Dr. Jeremy Evans to Speak at OBU Jan. 11-12

January 7, 2021

Dr. Jeremy Evans, senior pastor of Woodridge Baptist Church in Kingwood, Texas, will deliver the Christian worldview plenary lectures at OBU Jan. 11-12. The lectures are part of the Christian worldview course, held each January.

Evans will deliver five public lectures while on campus, all held in Raley Chapel’s Potter Auditorium. The lectures are open to students, faculty and guests from the broader community based on space availability for safe physical distancing. Pastors, church leaders and members of the community are invited to attend.

Each lecture will focus on an aspect or notion of “The Good Life,” seeking to engage contemporary dialogues about what “The Good Life” is and to bring that to bear on the Christian faith and Christian worldview. The first three lectures will be given Monday, Jan. 11. “The Good Life - So what are my options?” will be presented from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.; “The Good Life – Can I have a good life if God doesn’t exist?” from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.; and “The Good Life – Subjectivity: let’s just make up some good stuff!” from 7 to 9 p.m.

Lectures four and five will be presented Tuesday, Jan. 12. “The Good Life – Hedonism and the experience machine” will be presented from 9:30 to -10:45 a.m. and the final lecture, “The Good Life – The good life and … suffering?” from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Evans earned a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Texas A&M University. He has authored or edited several volumes dealing with issues ranging from the problem of evil to the issues related to war and violence in the Bible. He has previously taught at both New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition to his academic work, he has more than 20 years of experience in ministry, serving churches in Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas.

Christian Worldview is a first-year experience course offered through the Hobbs College of Theology and Ministry. This course is intended to assist each student in the development of biblical and theological foundations to understand the Christian view of reality. In this course, students examine the nature, scope, importance and content of worldview in general. They also discuss methods for identifying, evaluating and analyzing worldviews, while discussing questions like origins, the nature of the universe, human nature, truth, knowledge, morality, spirituality and history.

Through this examination, students are challenged to develop a Christian worldview as part of their own spiritual growth, faith and life. Students in the course also get the chance to analyze several alternative philosophical and religious worldviews, while seeking to understand how adherents of other worldviews see and understand reality and how their worldviews motivate them to action.

Each year, OBU invites renowned theologians and professors to deliver the worldview lectures. Past guests include Dr. Michael Licona, associate professor of theology at Houston Baptist University; Dr. Gary Habermas, one of the world's leading scholars on the resurrection of Jesus; Dr. Randal Rauser, philosophical theologian and widely published author; Dr. Craig Bartholomew, author and renowned theologian; Dr. Michael Goheen, theological scholar with teaching experience at multiple seminaries; and Mary Jo Sharp, a leading Christian apologist, assistant professor of apologetics at Houston Baptist University, and the founder and director of Confident Christianity Apologetics Ministry.