Summer  2014                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1          

With All Your MindNEWSLETTER OF TALBOT’S MA PHILOSOPHY PROGRAM

Garry DeWeese: A Tribute

Garry DeWeese joined Talbot faculty 15 years ago in 1999. Garry has taught virtually every class in the philosophy program and is one of the most versatile Christian philosophers on the scene today. Garry came to Talbot from a background with the United States Air Force Academy, a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary and PhD from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Garry had also been a pastor for many years prior to joining the Talbot faculty.

Summer 2014: In this issue

Garry  DeWeese:  A  Tribute  by  Dr.  Rae  

Excerpt  Highlighting  Alumnus  Dr.  Baehr  

Congrats  to  Alumnus  Dr.  Franks  

ReGlections  on  “God,  Time,  &  Eternity”

Faculty  Updates  

Messages  from  Alumni

Ministry  Update      

1

2

4

5

8

12

16

2                          Summer  2014

Garry ’s spec ia l ty here came to be philosophical theology. Being the capable scholar he is, though, he taught philosophy of science, apologetics, epistemology, philosophy of religion, environmental ethics, morality of war and metaphysics. He also taught Old Testament Survey and hermeneutics/philosophy of language. Needless to say Garry’s departure will leave a sizable hole in our philosophy department at Talbot.

As good as Garry was as a classroom professor his most lasting impact on students came from the countless hours he spent outside of class. He was well known as the departmental pastor to students and had numerous shepherding relationships with students during his time here. He got significantly involved in many of their lives—some lived with him and his wife Barbi temporarily and he even performed some weddings for students. Because of his impact among students Garry will be leaving a lasting legacy here.

Garry was an accomplished author with a gift at making philosophy understandable not only to beginning students but also to the person on the street. His book, Philosophy Made

Slightly Less Difficult, is a good example of how he could take complicated concepts and make them clear. 

Garry was a total delight to have as a colleague. He was a consummate team player, exhibited Christ-like humility, and was a great friend to colleagues and students alike.  W h e n l o o k i n g f o r h i s replacement we looked for someone who is as close as possible to being his clone. We

gave up trying to fill his shoes pretty quickly. We all believe that as much as he would deny it, he will be very hard to replace. We in the philosophy department will miss his infectious laugh, careful scholarship and deep care for people.

Dr. Scott Rae

Does Teaching Kids To Get ‘Gritty’ Help Them Get Ahead?

Excerpt from an article written by NPR correspondent Tovia Smith featuring Talbot alumnus Jason Baehr.

It’s become the new buzz phrase in education: “Got grit?”

Around the nation, schools are beginning to see grit as key to students’ success—and just as important to teach as reading and math.

E x p e r t s d e fi n e g r i t a s p e r s i s t e n c e , determination and resilience; it’s that je ne sais quoi that drives one kid to practice trumpet or study Spanish for hours—or years—on end, while another quits after the first setback.

“This quality of being able to sustain your passions, and also work really hard at them, over really disappointingly long periods of

Summer  2014                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        3          

time, that’s grit,” says Angela Duckworth, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania who coined the term “grit”—and won a MacArthur “genius grant” for it.

“It’s a very, I think, American idea in some ways—really pursuing something against all odds,” she says.

Duckworth says her research shows grit is actually a better predictor of success than IQ or other measures when it comes to achievements as varied as graduating from West Point or winning the National Spelling Bee.

Even the Obama administration is now on the “grit” bandwagon. A 2013 report from the Department o f Educat ion laments that kids are learning to “do school,” but aren't learning the skills they need in life.

But can grit be taught?

“I hope so,” says Duckworth, “but I don't think we have enough evidence to know with certainty that we can do so.”

Part of the problem is figuring out how to assess grit. Duckworth says “these things are really hard to measure with fidelity.”

Even so, many schools around the nation have embarked on their own experiments—they see the promise of the concept as too great to wait.

Jason Baehr, a philosophy professor at Loyola Marymount University, recently launched the

Intellectual Virtues Academy in Long Beach, California. It’s a charter middle school that’s a kind of petri dish for grit, along with other so-called virtues like intellectual courage and curiosity.

“This is all anecdotal at this point,” Baehr says. “But I’ll say from our experience in the school, I see [kids learning to be grittier] all the time. ... You can create a classroom culture in which struggle and risk-taking is valued more than just getting the right answer.”

