The Society for the Two Tasks

The Society for the Two Tasks

The Society for the Two Tasks (S2T), a ministry of the Harvard Graduate School Christian Fellowship, meets each Friday during the school year in the Philips Brooks House Parlor Room, on the ground floor, at 7:30 pm. The name of the group comes from a speech given by Charles Malik in 1980 at Wheaton College, where he argued that the church had two tasks set before it, saving the soul and saving the mind, and that it had largely failed in the latter. This group strives to address the task of saving the mind by engaging in study and discussion of a wide variety of topics relating to Scripture, apologetics, world religions, secular critiques of Christianity, and the claims of Jesus. If you would like to be on the weekly email list, please write to kuruvill at fas.harvard.edu. Our meetings are open to everyone in the Boston area.

Schedule:

Date Topic Description

2007 May 1 Jesus - Real or Imagined? Special guest. Born in India, Rajkumar Ramachandran grew up in a Hindu Brahmin atmosphere. As an electronics engineer, he worked for Siemens for 17 years. His quest for the truth has led him to a vocation that is building lives around the globe. His understanding of the Hindu Vedas and the Christian scriptures gives fascinating insights into the relevance of Jesus. Note the location is different from usual: Harvard Law School, Pound Hall Room 332. The time is at 7 pm, earlier than our normal start time.
2007 April 20 Amazing Grace Modern Slavery Night There are 27 million slaves in the world today. A presentation on the problem and how we should respond to it.
2007 April 13 An Israeli's journey to Jesus Theme - Judaism: week 4 of 4. Guest: Oded Cohen. An Israeli-born Jewish follower of Yeshua tells his personal story.
2007 April 6 Jesus' resurrection: Fact or hallucination? A video debate between William Lane Craig and Gerd Ludemann. Craig is research professor at Talbot Seminary, Ludemman is professor of New Testament at the University of Gottingen.
2007 Mar 9 Jewish understandings of Messiah and the origins of its branches (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox) Theme - Judaism: week 3 of 4. A historical survey at Jewish beliefs about the Messiah. The divisive nature of halakha and the roots of Reform Judaism in 19th century Europe as well as the development of Conservatism in the United States. A video lecture by Dr. Isaiah Gafni followed by discussion. Isaiah M. Gafni is the Sol Rosenbloom Professor of Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
2007 Mar 2 A life-changing encounter Special guest. A former Muslim shares his personal story of turning from Islam to Christ.
2007 Feb 16 Jewish worship, prayer, and the communal calendar Theme - Judaism: week 2 of 4. An introduction the practice of prayer and synagogue life in Judaism, followed by a presentation of the lunisolar communal calendar and holidays. A video lecture by Dr. Isaiah Gafni followed by discussion. Isaiah M. Gafni is the Sol Rosenbloom Professor of Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
2007 Feb 9 The Jewish library and the birth of Rabbinic Judaism Theme - Judaism: week 1 of 4. About key Jewish texts such as the Mishnah, Talmud (Babylonian and Palestinian), the impact of the destruction of the Second Temple and the birth of Rabbinic Judiasm under figures such as Yohannan ben Zakkai. A video lecture by Dr. Isaiah Gafni followed by discussion. Isaiah M. Gafni is the Sol Rosenbloom Professor of Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
2006 Dec 8 Homosexuality and the church A talk followed by discussion. Topics include balancing biblical fidelity with God's love, challenging stereotypes, and why this issue has become so explosive.
2006 Dec 1 Trends of Consequence Watching and discussing a DVD by George Barna about trends in the culture, world, and church and their implications for changing the world.
2006 Nov 17 The Two Temptations Listening to and discussing a talk about the nature of apologetics by John Robbins of the Trinity forum. Topics of discussion include presuppositionalism, reconciling the foolishness of the gospel (1 Cor 1:18-2:5) with argumentation (Paul in Acts 17:2-4), theological versus experiential appeals, Schaeffer's final apologetic, and the negative force of antinomianism.
2006 Nov 3 Christianity and Politics Listening to and discussing a recorded interview between Greg Boyd, author of The Myth of a Christian Nation and Rick Scarborough, President of Vision America. Topics include the religious right and evangelicalism, the quest for political power, and the underlying biblical implications.
2006 Oct 20 Is Christianity Intellectually Tenable? A talk by Finny Kuruvilla. (Joint meeting with the Harvard-Radcliffe Christian Fellowship, an undergraduate group which is sponsoring the event.)

