2011-2012

Perspectives on Justice from a Gospel Worldview

I. Weeping and Working for Justice | Sep 27, 2011

The first of our Annual Public Lecture Series was titled, "Weeping and working for Justice: the intersection of robust spirituality and responsible citizenship for American Christians." Gideon Strauss addressed the link between the theory and practice of justice within American politics. Situating the concept of justice in the greater Biblical narrative, he told his own personal stories of encounters with injustice, pointing to the necessity of a robust spirituality for bearing Christians up as they work for justice. The event was open to all university students and the greater Princeton community.

Gideon Strauss serves as a senior fellow with the Center for Public Justice in Washington D.C.. He is a native of South Africa and served as an interpreter for the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission under Archbishop Desmond Tutu, as well as an advisor to the South African constitutional assembly.

A dinner conversation with Gideon was also hosted at the Rocky Private Dining Room. Click here to see the video of this lecture. Also, click here for a written summary of the lecture.

II. Graceful Citizenship | Nov 19, 2011

In a public lecture titled, "Graceful Citizenship: A Conversation on Christian Civility and the Common Good," Michael Gerson highlighted the contributions and failures of the religious right while emphasizing the need for maintaining political engagement instead of abandoning the public square. In the lecture, he described the emerging content of this new engagement, rooted in the great Christian traditions of social thought. A time of Q&A, moderated by Prof. Robert George, followed the lecture.

Before the lecture, a dinner conversation with Michael Gerson, moderated by Professor David Miller, was hosted at the Rocky Private Dining Room.

2010-2011

I. Our Amazing Universe | Nov 13, 2010

Dr. Jennifer Wiseman (B.S, M.I.T.; Ph.D., Harvard) spoke on the excitement of new discoveries in astronomy, and how science relates to a life of faith and service. She is currently chief of the ExoPlanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory in the Astrophysics Science Division at NASA and is the new director for the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion. Dr. Wiseman discovered periodic comet 114P/Wiseman-Skiff while an undergraduate research assistant in 1987. Click here to see the video.

II. Seeing the Sacred in Cinema | Apr 9, 2011

Dr. Craig Detweiler joined us as he explored the role of theology in contemporary films such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Million Dollar Baby and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This was a great opportunity to understand modern culture through a gospel worldview. Dr. Detweiler also hosted an informal discussion on the theological implications of video games on contemporary society. Click here to see the video.

2009-2010

Made in the Image of Our Devices | Feb 23, 2010

Ken Myers, President of Mars Hill Audio, discussed how technologies shape our understanding of the human. His talk entitled "Made in the Image of Our Devices" led us to evaluate the role of technology in light of God's cultural mandate. Click here to see the video.

2008-2009

Manna Arts Conference | Apr 18, 2009

We live in a world where beauty surrounds us; yet, it is only when we have eyes to see that this beauty invades our soul, breathing life and meaning into our daily existence. We believe art is not extracurricular but an essential part of what shapes and defines our being. For this reason, Manna held the Manna Arts Conference to guide us to a greater awareness of how art through the eyes of faith can lead us to appreciate the beauty and truth that easily evades us.

The Art Conference featured Prof. Karelyn Siegler and Prof. James Romaine as keynote speakers. They addressed art from two perspectives-one as an art historian and the other as a painter. Both talks were followed by a hands-on appreciation tour of the art works at Princeton. Prof. Siegler is a professor at Parsons School for Design in NYC. Prof. Romaine is a professor of Art History at the New York Center for Art and Media Studies, a program of Bethel University.

2007-2008

I. Love and Loss in the Life of C.S. Lewis

Rev. Dr. Michael Ward is a priest of the Church of England. He is the author of Planet Narnia, and co-editor of Heresies and How to Avoid Them, and Cambridge Companion to C.S. Lewis

II. Gospel and Business

The Gospel and Business: Reexamining the Application of the Gospel in the Corporation and Wall Street. Manna invited representatives from varying sectors of business to discuss how the Gospel applies to their fields. Information on members of the panel can be found here.

2006-2007

Faith Beyond Sunday

Katherine Leary - Director, Center for Faith and Work at Redeemer Presbyterian Church

Dr. Gideon Strauss - Research and Education Director at Christian Labour Association of Canada. Adjunct teacher in philosophy at Redeemer University College. Senior Fellow at cards. Editor of Comment magazine at Cardus.

Vincent Bacote - Associate Professor of Theology, Director of Center for Applied Christian Ethics.

Dr. Stephen Garber - Director of the Washington Institute for Fath, Vocation, and Culture.

Manna Christian Fellowship

Annual Public Lecture Series