the communities of inquiry in which they live and work. As a result, ?the past? becomes a re-presentation of history through the interpretive lens of the contemporary historian. In the realm of Soviet History, these "re-presentations" have shaped by ideological conflict?both that of the Cold War and that of US domestic politics since the 1960s. These battles have driven the study of the Soviet past, often distorting our image of both that Soviet past and the Russian present. Given these continued ideological tensions (i.e. culture wars and hints of a new Cold War), what might be a truly faithful, Christian critique of the competing paradigms for understanding another culture, another country, and another time? Can we find a perspective that stands both inside and outside our culture and which is faithful to both our own Christian understanding of the world and to "the past" over which we continue to debate?

Our Speaker

Heather DeHaan is currently Assistant Professor of History at SUNY Binghamton, where she teaches Russian and Urban History. She received her BA from Redeemer College in Ontario, Canada, and she spent her final undergraduate semester in Nizhnii Novgorod, Russia, as a participant in the Christian College Coalition's Russian Studies Program. Having developed a strong attachment to this city and its people, she then went to the University of Toronto, where she recently defended her dissertation, "From Nizhnii to Gor'kii: The Reconstruction of a Russian Provincial City in the Stalinist 1930s." The study examines urban politics in Nizhnii Novgorod in the Stalin period, and it outlines how a scarcity of resources and an unstable political environment affected the conceptualization and construction of the "socialist city"--the Soviets' faulty version of shalom. The study recently received the Tucker-Cohen Prize from the American Association for Slavic Studies, and she is focused on revising it for publication.

Details:

Dr. Heather DeHaan
Time: 7:00 - 9:00pm Saturday, October 20
Place: Big Red Barn

Saturday, November 17^th, the Roundtable is hosting Dr. Richard Baer.

About Our Topic

Coercing Conscience: The Myth of Religiously Neutral Public Schools and Universities

Details:

Dr. Richard Baer
Time: 7:00 - 9:00pm Saturday, November 17
Place: Edwards Room, Anabel Taylor

Saturday, September 22^th, the Roundtable is hosting John Wilson, editor of Books and Culture for Christianity Today.

About Our Topic

Story vs. Propositional Truth: A False Dichotomy

In recent years, there has been much debate about the competing claims of narrative and propositional truth. Consider, for example, the following excerpt from "A Better Storyteller," Patton Dodd's profile of Donald Miller in the June 2007 issue of Christianity Today:

"In the next half hour, [Donald] Miller delivers a variation of a theme ascendant in evangelical Christianity. Truth is rooted in story, not in rational systems. The Christian mission is not well served when we speak in terms of spiritual laws or rational formulas. Propositional truths, when extracted from narrative context, lack meaning. 'The chief role of a Christian,' he says, 'is to tell a better story.' "

The question we will be considering is this: How do we acknowledge the distinctive claims of "story"--which have indeed been slighted--without setting up false dichotomies (as above) and otherwise becoming muddled?

Details:

John Wilson - Story vs. Propositional Truth: A False Dichotomy
Time: 7:00 - 9:00pm Saturday, September 22
Place: Big Red Barn

Why?

The Roundtable is designed to help:

• Integrate faith, work and learning,
• Relate biblical principles to contemporary issues,
• Network with other graduate students and young professionals.

When?

The Roundtable meets one evening of each month. See the schedule above for dates and times. You can also subscribe to our e-mail list (instructions below).

Where?

Unless otherwise noted below, the Roundtable meets at the Big Red Barn at 7:00pm.

How?

The Roundtable works because of your ideas. Ever hear about something at work or church and think, "Hmmm, I wonder what other Christians think about that" or "That idea could make for an interesting debate"? If so, let us know.

Also, keep an eye out for occasional planning meetings, scheduled as needed. These meetings are announced on the GCF E-Mail List.

Roundtable E-Mail List

For people who would like to receive e-mail reminders of upcoming Roundtable events, but not participate in the main GCF listserve, there is a special Roundtable listserve. Communication on this listserve is limited to a couple of announcements monthly before each Roundtable. To join, send the following in the body of an email to listproc@cornell.edu

subscribe GRAD-IV-ROUNDTABLE-L emailaddress Firstname Lastname

Contact

For more information contact Ray Fertig (220-4177) r sf28 ©REMOVE THIS PHRASE· c o r n e l l· e du .