2006 Oct 13 Exclusivity: How can there be just one true religion? A recorded talk by Tim Keller of New York City.

2006 Oct 11 Scientifically testable models of biblical creation Scholar's lunch with guest Dr. Fazale Rana (PhD in chemistry, expertise in biophysics of membranes) from Reasons to Believe. Several articles that Dr. Rana has written can be read here.

2006 May 12 Stem Cells: A Look through the Lens of a Christian in Science A lecture by guest Dr. David Ting (MD, Harvard Medical School) followed by discussion.

2006 May 5 Christ's concept of happiness versus the world's Audio lecture by Peter Kreeft, professor of philosphy at Boston College, followed by discussion.

2006 Apr 28 The Absurdity of life without God A talk by guest Dan McCarthy, President of the Boston chapter of Reasons to Believe.

2006 Apr 21 Abortion and the church Theme - Perspectives on life: week 4 of 4. A talk by Tyler Vanderweele.

2006 Apr 14 Genocide in the Old Testament? Theme - Perspectives on life: week 3 of 4. A discussion of the nature of God's commands to execute the inhabitants of Cannan. Recommended reading: How could a God of Love order the massacre/annihilation of the Canaanites? and some responses to hard questions.

2006 Apr 7 The Ethics of Contraception Theme - Perspectives on life: week 2 of 4. An audio lecture by Dr. Janet Smith followed by discussion.

2006 Mar 28 Is there Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus? A live debate between William Lane Craig and Bart Ehrman, held at Holy Cross College. Craig is Research Professor of Philosophy at the Talbot School of Theology in California. Ehrman is Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

2006 Mar 24 Jesus and the politics of violence Theme - Perspectives on life: week 1 of 4. A talk advocating pacifism by Becky Porteous (AB, Harvard College; PhD, Duke Divinity School).

2006 Mar 10 Dialogue with a practicing Buddhist Theme - Buddhism and the Christian response: week 4 of 4. Guest: Mr. Lama Migmar Tseten, Buddhist chaplain at Harvard.

2006 Mar 3 Buddhist branches, the Dalai Lama, Buddhism in America Theme - Buddhism and the Christian response: week 3 of 4. Overview of the Mahayana and Theravada traditions. Celestial bodhisattvas (specifically Avalokiteshvara, Maitreya, and Amitabha) and popular Buddhist expressions in Asia such as Tibetan, Pure Land, and Zen. Overview followed by a video lecture by Professor M. David Eckel of Boston University on the Dalai Lama and Buddhism in America.

2006 Feb 24 The life of Siddhartha Gautama and his core teachings Theme - Buddhism and the Christian response: week 2 of 4. Video lecture by Professor M. David Eckel of Boston University. A biographical sketch of Siddhartha Gautama (Shakyamuni) and his dharma; the four noble truths; Buddhist views on suffering; nirvana; the eightfold path. Discussion on the Christian response.

2006 Feb 10 Introduction to Buddhism; historical foundations Theme - Buddhism and the Christian response: week 1 of 4. Video lecture by Professor M. David Eckel of Boston University. Understanding the historical milieu of North India before the Buddha; Upanishadic monism, the equivalence of atman, brahman, and sat; samsara as burden not opportunity.

2006 Feb 3 Reclaiming Universities for Christ Talk by Brent Hulett, director of faculty development for the International Institute for Christian Studies.

2005 Dec 16 Jesus as Messiah A talk by Finny Kuruvilla. A study of pre-Christian Jewish understandings of the Messiah, with special focus on the beliefs of the Essene community at Qumran.