One way to make kids more tenacious, the thinking goes, is to show them how grit has been important to the success of others, and how mistakes and failures are normal parts of learning—not reasons to quit.

See full article here: www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2014/03/17/290089998

Classroom in Baehr’s Intellectual Virtues Academy

4                          Summer  2014

Without a doubt, this has been a banner year for my friend and colleague, Dr. Paul Franks. At the university graduation on May 10, it was announced that Paul had been promoted to the rank of ‘Associate Professor’ with tenure. This is perhaps the greatest milestone in the career of any academic. Very few of those who obtain a PhD degree (which is itself a slim minority) ever reach this point. It signals a transition into a select company of permanent researchers and teachers at your home institution. It’s also an indication that (in the opinion of senior researchers in your field) your own research—both in terms of its quality and quantity—has met the highest standards. That Paul achieved tenure so early on in his career is a real mark of distinction.

Dr. Franks arrived on the Tyndale campus for the Fall of 2008. At the time, the department of Philosophy had been reduced to but a single member (myself). As any department chair will tell you, you can’t run a proper academic major that way. During the hiring process, I knew that we would need to hit a home run—most likely a grand slam. We needed someone who could publish frequently, teach maybe 10-12 dif ferent courses with extreme excellence, relate to students on a personal and spiritual level, recruit for the major, be entrepreneurial in vision casting for the program, and be an example of what an evangelical philosopher should be—someone students can admire and emulate in their attempts to integrate philosophy and biblical truth. Well, my heart sank as I thought of how statistically improbable it would be to find all of these qualities resident in one individual.

We received applications from supremely qualified people across North America, but again and again God seemed to lead me back to Paul’s application, as if to say “This is the one I want.” The rest, as they say, is history. Paul accepted our offer, moved to Toronto from Oklahoma, and dug right in. In the last 5 years, he’s written a complete doctoral dissertation (on the problem of evil), published 5 technical articles, 1 book chapter, 2 magazine pieces, and presented papers at 12 philosophy conferences (!)—all while teaching new courses in virtually every semester. Since his arrival, the number of our majors has increased dramatically, so much so that at one point it comprised nearly 10% of the total student body. Still further, he has played an enormous role in helping to place the greater part of some 30 Tyndale UC Philosophy majors into MA, PhD, and Law programs around the world. The truth is: most of these students have drawn their grad school writing samples from Paul’s upper-level seminars. It’s really quite remarkable.

On a personal level, it is simply a joy to work with Paul. He’s full of energy and enthusiasm for philosophy, and its application to Christian intellectual life and discipleship. I always have a good laugh when I’m sitting in my office, and then all of a sudden hear Paul’s booming voice (piercing right through the cement wall separating our offices), warning some unwary first year student of the vice of talking about ‘valid premises’ and ‘true arguments’, or the folly of thinking it meritorious to embrace Christianity apart from or even against the evidence. At those moments, I think of the

Alumnus Paul Franks: Tenured with Research Fellowship

Summer  2014                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        5          

Written by Talbot philosophy students Matthew Kirby and Jesse Gentile

Articulating what is undoubtedly a timeless sentiment, Augustine in his Confessions wrote, “What, then, is time? If no one asks me, I know; but if I wish to explain it to one who asks, I know not” (11.14); and it was indeed from this perplexed position that students in Dr. William Lane Craig’s interterm class endeavored to submit themselves to a thorough investigation of the nature of time and of God’s relationship to it. Titled, “God, Time, and Eternity,” the class ran daily for two weeks in January 2014 from nine in the morning till noon.

Beginning with an overview of the biblical data on divine eternity, Dr. Craig then explored divine timelessness and divine temporality. His class provided a detailed

exposition of both the A and B-theories of time and concluded with a summary of God’s relationship to time and creation. While giving fair treatment to his detractors, Dr. Craig did not shy away from providing a strong defense of presentism and the A-theory, ultimately providing a nuanced view of God’s relationship to time; namely, that God is

Reflections on “God, Time, and Eternity”goodness and grace of God. It’s hard to imagine Tyndale Philosophy or even Tyndale without Paul. But I’m afraid I’ll shall have to do my best—at least for a time—since Dr. Franks has just been awarded a prestigious Templeton Research Fellowship at Ryerson University for 2014-2015. He’ll be a member of a research team, along with Klaas Kraay (Ryerson) and Nick Trakakis (Monash), investigating the axiological implications of the i sm. This i s a t ru ly outs tanding accomplishment for such a young scholar. The department at Tyndale is bursting with pride.

