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REASON FOR GOD
2024
Tuesday and Thursday nights
January 18
January 23
January 25
January 30
7pm -8:30pm EST
Lobdell Dining, 2nd Floor, MIT Student Center
Free catered Meal Provided
Guest Speakers with Question and Answer
bring your toughest Questions
Header
REASON FOR GOD
2024
Tuesday and Thursday nights
January 18
January 23
January 25
January 30
7pm -8:30pm EST
Lobdell Dining, 2nd Floor, MIT Student Center
Free catered Meal Provided
Guest Speakers with Question and Answer
bring your toughest Questions
THERE ARE SOME REALLY VAILD CONCERNS AND OBJECTIONS TO BELIEF IN GOD AN TO CHRISTIANITY, SPECIFICALLY. CAN BELIEF IN GOD AND CHRISTIANITY BE BOTH REASONABLE AND DESIRABLE? WE INVITE YOU TO DO SOME INVESTIGATING. IN OUR REASON FOR GOD SESSIONS, WE WILL BE ADDRESSING SOME COMMON QUESTIONS AND OBJECTIONS TO BELIEF IN GOD AND CHRISTIANITY. YOU ARE INVITED TO ENJOY A FREE MEAL AND YOU ARE INVITED TO BRING YOUR TOUGHEST QUESTIONS AND OBJECTIONS.
“Whether you consider yourself a believer or a skeptic, I invite you to seek the same kind of honesty and to grow in an understanding of the nature of your own doubts. The result will exceed anything you can imagine.”
― Timothy J. Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
About
About
REASON FOR GOD is for anyone (the religious, the spiritual, the skeptic, the seeker, atheists, Christians and people of any faith tradition). Please come and bring your questions and disagreements. Our values for the event are honesty, humility, respect, kindness, and listening well to one another.
Our hope is that each session will be a safe place to explore, ask questions, and journey together in our exploration of truth. You may have questions or objections that aren't represented in the topics below, but feel free to ask about them.
Each night we will gather to enjoy a meal and then hear from a great speaker and to analyze some of the big questions and objections that people have when it comes to belief in God and Christianity. Are there rational reasons to believe in God? Can we make sense of God? Is the Christian faith even desirable anymore? Come seek, learn, and add your voice to the discussion.
This series has been going on for the past12 years at MIT and it has been very well received and attended.
We hope you will join us for one or more sessions this year.
WHAT TO EXPECT EACH NIGHT
We start things off with dinner at 7pm. There is plenty of room there for social distancing if that is a concern for you. There will be a catered meal served from Cafe Luna. You will get your food and find a table to sit with others, or you can sit by yourself. Once most people have gone through the food line (usually at about 7:20), we will introduce the speaker for the evening. Following the speaker there will be a time for audience members to ask questions to the speaker. You will be able to ask a question in person or submit them anonymously. We aim to end the event around 8:30pm. You are welcome to continue discussions in the room afterwards and talk directly with the speaker.
Free Books - at each event, there will be free books available (1 per student) for those who want to go deeper into topics of Faith, Reason, God, the Bible, etc.
PAST RECORDINGS
You can see past recordings from previous years. Visit our Youtube Channel or the recordings page to see the recordings.
Events
TOPICS & SCHEDULE
Events
TOPICS & SCHEDULE
THURSDAY
JANUARY 18, 2024
7 pm EST
Why Should I care? Does God/Christianity Really Matter? Why should I Believe?
Alycia Wood, Speaker and Thought Leader with Apologetics, Inc.
For many the topic of God or Christianity is simply something to roll our eyes at. We can often find ourselves saying things like:
“Does it really matter if someone believes in God or not? And what is so unique about Christianity? All that matters is that you a good person. If you want to believe in God, go for it, if it works for you. Besides, there isn’t enough proof. I can be a good person without God!”
But what if agnosticism and apathy towards God require even more faith and might have it’s own set of questions to answer? Could there be something to the Christian faith that might surprise us?
TUESDAY
JANUARY 23, 2024
7 pm EST
Is God Dead? Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty
Dr. Rice Broocks (PhD in Theology) and Dr. Brian Miller (PhD in Physics and MIT alumni)
You won’t want to miss this night! Dr. Rice and Dr. Miller will present 4 points of evidence (from Science, philosphy and history) that the existence of God is rational and reasonable. Are science and faith capatable? How do recent discoveries in science point support the hypothesis that there is a God? What about our human experience and history points us to God? Come and consider the evidence. Bring your disagreements and questions, as well, for the Q and A time.
THURSDAY
JANUARY 25, 2024
7 pm EST
Can the Bible Speak Today?: Roots, Reliability, and Relevance
Dr. Sean McDonough, New Testament Professor, Gordon Conwell Seminary. Doctorate in New Testament from the University of St. Andrews, Masters of Divinity and Masters of Theology from Gordon Conwell Seminary and B.A in History from Harvard.
In our modern age we tend to cut ourselves off from the past and want to create our world and ourselves from scratch. So why listen to what the Bible says?