2005 Dec 9 The birth of Jesus A talk by Tyler Vanderweele. Click here for the document on which the talk was based.

2005 Nov 25 Debate on evolution and intelligent design Theme - Genesis and intelligent design/evolution: week 3 of 3. Watching a debate with Philip Johnson (professor emeritus at UC Berkeley) on intelligent design versus evolution.

2005 Nov 18 Film: Unlocking the Mystery of Life Theme - Genesis and intelligent design/evolution: week 2 of 3. A film and discussion about intelligent design.

2005 Nov 11 Genesis 1 genre and day length Theme - Genesis and intelligent design/evolution: week 1 of 3. A talk by Finny Kuruvilla. Topics include deducing the genre of Genesis 1 and 2 from internal structure, the length of the "yom" and views of the church fathers, relevance of the waw consecutive, the framework hypothesis of Meredith Kline, and the triadic parallelism of Arie Noordtzij.

2005 Oct 28 Critiquing The Da Vinci Code A talk by Finny Kuruvilla. This talk is focused on exposing the the four key factual errors made by Dan Brown in his popular and best-selling novel. Recommended reading: Not InDavincible by James Patrick Holding. (The article can also be read here.)

2005 Oct 21 The biblical canon A talk by Angie Temple and David Hoogerheide. The goal of the evening is to understand why the books that are in the bible were included, and why other books were not. Recommended reading: A General Introduction to the Bible by Norman Geisler and William Nix. Click here and here for two handouts from the evening.

2005 Oct 14 An examination of the historicity of the gospels and the truth of the Christian message A talk by Tyler Vanderweele. Click here for the document on which the talk was based.

2005 Sep 30 The Jesus of Myth and History Listening to and discussing an audio lecture by N.T. Wright given at Yale University.

2005 May 20 Christianity & Islam Theme - Answering Islam: week 4 of 4. A live debate between a Christian & Muslim.

2005 May 13 Introduction to the Qur'an Theme - Answering Islam: week 3 of 4. A talk by David Nancekivell, a doctoral student of Arabic at Harvard University.

2005 May 6 Basics of Islam Theme - Answering Islam: week 2 of 4. An overview of Muslim history and theology, as well as the Christian response.

2005 Apr 29 Film: The Message Theme - Answering Islam: week 1 of 4. With a goal of understanding Islam from the perspective of Muslims, watching a film about the life of Muhammad (The film was directed by a Muslim and endorsed by several prominent Muslim groups.)

2005 Apr 15 Did Jesus Rise from the dead? Theme - Jesus' resurrection: week 3 of 3. Listening to and discussing a debate between William Lane Craig and Gerd Ludemann on the resurrection, particularly over the issue of a possible hallucination the disciples may have had. Available for online purchase in book format.

2005 Apr 8 Will the real Jesus please stand up? Theme - Jesus' resurrection: week 2 of 3. Listening to and discussing a debate between William Lane Craig and John Dominic Crossan on the resurrection. Available for online purchase in book format.

2005 Mar 18 Jesus' Resurrection and Christian Origins Theme - Jesus' resurrection: week 1 of 3. Reading and discussing a piece by N.T. Wright.

2005 Mar 4 Exegesis on difficult texts Theme - biblical authority: week 3 of 3. Understanding how one's approach to Scripture influences interpretation. A case study of Paul's view on women.

2005 Feb 25 How does the bible view itself? Theme - biblical authority: week 2 of 3. A study and discussion of how we should view the bible by looking at how the New Testament treats the Old Testament.

2005 Feb 18 How Can the Bible be Authoritative? Theme - biblical authority: week 1 of 3. Reading and discussing a piece by N.T. Wright, with special attention to themes of story and genre.

