Category: Honors Program News

This is Asbury – Russ Ramsey

Recently I had the pleasure of sitting down with author and pastor, Russ Ramsey. Russ leads the congregation at Christ Presbyterian Church in Franklin, Tennessee. He has also written several books – the most recent two were designed to articulate an appreciation for the great works of art from a Christian perspective and with a pastor’s heart. In 2022, he published, Rembrandt is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art Through the Eyes of Faith, and in October of 2024 his most recent offering was published, Van Gogh has a Broken Heart: What Art Teaches Us About the Wonder and

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Dr. John Dickson comes to Asbury

On Wednesday evening, January 31st, church historian, professor, and podcaster, Dr. John Dickson, will be coming to Asbury University to offer a talk entitled, “Bullies and Saints: Lessons from 2000 Years of Church History.” His presentation will draw significantly from both his most recent book (Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History) and a recent film project, For the Love of God. His podcast, Undeceptions, is Australia’s no.1 religion podcast with over 2 million downloads. Dr. Dickson, founder of Australia’s Centre for Public Christianity, currently serves as the Jean Kvamme Distinguished Professor of

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Karen Swallow Prior speaks at Asbury

The Asbury University Honors Program invited speaker for Spring ’23 was author and educator, Dr. Karen Swallow Prior. Click here to watch her talk entitled, “Christians, Imagination, and Social Imaginaries.” (Note: the videographer missed the first few seconds.) Our next invited speaker (September 19, 2023) will be theologian, author, and speaker Kaitlyn Schiess who will be talking about ideas from her new book, The Ballot and the Bible. Stay tuned for more info about AUHP speakers coming during the 2023/24 academic year.

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The 2022 AUHP Christmas Cookie Decorating Party!

The success of last years’ Christmas Cookie decorating party (and contest) spurred on another similar event this year. On the last day of regular classes, Friday, Dec 2nd, the AUHP opened up our conference room to a cookie decoration party – and just like last year, no more had the decorating started than the urge to compete overcame nearly everyone. Categories were quickly identified, a scale of measurement was established, and two of Asbury’s librarians were recruited to be neutral judges. (Thanks Beth Groves and Ashley Wahlert!) With a second cohort of students on campus this year, the number of

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Human Dignity: Invented or Discovered (reprised)

(Talk delivered to AUHP students at Nov, 2022 orientation meeting.) As you know, the honors experience here at Asbury is a themed enrichment program – “Studies in Virtue and Human Value.” This evening, I want to invite you to walk along with me as we explore our theme for a few moments.   Our program’s two guiding questions are, “What gives humans value or dignity?” and “What are the implications of finding value in ourselves and others?” We can start by recognizing that most everyone feels like they have value, it’s instinctive – I am somebody, and my life is

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Dr. Jennifer Frey speaks about Happiness and Human Flourishing at Asbury University

On Monday evening, October 10th, University of South Carolina Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Dr. Jennifer Frey, delivered an address to the Asbury community entitled, “Classical and Contemporary Views on Happiness” to a packed Kinlaw Board room. She presented a clear, passionate, and convincing argument for a rediscovery of a more traditional and communal understanding of what nurtures human flourishing and well-being, frequently and effortlessly weaving the thoughts and understandings of such luminary thinkers such as Aristotle, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas, as well as many others into her argument. Following her talk, students in Asbury’s Studies in Virtue and Human Value

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Filmmaker and Holocaust Survivor, Pierre Sauvage, to show documentary at Asbury

Pierre Sauvage will show his award-winning documentary, Weapons of the Spirit, on Asbury’s campus on Thursday, Oct, 20th. At the conclusion of the film, Pierre will field questions from the audience. Afterward, Pierre will be featured at a fireside chat with the AUHP students at Asbury guesthouse, Windsor Manor. Here is a brief description I wrote for to help our AUHP students understand the unique nature of this documentary: This film is not a typical holocaust documentary. It does situate itself within the larger holocaust story, but it gets particular – it dives deep into the specifics of the people

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When Image is Everything: The Vice of Vainglory

Dr. Rebecca DeYoung visits Asbury University On Tuesday, Sept 13th, Calvin University Philosophy Professor, Dr. Rebecca DeYoung, spoke to a packed room of students about the vice of vainglory. Here is a handout of the topics covered. This presentation comes from her work on recovering the medieval understanding of the vices and the virtues. Two of her books on this topic include: “Glittering Vices: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and their Remedies” and “Vainglory: The Forgotten Vice.” Dr. DeYoung helped us understand that vainglory is different from pride, although oftentimes they come as a pair. Vainglory is

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Theism and Science: A Conversation with Dr. John Lennox

Thursday, September 8, 2022, 7 p.m. — Miller Screening Room Unfortunately, due to a recent health-related issue, Dr. Lennox had to cancel his September trip to North America. The Asbury’s Honors Program, however, has arranged to go to him in his hometown of Oxford, England. There Dr. Paul Nesselroade, Director of the Asbury University Honors Program, will have a conversation with Dr. Lennox about the relationship between theism and science. Join in to watch the interview (Theism and Science, Dr. John Lennox) as it is streamed on Thursday evening, September 8th, at 7pm EST. John Lennox is Emeritus Professor of

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Dr. John Lennox to Visit Campus in September

Honors Program Announces Exciting Lineup of Fall Semester Speaker This article is reposted with permission from the Asbury University website. (https://www.asbury.edu/life/news-events/news/2022/07/28/dr-john-lennox/) This fall, the Asbury University Honors Program (AUHP) welcomes three notable speakers in their Colloquium Speaker Series: Dr. John Lennox, Dr. Rebecca DeYoung, and Pierre Sauvage. Dr. Paul Nesselroade, director of AUHP and chair of Asbury’s Psychology Department, noted that the Lennox discussion at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8, kicks off the series and is the first large event scheduled for the university’s new Walt and Rowena Shaw Collaborative Learning Center (Shaw CLC). Lennox is Emeritus Professor of

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