If you have never read any of Paul’s fine work, I would suggest a visit to his Academia site (see

tyndale.academia.edu/wpaulfranks). Two of his most accessed (hence popular) articles are “A g a i n s t a Po s t m o d e r n Pe n t e c o s t a l Epistemology” and “Original Sin and a Broad Free Will Defense.” I highly recommend both. And finally, to see Prof. Franks in action, talking philosophy and apologetics, at his home church in Newmarket see here: facebook.com/Tynda leUCPhi lo sophy/pos t s/723151 131063466. If you happen to be on Twitter, you can follow Paul at @WPaul and the Ty n d a l e P h i l o s o p hy D e p a r t m e n t a t @TyndaleUCPhilos.

Dr. Richard B. DavisTyndale University College & Seminary

Reflections on “God, Time, and Eternity”

6                          Summer  2014

atemporal without creation and temporal coincident with creation.

It is perhaps fitting that a lesson on the nature of our relationship to time could be obtained simply by attempting to complete the assigned reading material on schedule; namely, that although time itself cannot be compressed, one’s efforts can and must be if one is to come to understand anything about its nature in the course of a few weeks. (Though, in fairness, the material was made available weeks before the class began.)

Several books, including Einstein’s Relativity: The Special and General Theory and D.H. Mellor’s Real Time, as well as many articles by Brian Leftow, Quinton Smith, Arthur Prior, Lawrence Sklar, Craig, and others comprised the supporting material from which Dr. Craig’s lectures drew. Particularly helpful was the inclusion of articles comprising the back-and-forth dialectic between Craig and other philosophers on various relevant points. To be able to view the course of an entire discussion from beginning to end allowed students to weigh the arguments on both sides of a point of disagreement, as well as to observe the tact and professionalism with which such discussions should be conducted.

One of the things that made this class unique was that students were given word-for-word lecture notes (several hundred pages long) in electronic format. Dr. Craig then read through them aloud in class. Every few pages were punctuated by opportunities for discussion, student questions, or elaborations in the form of whiteboard diagrams. Contrary to what one might suppose, listening to Dr. Craig read his notes aloud was extremely helpful. Given a subject in which semantic precision is essential—as it is in all philosophical discourse—this method precluded the anxiety of trying to write everything down accurately. Rather than spending their efforts copying frenetically, students were free to apply their full cognitive energies to the course’s content. This format also made the most of the compressed course schedule.

Class concluded at noon each day, at which point Dr. Craig invited everyone to join him for lunch in the cafeteria. Rarely was Dr. Craig able to return to the table with his food without being stopped by someone who wanted to catch up or shake hands for the first time. Indeed, as a prominent, yet transient, member of Talbot’s philosophy department, it is unsurprising that so many should wish to greet him.

Summer  2014                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        7          

Defying reasonable seating arrangements, most of the class managed to squeeze itself around two tables, and it proved that the task of comfortably fitting one’s food and drink on them was nearly as complicated as the ensuing discussions about time. While attempting to eat his lunch Dr. Craig was daily subjected to a wide battery of questions that ranged from how he met his wife to his opinion of former debate opponents. This gave students a view of the less public side of his life. “What was his method of preparation for debates? How did he originally become involved in apologetics? How did he manage his time? What did he like to do for fun?”

With regard to the latter, one student, venturing to inquire of Dr. Craig whether he had watched the television series Breaking Bad, was answered in the negative. Perhaps not surprisingly, the author of the highly technical volumes The Tensed Theory of Time: a Critical Examination, The Tenseless Theory of Time: a Critical Examination, Time and the Metaphysics of Relativity, and God, Time, and Eternity tends to spend his time otherwise engaged.

It is doubtless Dr. Craig’s acumen as a researcher and philosopher that impelled students to surrender their winter break for one of his courses. However, despite a highly compressed schedule, academics were not the sole focus. Dr. Craig sought to emphasize the spiritual formation of his students at least as much as their academic development. In keeping with Talbot’s overarching goal to cultivate a holistic approach to life and academics, he addressed issues regarding the students’ overall well-being. At precisely 9am each morning, Dr. Craig began class with a

devotional or piece of “sage advice,” imparting wisdom on topics ranging from planning for retirement, to avoiding affairs and developing a t ireless work ethic. Quoting Howard Hendricks, he encouraged students to avoid studying merely to complete a class. Instead they should, “Study for a life of ministry.” Moreover, students were exhorted to prioritize their marriages over their studies. To paraphrase: “Do not consider academic success the highest achievement (Eph 5:25). If your marriage fails, your academic success will mean very little. You ought to be willing to give up your studies for the sake of your spouse.”