2005 Feb 4 The Problem of Evil & the Tsunami Discussing work by Alvin Plantinga on the theodicy problem.

2004 Dec 10 Augustine's Confessions Selected readings and discussion.

2004 Nov 19 How we received the bible Listening to and discussing a message by Bill Mounce, formerly a professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

2004 Nov 5 Love for the City Listening to and discussing a sermon by Tim Keller.

2004 Oct 22 John Chrysostom Readings and life applications from the fourth century church father.

2004 Oct 15 Inspiration and inerrancy A live debate.

2004 Oct 1 The Two Tasks Reading and discussion of Charles Malik's speech.

Back to home

Date	Topic	Description
2007 May 1	Jesus - Real or Imagined?	Special guest. Born in India, Rajkumar Ramachandran grew up in a Hindu Brahmin atmosphere. As an electronics engineer, he worked for Siemens for 17 years. His quest for the truth has led him to a vocation that is building lives around the globe. His understanding of the Hindu Vedas and the Christian scriptures gives fascinating insights into the relevance of Jesus. Note the location is different from usual: Harvard Law School, Pound Hall Room 332. The time is at 7 pm, earlier than our normal start time.
2007 April 20	Amazing Grace Modern Slavery Night	There are 27 million slaves in the world today. A presentation on the problem and how we should respond to it.
2007 April 13	An Israeli's journey to Jesus	Theme - Judaism: week 4 of 4. Guest: Oded Cohen. An Israeli-born Jewish follower of Yeshua tells his personal story.
2007 April 6	Jesus' resurrection: Fact or hallucination?	A video debate between William Lane Craig and Gerd Ludemann. Craig is research professor at Talbot Seminary, Ludemman is professor of New Testament at the University of Gottingen.
2007 Mar 9	Jewish understandings of Messiah and the origins of its branches (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox)	Theme - Judaism: week 3 of 4. A historical survey at Jewish beliefs about the Messiah. The divisive nature of halakha and the roots of Reform Judaism in 19th century Europe as well as the development of Conservatism in the United States. A video lecture by Dr. Isaiah Gafni followed by discussion. Isaiah M. Gafni is the Sol Rosenbloom Professor of Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
2007 Mar 2	A life-changing encounter	Special guest. A former Muslim shares his personal story of turning from Islam to Christ.
2007 Feb 16	Jewish worship, prayer, and the communal calendar	Theme - Judaism: week 2 of 4. An introduction the practice of prayer and synagogue life in Judaism, followed by a presentation of the lunisolar communal calendar and holidays. A video lecture by Dr. Isaiah Gafni followed by discussion. Isaiah M. Gafni is the Sol Rosenbloom Professor of Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
2007 Feb 9	The Jewish library and the birth of Rabbinic Judaism	Theme - Judaism: week 1 of 4. About key Jewish texts such as the Mishnah, Talmud (Babylonian and Palestinian), the impact of the destruction of the Second Temple and the birth of Rabbinic Judiasm under figures such as Yohannan ben Zakkai. A video lecture by Dr. Isaiah Gafni followed by discussion. Isaiah M. Gafni is the Sol Rosenbloom Professor of Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
2006 Dec 8	Homosexuality and the church	A talk followed by discussion. Topics include balancing biblical fidelity with God's love, challenging stereotypes, and why this issue has become so explosive.
2006 Dec 1	Trends of Consequence	Watching and discussing a DVD by George Barna about trends in the culture, world, and church and their implications for changing the world.
2006 Nov 17	The Two Temptations	Listening to and discussing a talk about the nature of apologetics by John Robbins of the Trinity forum. Topics of discussion include presuppositionalism, reconciling the foolishness of the gospel (1 Cor 1:18-2:5) with argumentation (Paul in Acts 17:2-4), theological versus experiential appeals, Schaeffer's final apologetic, and the negative force of antinomianism.
