Faith and Science Forum
The University of Sioux Falls Faith and Science Forum was made possible through the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Bob and Betty Jo Roberts. It was dedicated to furthering conversation on the interchange between theology and science among USF faculty, students and members of neighboring academic, religious and scientific communities.
Presentations and discussions of selected topics were open to the public and meant to foster dialogue and understanding on such matters as neuroscience, consciousness and the soul; non-materialistic approaches to physics and cosmology, evolution and human origins; climate science, medicine and healthcare; and other issues pertinent to the relationship between theology and the natural sciences.
Previous years explored History of the Theology/Science Conversation, Theology and the Physical Sciences, Theology and Evolution, Theology and the Self, Christian Ethics and Environmental Stewardship and Theology and Neuroscience.
2017 Fall Schedule
"Bankrupting Heaven: The Printing Press and the Collapse of the Indulgence Market"
September 26
11:00am-12:15pm
McDonald Center Conference Room
Dr. Nathan Hitchcock
Associate Professor of Church History and Theology, Sioux Falls Seminary
"Is Technology Advancing the Faith Community?"
October 3rd
12noon-1:30pm
McDonald Center Conference Room
Mat Nelson
AVI Systems, USF Alum ‘01
“God and the Internet—A Lecture on Why the Virtual Is Not the Real.”
October 12
7-9pm
Z-Hall
Dr. Joseph Bottum
Professor of Cyber-Ethics & Director of the Classics Institute, Dakota State University
2016 Spring Schedule
Keynote Speaker
A Research Perspective
A lecture and forum facilitated by Dr. Justin L. Barrett
Justin L. Barrett
Thrive Professor of Developmental Science
Fuller Graduate School
Salsbury Science Center — Zbornik Lecture Hall
February 8, 2016—7:30 p.m.
First Local Forum
A Ministry Perspective
A lecture and forum facilitated by Drs. Alan and Denise Kjesbo
Alan Kjesbo
Lead Pastor
The Point, Sioux Falls
Denise Kjesbo
Professor of Children’s and Family Ministry - Bethel Seminary
Children’s and Family Ministry - The Point, Sioux Falls
Cleveland Center Room 106A
February 22, 2016—7:30 p.m.
Second Local Forum
A Clinical Perspective
A lecture and forum facilitated by Dr. Karen Garnaas
Karen Garnaas
Specialist in Neurology
Neurology Associates and Avera KcKennan Hospital
McDonald Center Conference Room
February 28, 2016—7:30 p.m.
2016 Fall Schedule
Creation Groaning: Faithful Responses to Ecological Crises
Tuesday, November 1
Christianity, Ecological Crisis and the 'Fierce Urgency of Now'
Dr. Nathaniel Van Yperen, St. Olaf College
Tuesday, November 8
Ecosystem Connections: Finding Our Place in this World
Eric Sazama, Ph.D. Candidate in Biology at USD and USF Alumnus
Tuesday, November 15
Humanity in the Image of God: Promise or Peril for Our Planet?
Dr. Michael Lodahl, Point Loma Nazarene University
For more information, please contact Dr. James Foster at 605-331-6750 or james.foster@usiouxfalls.edu.