Like Dr. Craig’s colleagues in the philosophy department, it is a gift to have professors who are experts in their respective fields, yet who remain serious about living virtuous, Christ-like lives. Indeed, the combined goal of pursing intellectual rigor, in concert with a character borne of the Holy Spirit, is what imbues the Talbot community with a special vibrancy. To have the privilege of participating in such a unique and stimulating community is one that ought not be taken for granted.

8                          Summer  2014

Because I was hit the second time in my life (the first time was 11 years ago) last summer with my inherited mental illness--Generalized Anxiety Disorder--I have slowed down considerable and sought to change my lifestyle with more rest and less activity.  So I have not done any writing for a year.  I have spoken at four apologetics conferences in the last 10 months (two on Biola's campus, one in Nebraska, one in Phoenix), and they went very well.   I am concentrating on my own spiritual/psychological growth and on growing as a teacher.  Besides that, lots of time with grandchildren.

Faculty Updates

Since the last update, I've been thinking a lot about faith and work, prompted in large part by a faculty reading group on the subject with some of my colleagues from other Talbot departments. I was able to share some of those thoughts in chapel messages at Talbot and at Life Pacific College. While at Life Pacific, I also spoke to a group of students about the fine-tuning argument. Daniel Eaton and I have two papers under review right now, both on pragmatic encroachment in epistemology. We presented one of them this spring at the Southern California Epistemology Workshop at UC-Irvine.

Rob Koons and I are waiting for page proofs of Metaphysics: The Fundamentals  (Wiley-Blackwell); it should be in print by the end of this year (finally!). We also have another, much longer book out for review. It is tentatively titled  Surveying Reality: A

Compendium of Metaphysics. We hope to secure a publisher for it soon. In family news, I now wake up each morning with a wife of eleven years and children ages five and three. Lyle Age 5 is still awaiting your dinosaur questions, but Gretchen Age 3 is now waiting alongside him, as she just wants to do whatever her big brother is doing.

Dr. Timothy PickavanceAssistant Professor of Philosophy

Distinguished Professor of PhilosophyDr. J.P. Moreland

Summer  2014                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        9          

I’ll mention two highlights. During spring semester I was privileged to be a Fellow of the C e n t e r f o r Christian Thought (CCT) at Biola. (I’ve been a Chap and a Dude, and now I get to be a Fe l l o w. ) T h i s m e a n t a o n e -course teaching

reduction and weekly-plus opportunities for research, discussion, special presentations, and general good fun with about a dozen scholars from inside and outside Biola.

The theme for the semester was Psychology and Spiritual Formation. I was able to begin work on the (contested) relationship between spiritual formation and moral formation, focusing on the thought of Thomas Aquinas. I plan to continue this during this fall’s sabbatical.

Two of the Fellows were stellar philosophers and friends of our program, C. Stephen Evans (Bay lo r ) and Chr i s K aczor (Loyo la Marymount). Stephen was on campus every day for the semester. Group discussions with these and other outstanding scholars was like being back in grad school for me.

In late May and early June, my wife, Debbie, and I were in Poland, where I taught at the European Leadership Forum (ELF). About 700 evangelical Christian leaders from all over Europe met for training and fellowship—church planters, theologians, apologists, artists, etc. I taught in networks for apologetics,

advanced apologetics, Christian ethics, and philosophy. There were also plenary meetings, including a talk by alumnus, Greg Koukl, and daily Bible teaching from John Lennox.

The philosophy network (see picture above) was composed mostly of doctoral candidates at a range of European universities. Participants studied the papers to be presented, as well as the written response to each paper. At the daily session, both presenter and respondent briefly summarized their papers, and then open discussion—for three hours! My respondent had been an undergrad when I spoke at the ELF in 2006, and now has a Cambridge PhD and faculty position in philosophy at Oxford.

