We have a great lineup for the Annual Meeting. The dates will be May 9-10 (Friday night and Saturday morning and afternoon), at the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. The theme is “When did Adam live, and what are the stakes in our answer to that question?” The plenary speakers on Friday night are:
Fuz Rana, Reasons to Believe, author, with Hugh Ross, of Who Was Adam?
Jack Collins, Professor, Covenant Theological Seminary, author of Did Adam and Eve Really Exist? Who They Were and Why You Should Care
Ann Gauger, Biologic Institute, author, with Douglas Axe and Casey Luskin, of Science and Human Origins.
On Saturday morning, we will have a response by a professional anthropologist:
Thomas Headland, Senior Anthropology Consultant, SIL International, speaking on “Current views on human origins: What the anthropologists are saying, and what does this Christian anthropologist think?”
Following this talk we will have a panel discussion with all the speakers, moderated by David Snoke, professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
The views of these authors have some significant divergences. This will not exactly be a “debate,” but I am sure there will be some spirited discussion! One of the main topics of disagreement is the status of Neanderthals. Most scientists agree that modern humans date to 50,000-100,000 BC, but Neanderthals go back much further and overlap with modern humans. Were Neanderthals human? Was Adam a Neanderthal? Or were Neanderthals more like “orcs” who fought against humans? Theologically, could there have been a race of sentient creatures without the image of God? Were these who Cain feared? Much to discuss.
On Saturday afternoon, we will have contributed talks. Walter Bradley, Professor at Baylor University, will talk on how to lead a science-faith adult Sunday school class. Members are welcome to submit abstracts for contributed talks by email to info@christianscientific.org.
Don’t miss out, and pass the word on to others! As always, the annual meeting is free to members (both associate and full). The registration fee for non-members is $25. Click here to register. Those who might be interested in staying in the homes of local Christians should indicate this in the comments box; in general this can be arranged with enough lead time. Also, consider making a donation to help defray travel costs for speakers and young scientists.
May is always a beautiful time of year in Pittsburgh. If there is interest, we will arrange a scientific tour of the Phipps Conservatory, which has recently invested in and opened a “100% green” building.
Annual Meeting registration page
