Coffee and Discussions @ the Library is a series of discussions and performances open to all FPU students, staff and faculty. It is held once a month, usually on a Wednesday, 4-5 p.m. The discussions are sponsored by Hiebert Library. For more information contact Hope Nisly or Noé Hernandez.

Fall 2011

September 21: Are the Liberal Arts Dead? Who Cares?
Pamela Johnston (history) and Steve Varvis (provost)

How can a course of study developed almost two thousand years ago still be relevant to us? And how can it get you a job? Provost Steve Varvis, a medieval historian, and Assistant Professor Pam Johnston, a classicist, will lead a discussion on why the liberal arts still matter—and why we might be better off finding a new name for them. Join us for a provocative look at these trivial—and quadrivial pursuits.

October 18: The Five Pillars of Islamic Daily Life
Imam Seyed Ali Ghazvini (Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno)

November 2: Inconsolable Longing and the Drama of Worship
Anthony Velez (theology adjunct, Center for Writing and Learning)

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis states, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” In reflecting upon Lewis’ words it occurred to me that we are creatures of inconsolable longing, and that understanding this could provide insight into the struggle of living with integrity as broken creatures in a fallen world. Furthermore, I have come to see worship as a means through which we learn to contextualize our longing and direct it towards its proper end. It is the connection between inconsolable longing and the drama of worship that I will explore in this presentation.

November 16: Wind in the Door: Using Middle School Narratives in the Seminary Classroom
Mark Baker

Fifty years ago, Madeleine L’Engle published A Wrinkle in Time, the first novel in her Time Quartet series. Although this series was aimed at a middle school audience, L’Engle’s stories are now held up by theologians (e.g. Walter Wink) as a way to understand deep theological concepts. Mark Baker will talk about why he chooses to use one of L’Engle’s Time Quartet novels, Wind in the Door, in his seminary classrooms and how narrative can help to illuminate theological ideas.

December 7: Sixth Annual Christmas Harpsichord performance
Laurel Huber (music performance) and students

Spring 2012

January 18: Guitar Performance
Kevin Enns-Rempel (library director)

February: Violent Video Games and the Adolescent Brain
Chris Brown(library) and Elizabeth Lake (psychology)

March 21: Annual Student Poetry Reading
Eleanor Nickel and students

April 17: Fifty Years Later: Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and How One Woman Changed Our World and Our View on the Environment
Michael Kunz (biology) and Ruth Dahlquist (biology)