2006 Nov 3	Christianity and Politics	Listening to and discussing a recorded interview between Greg Boyd, author of The Myth of a Christian Nation and Rick Scarborough, President of Vision America. Topics include the religious right and evangelicalism, the quest for political power, and the underlying biblical implications.
2006 Oct 20	Is Christianity Intellectually Tenable?	A talk by Finny Kuruvilla. (Joint meeting with the Harvard-Radcliffe Christian Fellowship, an undergraduate group which is sponsoring the event.)
2006 Oct 13	Exclusivity: How can there be just one true religion?	A recorded talk by Tim Keller of New York City.
2006 Oct 11	Scientifically testable models of biblical creation	Scholar's lunch with guest Dr. Fazale Rana (PhD in chemistry, expertise in biophysics of membranes) from Reasons to Believe. Several articles that Dr. Rana has written can be read here.
2006 May 12	Stem Cells: A Look through the Lens of a Christian in Science	A lecture by guest Dr. David Ting (MD, Harvard Medical School) followed by discussion.
2006 May 5	Christ's concept of happiness versus the world's	Audio lecture by Peter Kreeft, professor of philosphy at Boston College, followed by discussion.
2006 Apr 28	The Absurdity of life without God	A talk by guest Dan McCarthy, President of the Boston chapter of Reasons to Believe.
2006 Apr 21	Abortion and the church	Theme - Perspectives on life: week 4 of 4. A talk by Tyler Vanderweele.
2006 Apr 14	Genocide in the Old Testament?	Theme - Perspectives on life: week 3 of 4. A discussion of the nature of God's commands to execute the inhabitants of Cannan. Recommended reading: How could a God of Love order the massacre/annihilation of the Canaanites? and some responses to hard questions.
2006 Apr 7	The Ethics of Contraception	Theme - Perspectives on life: week 2 of 4. An audio lecture by Dr. Janet Smith followed by discussion.
2006 Mar 28	Is there Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus?	A live debate between William Lane Craig and Bart Ehrman, held at Holy Cross College. Craig is Research Professor of Philosophy at the Talbot School of Theology in California. Ehrman is Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
2006 Mar 24	Jesus and the politics of violence	Theme - Perspectives on life: week 1 of 4. A talk advocating pacifism by Becky Porteous (AB, Harvard College; PhD, Duke Divinity School).
2006 Mar 10	Dialogue with a practicing Buddhist	Theme - Buddhism and the Christian response: week 4 of 4. Guest: Mr. Lama Migmar Tseten, Buddhist chaplain at Harvard.
2006 Mar 3	Buddhist branches, the Dalai Lama, Buddhism in America	Theme - Buddhism and the Christian response: week 3 of 4. Overview of the Mahayana and Theravada traditions. Celestial bodhisattvas (specifically Avalokiteshvara, Maitreya, and Amitabha) and popular Buddhist expressions in Asia such as Tibetan, Pure Land, and Zen. Overview followed by a video lecture by Professor M. David Eckel of Boston University on the Dalai Lama and Buddhism in America.
2006 Feb 24	The life of Siddhartha Gautama and his core teachings	Theme - Buddhism and the Christian response: week 2 of 4. Video lecture by Professor M. David Eckel of Boston University. A biographical sketch of Siddhartha Gautama (Shakyamuni) and his dharma; the four noble truths; Buddhist views on suffering; nirvana; the eightfold path. Discussion on the Christian response.
2006 Feb 10	Introduction to Buddhism; historical foundations	Theme - Buddhism and the Christian response: week 1 of 4. Video lecture by Professor M. David Eckel of Boston University. Understanding the historical milieu of North India before the Buddha; Upanishadic monism, the equivalence of atman, brahman, and sat; samsara as burden not opportunity.
2006 Feb 3	Reclaiming Universities for Christ	Talk by Brent Hulett, director of faculty development for the International Institute for Christian Studies.
2005 Dec 16	Jesus as Messiah	A talk by Finny Kuruvilla. A study of pre-Christian Jewish understandings of the Messiah, with special focus on the beliefs of the Essene community at Qumran.
2005 Dec 9	The birth of Jesus	A talk by Tyler Vanderweele. Click here for the document on which the talk was based.
2005 Nov 25	Debate on evolution and intelligent design	Theme - Genesis and intelligent design/evolution: week 3 of 3. Watching a debate with Philip Johnson (professor emeritus at UC Berkeley) on intelligent design versus evolution.
