Christian Scholar and Author Dallas Willard Headlines The 2008 Barrington Annual Seminar

PRLog (Press Release) – Feb 11, 2008 – WENHAM, MA -- Dallas Willard, Christian scholar, speaker and author of “The Divine Conspiracy”, will speak at the Barrington Annual Seminar on Thursday, February 14 at 4:30 p.m. and Friday, February 15 at 10:20 a.m. on the campus of Gordon College.

An intriguing dialogue between Dr. Willard and Gordon College Scholar in Residence Dr. Stan Gaede will begin the two-day seminar on Thursday, February 14 at 4:30 p.m. Their conversation, titled "Evangelicalism at the Crossroads," will take place in the Presidents Dining Room of the Lane Student Center. "Our goal will be to explore some of the theological, philosophical and social underpinnings of contemporary evangelicalism, with the aim of highlighting both the challenges and opportunities of 'this moment' in evangelical church life," says Gaede, previously the president of Westmont College in California. "Dallas Willard is not only an accomplished philosopher, but he has dedicated much of his life to discovering what it means to be a faithful disciple of Christ. He challenges us to think about how habits of our heart, head and hands lead to faithfulness and how we cultivate those habits within the church today." Light complimentary refreshments will be available at 4 p.m. before the seminar.

On Friday, February 15, Willard will address the Gordon community for a special lecture titled "Faith, Virtue and Knowledge" at 10: 25 a.m. in the A. J. Gordon Memorial Chapel. Both events are free and open to the community.

Dr. Willard is a professor in the School of Philosophy at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. He has taught at USC since 1965, where he was Director of the School of Philosophy from 1982-1985. His philosophical publications are mainly in the areas of epistemology, the philosophy of mind and of logic, and on the philosophy of Edmund Husserl-including extensive translations of Husserl's early writings from German into English. His book Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ was published in May 2002, and received the "2003 Book Award" in the category of Spirituality from Christianity Today Magazine. Another Willard bestseller, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God was notably selected by Christianity Today International in 1999 as  "Book of the Year." His other books include Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship With God (1999) and The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives (1998).

This Barrington Annual Seminar is sponsored by the Center for Christian Studies at Gordon College, which is funded by a grant from the Lilly Endowment. For event information, photos, or to schedule a media interview, please contact Cyndi McMahon in the Office of College Communications at 978.867.4236 or visit http://www.gordon.edu