An unexpected surprise in the philosophy network was Angus Menuge (pictured below),

Dr. David HornerProfessor of Philosophy and

Biblical Studies

10                          Summer  2014

I had a relatively quiet spring semester. Four of my travel engagements (to Oregon, Washington, Indiana, and Missouri) were cancelled for various reasons. But there was that little jaunt over to India where I visited our student Sam Raju in Kerala, lectured at the RZIM center in Chennai, and presented a conference paper at the Pontifical Institute for Philosophy and Religion in Pune. That was in late January. (I missed the first week of the semester, which got me off to a rough start after being terribly jet-lagged!)

Much of June was devoted to completing the manuscripts for two books I’ve co-written with Holly Pivec, a Biola alum. Both are about a growing movement called the New Apostolic Reformation. One—God's Super Apostles:

Encountering the Apostles and Prophets Movement—is an introductory treatment; the other—A New Apostolic Reformation? A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement—is more advanced, with lots of close argument and documentation. Both books will be out by the end of the year.

I was awarded a grant to be visiting faculty at Saint Louis University in the fall, and a fellowship at the Center for Christian Thought at Biola in the spring.

professor of philosophy at Concordia University in Wisconsin and president of Evangelical Philosophical Society. We had a blast together, and worked hard to build bridges between these European philosophers and the EPS.

Although I had taught at ELF when it was held in Hungary, it was particularly meaningful to be in Poland. For several summers, beginning in 1979, I worked as an “underground” missionary in communist Poland, serving with a Catholic renewal movement, Oaza (Oasis). It

was there in 1980 that Debbie and I courted and got engaged. So we stayed a few extra days (Deb hadn’t been back since 1983, and I since 1990). We were able to meet up with my translator from 35 years ago, as well as a family I lived with.

I am presently working on a book chapter on medieval philosophy, a popular-level article on ethical eudaimonism, and a research project for the Center for Christian Thought, where I am a Research Fellow this semester (Spring 2014).

Dr. Doug Geivett Professor of Philosophy

Summer  2014                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        11          

Dr. Rae had a wild and hectic semester last spring in his role as Talbot Dean of Faculty, supervising a number of faculty hires and numerous campus visits from candidates for those positions. He gave a huge sigh of relief when the semester ended! He has been working on a chapter for a collaborative book project entitled “Why People Matter.” Dr. Rae's chapter is on philosophical naturalism and human significance, showing the various ways that naturalism attempts to ground human value and dignity and further demonstrating how naturalism fails to account for some of the attributes that are often suggested to give human beings significance, such as rationality and morality. He is the program chair and President-elect for the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in November and has several faculty conference speaking engagements throughout the fall on the intersection of faith, work and economics.  

Dr. Craig began the year by teaching his annual Talbot interterm course, this time on divine eternity (see page 5, “Reflections on ‘God, Time, & Eternity’” for commentary from Dr. Craig’s students).

In February, at the Greer-Heard Forum in New Orleans, he debated Caltech cosmologist and atheist, Sean Carroll, on the topic, “The Existence of God in Light of Modern Cosmology.” Shortly thereafter, he presented a paper on “God and Abstract Objects” at the Central Division meeting of the American Philosophical Association. 

Dr. Craig gave a few popular-level talks and interviews this spring, including a talk on Jesus’ resurrection hosted by Yale’s Christian Union and a Fox News interview on recent discoveries about the early inflation of the universe. He continues to write a weekly column for his website www.reasonablefaith.org, which now draws over 200,000 unique monthly visitors.

On the publishing front, last year’s debate between Dr. Craig and Alex Rosenberg, with comments from respondents, has been published as the book Is Faith in God Reasonable?, and his essay “Anti-Platonism,” appeared in the recently published six-views book Beyond the Control of God?, both edited by Talbot grad Paul Gould. Finally, he has just completed the concluding chapter in a forthcoming book that will be the fullest elaboration of his views on the topic of God and abstract objects.

Dr. William Lane CraigResearch Professor of Philosophy

Dr. Scott RaeProfessor of Philosophy;

Department Chair;Talbot Dean of Faculty

12                          Summer  2014

Professor of Philosophy

Messages from AlumniRoss Inman:Sadly our year here in South Bend, Indiana has come to end. And what an incredible year it’s been! We are so grateful for the new friends and church family God has placed in our path this past year. This has been a year of great joy and deep sorrow, I don’t know how we could’ve done it without our community here. And now for our most exciting bit of news to date: Suzanne and I are expecting our first child in October! And it’s a boy! We are thrilled beyond words and can’t wait to embark on this adventure together. 