2005 Nov 18	Film: Unlocking the Mystery of Life	Theme - Genesis and intelligent design/evolution: week 2 of 3. A film and discussion about intelligent design.
2005 Nov 11	Genesis 1 genre and day length	Theme - Genesis and intelligent design/evolution: week 1 of 3. A talk by Finny Kuruvilla. Topics include deducing the genre of Genesis 1 and 2 from internal structure, the length of the "yom" and views of the church fathers, relevance of the waw consecutive, the framework hypothesis of Meredith Kline, and the triadic parallelism of Arie Noordtzij.
2005 Oct 28	Critiquing The Da Vinci Code	A talk by Finny Kuruvilla. This talk is focused on exposing the the four key factual errors made by Dan Brown in his popular and best-selling novel. Recommended reading: Not InDavincible by James Patrick Holding. (The article can also be read here.)
2005 Oct 21	The biblical canon	A talk by Angie Temple and David Hoogerheide. The goal of the evening is to understand why the books that are in the bible were included, and why other books were not. Recommended reading: A General Introduction to the Bible by Norman Geisler and William Nix. Click here and here for two handouts from the evening.
2005 Oct 14	An examination of the historicity of the gospels and the truth of the Christian message	A talk by Tyler Vanderweele. Click here for the document on which the talk was based.
2005 Sep 30	The Jesus of Myth and History	Listening to and discussing an audio lecture by N.T. Wright given at Yale University.
2005 May 20	Christianity & Islam	Theme - Answering Islam: week 4 of 4. A live debate between a Christian & Muslim.
2005 May 13	Introduction to the Qur'an	Theme - Answering Islam: week 3 of 4. A talk by David Nancekivell, a doctoral student of Arabic at Harvard University.
2005 May 6	Basics of Islam	Theme - Answering Islam: week 2 of 4. An overview of Muslim history and theology, as well as the Christian response.
2005 Apr 29	Film: The Message	Theme - Answering Islam: week 1 of 4. With a goal of understanding Islam from the perspective of Muslims, watching a film about the life of Muhammad (The film was directed by a Muslim and endorsed by several prominent Muslim groups.)
2005 Apr 15	Did Jesus Rise from the dead?	Theme - Jesus' resurrection: week 3 of 3. Listening to and discussing a debate between William Lane Craig and Gerd Ludemann on the resurrection, particularly over the issue of a possible hallucination the disciples may have had. Available for online purchase in book format.
2005 Apr 8	Will the real Jesus please stand up?	Theme - Jesus' resurrection: week 2 of 3. Listening to and discussing a debate between William Lane Craig and John Dominic Crossan on the resurrection. Available for online purchase in book format.
2005 Mar 18	Jesus' Resurrection and Christian Origins	Theme - Jesus' resurrection: week 1 of 3. Reading and discussing a piece by N.T. Wright.
2005 Mar 4	Exegesis on difficult texts	Theme - biblical authority: week 3 of 3. Understanding how one's approach to Scripture influences interpretation. A case study of Paul's view on women.
2005 Feb 25	How does the bible view itself?	Theme - biblical authority: week 2 of 3. A study and discussion of how we should view the bible by looking at how the New Testament treats the Old Testament.
2005 Feb 18	How Can the Bible be Authoritative?	Theme - biblical authority: week 1 of 3. Reading and discussing a piece by N.T. Wright, with special attention to themes of story and genre.
2005 Feb 4	The Problem of Evil & the Tsunami	Discussing work by Alvin Plantinga on the theodicy problem.
2004 Dec 10	Augustine's Confessions	Selected readings and discussion.
2004 Nov 19	How we received the bible	Listening to and discussing a message by Bill Mounce, formerly a professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
2004 Nov 5	Love for the City	Listening to and discussing a sermon by Tim Keller.
2004 Oct 22	John Chrysostom	Readings and life applications from the fourth century church father.
2004 Oct 15	Inspiration and inerrancy	A live debate.
2004 Oct 1	The Two Tasks	Reading and discussion of Charles Malik's speech.