Faculty Commons SLO

Winds of Change is an annual conference for Christian professors and graduate students.

This year’s conference will be held Saturday February 22, 2014 in Ontario (Southern California) and is an opportunity to connect with other Christian professors and graduate students from a variety of campuses and disciplines. By popular request, this year’s conference theme is: Balanced Life:  Finding Time To Do What’s Important to You.

Professors from various school and life situations will share what has helped them to live by priorities. There will be time for Q&A, and small groups where you can share your ideas. This conference will be held near the Ontario International Airport, in Ontario, California. Click here for information and registration.

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Thursday night January 23rd, 800+ students and faculty packed out Chumash Auditorium to hear our guest Dr. Satyan Devadoss dialogue with Cal Poly professor Dr. Peter Schwartz on science, faith, and altruism (“why do good?”). Many thanks to our two speakers, as well as Cal Poly physics professor Dr. Jodi Christiansen, who served as moderator.

The event was a dialogue, not a debate. and really modeled what it means to build a friendship, find common ground, and have a respectful conversation.

Above, Satyan and Pete talking and fielding additional questions from students for a full hour after the event.

We’ve gotten very good feedback from the evening. A Cal Poly faculty member, who is a part of the San Luis Obispo “Atheists United” shared how much he appreciated the Forum – and looked forward to future events.

The event was recorded, and we’ll have a link up as soon as it’s available. Thanks to everyone who prayed for the success of this event, supported it financially, announced it in class, invited students or colleagues to attend, and attended themselves.

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Please plan on joining joining us Thursday January 23, 2014 as we welcome Christian mathematician Dr. Satyan Devadoss dialoging with Cal Poly Physics professor Dr. Peter Schwartz on science, faith and altruism.

Welcome to Cal Poly – we’d like to buy you lunch.

We hope you’ll join us for a casual lunch with colleagues. This is open to all new faculty members and is a great chance to interact, as well as hear some insights and practical thoughts from experienced faculty who want to make your experience here at Cal Poly successful.

• Wednesday October 16, 2013
• 12pm-1pm
• Conference Room UU 220

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Can Christian beliefs be rational, reasonable, or justified in a way that counts toward knowledge? How and why could a loving, all-powerful, all-knowing God allow the horrible evils we know about to occur?

Dr. Todd R. Long, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Cal Poly, will be presenting a four part lecture series 6:30-8pm at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church 301 Trinity Avenue Arroyo Grande. Oct 15 and 29 on “The Rationally of Christian Belief” and Nov 12 and 26 on “The Problem of Evil.” The lectures, which are open to the public and free of charge, are designed to provide intellectual support to reflective Christians who wrestle with, or are puzzled about, philosophical questions concerning theology, faith, and practice. The lectures will not assume any prior familiarity with philosophical content. Direction can be found here.

We are looking forward to reconnecting and hope you can join us for our third annual Faculty Commons kick-off.  

We’ll be providing BBQ chicken and tri-tip, at the home of Russell and Rea Berg in SLO. We hope you’ll come and bring your favorite side dish or dessert to share. 

This is a family event, and – similar to last year – we’ll have some experienced childcare helpers on hand so you can bring kids and still enjoy adult interaction! If you’re coming with kids, please indicated the number and ages of children you are bringing by September 20, so we can be prepared.    

3:30-4 arrive and connect

4:00-4:45 BBQ and potluck

4:45-5:45 hearing from each other, vision for the year, prayer together in small groups.

Please rsvp to the evite, or contact us for more information.

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This short 3 minute video captures the experiences of 4 professors from different campuses who went on Cru | Faculty Commons Global Mission trips this summer.

We’re encouraged how God used these professors’ platform as American university faculty to advance the gospel, how these trips expanded their vision for the world, and how their participation impacted students from their campuses.

We hope you’ll prayerfully consider joining us in being part of a similar trip next summer.

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Please save the date and plan on joining us for the 2014 Veritas Forum as we hear from Dr. Satyan Devadoss  (Mathematics, Williams College, Mass.) speaking on “Discovering Humanity in Academia” Thursday January 23, 2014 at 7:30pm in Chumash Auditorium.

His dialogue with Cal Poly physics professor Dr. Peter Schwartz will be followed by Q&A from the audience.

Here’s a link to Dr. Devadoss at Veritas Forum Cal Tech. 

Founded at Harvard University in 1992, the Veritas Forum seeks to “engage students and faculty in discussions about life’s hardest questions and the relevance of Jesus Christ to all of life.”

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In loving memory of a friend, a scholar, a theologian, a fellow servant of Jesus Christ: Dallas Willard September 4, 1935 – May 8, 2013. 

He began his teaching career at Wisconsin before arriving at USC in 1965. He was chairman of USC’s philosophy department from 1982 to 1985 and retired in 2012. His works include “The Great Omission,” “Renovation of the Heart,” “The Divine Conspiracy.” 

At the outset of his career, Dallas considered becoming a pastor. Instead, he pursued a Ph.D. and became a professor, teaching at University of Southern California for over 40 years. He once remarked “if I had gone with the church, the university would have been closed to me. But pursuing a career in academia, both the university and the church have been open to me.” 

Here’s a five minute clip of of Dallas speaking at a Veritas Forum at UCLA in 2003 on “What Is Truth? A gifted speaker, thinker, and Christian leader. He left an incredible legacy. He will be very missed.

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The SLO Cru Fellowship Dinner is an opportunity to connect with other Christian faculty members – as well as parents, alumni, and members of the community – to hear about what God is doing on campus through the ministry of Cru. The dinner is complimentary, and an opportunity to financially invest in the ministry will be provided.

SLO Cru Fellowship Dinner

Saturday May 11, 2013

Mountainbrook Church, 1775 Calle Joaquin, SLO

Reception & Vision Walk begins @ 5:30 Dinner begins @ 6pm.

Because seating is limited, reservations are required. Adults only, please.

Please rsvp by May 3rd if you’re planning on attending to Elise Thelander (contact information above) including: 1) Guest name(s) 2) Email/phone 3) meal preference: New York Steak or Ravioli (vegetarian) and dessert preference: Chocolate or Berry

We hope you can join us!

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