My time as a Templeton postdoctoral fellow at Notre’ Dame’s Center for Philosophy of Religion has been rewarding on so many levels. I’m leaving Notre Dame not just a better scholar, but a much better person. My research on divine omnipresence is progressing nicely, largely due to the many interactions I’ve had with my colleagues here in the Center. 

This has been a rich and exciting summer for me, philosophically. Just recently I was able to attend the St. Thomas Summer Seminar in Philosophical Theology and Philosophy of Religion at the University of St. Thomas, MN. The two-week seminar was filled with discussion on topics like the role of testimony in religious belief, fine-tuning arguments for God’s existence, the divinity and resurrection of Christ, and various problems of evil. I was fortunate to

meet some truly amazing people for the first time, in addition to catching up with old friends as well. After being home for just a few short days, I was off to the Wake Forest Hylomorphism Workshop at Wake Forest University. This year the week-long workshop centered on topics in medieval metaphysics. In particular, we discussed in depth Robert Pasnau’s excellent book Metaphysical Themes: 1274-1671. It was great having professor Pasnau in attendance as we worked our way through his massive tome. 

I must say that I am consistently struck by how well-represented the Talbot philosophy program is at the many seminars, workshops, and conferences I attend. And not just in terms of the number of philosophers/theologians I have met that have completed the MA philosophy program. I can honestly say that in my experience the philosophy program at Talbot has cultivated and produced some of

Summer  2014                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        13          

the most well-rounded, reflective, and intelligent scholars that I’ve ever met. I continue to be amazed at how God is using the MA program at Talbot to advance his kingdom at home and abroad! It is a true testament to the intentionality and the kingdom-centered mindset of the MA philosophy faculty and administration. 

As for this next academic year, Suzanne and I are headed to Saint Louis, MO where I’ll be taking up a Templeton postdoctoral fellowship with the Philosophy and Theology of Intellectual Humility Project led my Eleonore Stump and John Greco. I’ll be working on intellectual virtue in Augustine and Aquinas, the nature and normative value of testimony and e p i s t e m i c i n t e r d e p e n d e n c e ( a n d communitarian forms of epistemology in general). I’ll also be exploring potential connections with topics in philosophy of religion and analytic theology such as divine hiddenness, problems of evil, and theological theory-construction.

From the changing of the autumn leaves to the unrelenting snowfall, Suzanne and I have enjoyed settling into life here in the Midwest. One highlight of our year so far has been the chance to support Fighting Irish football at each home game. Despite my unsuccessful attempts to get into a Ph.D. program with a first-rate college football team at Suzanne’s request (thus I find it amusing that we ended up in Europe) , we have final ly had the opportunity to experience the larger-than-life buzz of a college football game as well as the longstanding Notre Dame game-day traditions. While we are sad to think that our time here is quickly coming to an end, we are also excited (albeit curious) to see what the journey holds ahead. Through times of great joy as well as deep sorrow and tragedy, we have continued to look to Him who is our “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” (Heb. 6:19).

Patrick Grafton-CardwellI’ve just completed what has turned out to be a two-year stint at Purdue University, and will be coming away with another MA. My wife, JoAnna, and I are moving to Massachusetts, where I’ll be matriculating at UMass Amherst to finish my PhD there. JoAnna will be looking for work teaching elementary school. 

14                          Summer  2014

Robert LledoMy name is Robert Lledo and I graduated form the Phil program in 03. I then got two more degrees from Talbot (M.A. in Bible Exposition and Th.M in Theology). Most recently I've been the English Pastor at Chinese Baptist Church of West LA for the past 4 years (a church made up of students [in all degree  levels] and profs from UCLA, USC, SMC and their families). I'm set to start the Ph.D. program in Systematic Theology at Dallas Seminary this fall. Here is a picture of me and my wife Jane :) We are also in the process of adopting :) In Christ & His grace, Robert Lledo

Matthew Bazemore After working for Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) for 15 years, Matt ('07) and his wife Deb stepped down last year. He has spent this past year working for a local remodeling company while applying for other positions. In early June he was offered an Associate Pastor position for a church in Strongsville, OH. They are currently packing up their home and moving with their 3 daughters before his August 1st start date. He is looking forward to equipping others with what he learned in the MA Phil program.

Roger OvertonI’m starting my PhD in Systematic Theology at Fuller Seminary this fall under Dr. Oliver Crisp.

