Taste of Seminary 2025

A Taste of Seminary: Christian Perspectives on Faith, Culture, and Contemporary Issues

Have you ever wanted to explore contemporary cultural issues from a Christian perspective? Want to experience a lecture and discover what our professors have to offer? A Taste of Seminary is for you!

Held at the Stratford Park Bible Chapel (2801 w. Kirby ave, Champaign), Taste of Seminary will feature four free lectures followed by Q and A. And even if you’ve taken courses with us before, you won’t want to miss this year’s lecture lineup that includes something for everyone.

Tuesday, 2/18:
C. S. Lewis and George MacDonald: Exploring the Influence (Dr. Melody Green)

In several places, C. S. Lewis described the Scottish author and pastor George MacDonald as having an important influence on his faith and writings. This presentation will explore those connections.

Tuesday 2/25:
Psalm 104: Celebration of God as a Foundation for Creation Care (Dr. Ken Cuffey)

Psalm 104 offers a rousing celebration of our God as seen in his role of Creator of the world of nature. Consideration of the coherence and structure of this Psalm points us to its message about God. How might this celebration of theological truth suggest a fresh foundation for the believer’s responsibility for creation care?

Tuesday 3/4:
Doers of the Word: How do we apply the Bible today? (Luke Herche)

Faithful Christians want to apply the Bible to their lives. Sometimes we do this intuitively and sometimes we are left scratching our head. This lecture will explore some of the current models for moving from the Bible to application today, discussing strengths and weaknesses of each. The goal of this time will be to whet our appetites for being doers of the word and helping others be the same.

Tuesday 3/11:
The Passion of the Christ: Two Decades of Controversy & Cultural Impact (Dr. Pearce Durst)

The Passion of the Christ ignited a firestorm of debate upon its release in 2004, and its impact continues to resonate two decades later. By exploring how controversies around Mel Gibson’s film continue to shape discussion about faith, violence, history, and representation in cinema, this talk prepares us to appreciate and critically evaluate this and other films that represent Jesus of Nazareth.