The Bible is the most read book of all time, translated into thousands of languages, and has stood the test of time. Even so, how could such an old book be trustworthy and reliable? So much of what Christians claim is truth is based on what is said in the Bible. But what if it was changed or mistranslated? Or even if it is accurate and reliable, is it relevant to our modern day? Not only is Dr. McDonough a brilliant teacher and scholar, you will also enjoy his fun and light hearted personality. Come bring your questions about the Bible!
TUESDAY
JANUARY 30, 2024
7 PM EST
Is Christianity Dangerous and Delusional?
Abdu Murray - author, speaker, and lawyer, Juris Doctor from University of Michigan Law School, Author of a recently released book entitled, “More Than a White Man’s Religion”
Christianity has some hard questions that must be asked and answered about it. Regardless of whether or not the Christian faith is true, is it good for the world? Or is it actually dangerous? Isn't it anti-women, pro-slavery, anti-diverstiy? What about how Christians have been tied to evils done in the past? Is its exclusive claim to truth just a power play? How can one say that Christianity is the only way to God in a world where tolerance and acceptance are important virtues? How does one consider Christianity viable (and good for the world) in light of the baggage and hypocrisy associated with its followers?
Our guest speaker is no stranger to religion. He grew up as a devout Muslim, but later in life, through many years of investigation, became a Christian. He is also very aware of the bad things done in the name of religion and in the name of Christianity, specifically.
You won’t want to miss hearing from Abdu. He is a brilliant thinker and communicator and loves diving into the hardest questions that challenge belief in God and Christianity. He is also very humble and genuine.
Future Events
Date TBA
MARCH 2024
7 PM EST
LOCATIOn: MIT
Veritas Forum
Speakers
SPEAKERS
Speakers
SPEAKERS
Speakers for 2024
Abdu Murray
Abdu Murray is an brilliant thinker, speaker, author, and attorney who specializes in addressing issues where religious faith and emerging cultural trends intersect and collide. Abdu has spent decades analyzing how the major religious and non-religious thought traditions have attempted to address emerging cultural issues. Murray has tackled complex issues in Q&A forums, debates, and dialogues at leading universities.
He received his Juris Doctor from University of Michigan Law School and worked as an accomplished lawyer in Detroit. He lives in the Metro Detroit area with his wife and their three children.
He has written four books, his most recent being More than a White Man’s Religion: Why the Gospel is Not Merely White, Male-Centered, or Just a Religion
Dr. Rice Broocks
Dr. Rice Broocks is a bestselling author of several books including the book “God’s Not Dead” that has been translated into 14 languages. He has spoken at universities in over 40 nations. A graduate of Mississippi State University, he has a master's degree from Reformed Theological Seminary and a doctorate from Fuller Theological Seminary. His doctorae was in the field of missiology which focuses on the intersection of the Christian faith and the wide variety of global cultures and beliefs.
Dr. Broocks works closely with a team of scientists, philosophers, and historians, that facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue between faith and science. Dr. Broocks enjoys the intellectual rigor of discussion the big questions about God and Science. He is thoughtful and gracious as he engages with people about the existence of God and the claims of the Christian faith.
Dr. Brian Miller
Dr. Brian Miller holds a B.S. in physics with a minor in engineering from MIT and a Ph.D. in complex systems physics from Duke Universit. He is a Research Coordinator for the Center for Science and Culture at the Discovery Institute. He speaks internationally on the evidence for design in nature. He is recognized as a world expert on how principles of thermodynamics require preexistent information in the origin of life. His current research focus is on the interrelationship between engineering and biology. He is also a technical consultant for THESTARTUP.com, a virtual incubator dedicated to bringing innovation to the marketplace. And, he provided research support for the books God’s Not Dead and Man, Myth, Messiah authored by Dr. Rice Broocks.
Alycia Wood
As a child growing up in the church, Alycia always had questions. She wanted to dig deeper into the Christian faith beyond the Sunday morning sermon. That fueled an independent search into digging into the larger questions of life. While studying for a degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology at Robert Wesleyan College, Alycia discovered Apologetics, and it changed the course of her life. Her quest for deeper understanding of her Christianity had a name.
She went on to get her Master’s in Social Justice from Marygrove college to further her passion for serving those in need in the developing world. This led to various volunteering opportunities at orphanages, prisons, and shelters for the homeless in various countries including Haiti, Honduras and the Dominican Republic.
Alycia has spent many years as a teacher’s aide and substitute teacher for multiple grade levels. For the past nine years, she has been doing full-time apologetics ministry, traveling and speaking on various topics, relevant to our culture. She has spoken on many college campuses in the U.S. and other countries. She is currently with the C.S. Lewis Society in Tampa
In her spare time, she is an avid sports fan, musician and grower of all things edible in her garden.
Dr. Sean McDonough
Dr. McDonough is a professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts at Harvard College. He also earned a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He earned his Doctorate in New Testament from the University of St. Andrews.
His research interests include creation/cosmology in the Bible and the Ancient Near East, Hellenistic Judaism, Greek philosophy and religion and the Book of Revelation.
Dr. McDonough’s personal interests include supporting Boston’s sports teams, spending time with his family, traveling and hiking.