Kevin KieferI am currently working at a company here in Indiana that makes prints and decals for the RV industry. In January, I became a proud uncle of a baby boy named Ezekiel, who will be 6 months old on July 26th. I am about to apply to teach adjunct at Ivy Tech Community College, a statewide community college system here in Indiana, but I have not yet been hired. I have also got more politically active, especially for Congresswoman Jackie Walorski's campaign.

Summer  2014                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        15          

Joanne LucasAfter completing the MA Phil, I stayed at Biola to do an MA TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Following graduation, I moved to the West Bank, Israel, where I taught English as a second language  (ESL) at Bethlehem Bible College (2001-2005). Later on, the Lord opened a door  in Kyiv, Ukraine, for me to study Russian at a language school for missionaries, where I also tutored ESL students (2009-2011). Two long, gray winters in Kyiv finally got the best of me, and I’m now retired from overseas ministry, and settled in sunny Florida at Bradenton Missionary Village. Currently, as music director at a small, rural church nearby,  I’m trying to appease all sides in  the “worship wars” as I attempt, through much prayer, to restore our Sunday worship to that which has one purpose: to glorify God! But God is faithful and promises to do more than we could ever ask or imagine.    

Danny SimpsonThis past March, we welcomed the arrival of our second child, Noah, moments away from being born on the streets of LA—literally. We recently moved back to Saint Louis, will close on our first house in August, and I will begin PhD studies at Saint Louis University a few weeks later.

Alex Rahm (‘02) received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Western University of Health Sciences in 2009. He is currently practicing at a small animal hospital in Colorado Springs, CO with a special interest in reptile medicine.

Kyle StrobelI have accepted a position at Talbot as assistant professor of spiritual theology. I will start in the fall.

16                          Summer  2014

We hope you’re enjoying our current edition of With All Your Mind. It’s very important to us to keep you well informed about what the MA Phil program is up to, and we hope you find it helpful. We hope you are as encouraged as we are about what our students, faculty and alumni are doing to serve the Kingdom. Our students are doing well and the faculty are, as usual, flourishing, but with too much to do. We have 24 new students joining us this fall. We aim to get them off to a good start by encouraging them to attend our bootcamp, which we run a few days before classes begin. For those of you who did the program before we instituted this, you may be thinking, “I wish they would have done that when I was starting.” It’s all student-run and organized and it came about at their initiative. Please pray for our new folks, that they would get settled both logistically and academically. As you may know, for some time our program has been raising our own funding to take care of things such as additional travel to conferences for both faculty and students, books and professional memberships for faculty, and some scholarships for students. The giving for the program has fallen off given the state of the economy in the past few years. Some of you continue to respond very generously to our financial needs, for which we are deeply appreciative. Your giving is a critical component to accomplish what we believe God has set in front of us—to equip students to represent a Christian worldview in the church, the academy and the culture at large.

If you have been giving to help support our program, or just began giving in the past few months, now more than ever, we are so appreciative of your financial support. We simply could not do this were it not for your continued support. If you have not been giving to our program, this is a critical time—would you seriously consider starting to support us—with something like $25-50/month, or with a one-time gift that would be an investment in the program? Many of our alums support the program and we would be so grateful if you would join them in supporting us financially—I know it’s challenging to consider at this time, but we would be very thankful to have you join us in this way. We now offer the ability to give monthly by debit with automatic withdrawal, if that would be of interest to you. You can visit http://giving.biola.edu/giving-ideas/giving-by-electronic-funds-transfer-eft/ for more information and to download the form we need to set this up. You can also send your one-time check or monthly donations directly to our department using the communication form below. Please make checks payable to Biola University.

Serving the Kingdom together,

Scott B. RaeDepartment Chair

MA Philosophy Communication FormPlease  Let  Us  Know  How  We  Can  Better  Serve  You

Mail  to:Talbot  Department  of  Philosophy13800  Biola  AvenueLa  Mirada,  CA  90639

Name: ________________________ Email: ___________________________ Phone: ________________

Address: ________________________________ City, State, ZIP:_________________________________

❑ I will commit to praying for the MA Phil Program. Please regularly send me a list of prayer requests. ❑ I would like to give financially to the MA Phil Program. Enclosed is my check made to Biola for $_________. ❑ Effective on ______________, my contact information changes to the following:

❑ Please send me information on giving to MA Philosophy using EFT (automatic debit).

✁

Ministry Partnership by Dr. Scott Rae