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2002-2016 | PROF TREVOR CAIRNEY science-religion relations in the present. The first lecture, ‘Is Christianity a Religion?’ offered an account of the emergence of the modern idea of religion, which in the 17th century began to be understood less in terms of a way of life, and more in terms of explicit beliefs. The second lecture, ‘The Invention of Modern Science,’ examined the history of ‘scientific’ endeavours, reminding us that the study of nature, up until the nineteenth century, was vitally concerned with moral and religious questions. Finally, on night three, Dr Harrison explored the ongoing legacy of religion and science, suggesting that some of the problematic aspects of their present relationship arise out of the history of the ideas themselves. 2015 Professor Trevor Hart returned to deliver the 2015 lectures. He began with the most basic of Christian claims about the world; that is, its Creator took on flesh and dwelt among us. The Lectures sought to trace resonances between this claim and the realities of our shared human condition, especially as they are manifested by participation in the arts. The first lecture was titled ‘Clayey lodging: on the predicament of being human and why matter matters’. In it, he argued that the sorts of meaning typically associated with the arts furnish a healthier picture of human knowing than ones that presuppose our final disentanglement from the flesh and its contingencies. In his second lecture – ‘Earthy epiphanies: the incarnation of meaning and the meaning of incarnation in the arts’ – Professor Hart discussed the tendency in the arts to grant the meanings and experiences they generate an exalted status. In his final lecture – ‘Heavenly bodies: why Wagner was right about art and wrong about God, and what the Church may yet have to learn from him’ – Professor Hart suggested that Wagner’s music had a radical vision for the arts that was theologically informed and inspired. He suggested that we need to recapture Wagner’s intuition that the true ‘hallowing’ of things by creatures like ourselves must necessarily involve a multi-sensory and imaginative ‘total’ engagement whereby the whole self is reordered and reoriented. Professor Hart’s second lecture from the series was published in issue 43 of Case Quarterly. 2016 Some of the most widely published challenges to the Christian faith today have come in the publicity surrounding the “apocryphal” gospels not included in the Christian Bible. The idea that there is nothing particularly special about the four New Testament Gospels has appeared in both the popular media and in Biblical scholarship, from references to the ‘Gospel of Philip’ in the Da Vinci Code, to the publication by the Harvard Theological Review of the socalled “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” fragment. The 2016 lectures considered the relevance of these gospels, comparing them with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In the first talk, ‘What Ten Gospels Say About Jesus’ Death and Resurrection’, Dr Gathercole sought to debunk the notion that there is nothing particularly special about the four New Testament Gospels. In his second talk, ‘What Ten Gospels Say About Jesus the Jewish Messiah’, Dr Gathercole’s broad concern was the extent to which Jesus was present and whether this was internally consistent. He also examined the extent to which this is consistent with the Old Testament, as well as Jewish literature and other historical evidence. The major outcome from the series was the publication of Issue 46 of Case Quarterly with the theme ‘Which Gospel’. It featured an article by Dr Gathercole titled ‘The Old Testament in Ten Gospels’. 16 NEW COLLEGE LECTURES 30TH ANNIVERSARY
The Present and the Future A/Prof William Peirson At our <strong>30th</strong> anniversary of the New College Lectures in 2017, we will be addressed by Dr Brian Rosner, Principal of Ridley College in Melbourne, on the subject of Personal Identity. Personal identity is arguably our most vexed present societal issue. Futuristic portrayals of the destiny of members of the human race are a common central theme of contemporary visual media. At the same time, this present generation are considering redefinition of their identity in a way that was never imagined by their grandparents. Careful readers of this history will have observed some common elements between Dr Rosner’s venture and many previous lectures. This highlights again the significance, development and contemporary nature of the core issue of personal identity. Hard on the heels of the Lectures will be publication of a special edition of Case Quarterly embracing a brief written summary of Dr Rosner’s presentations as well as neuroscientific and end-of-life considerations. I am pleased to advise that, at the time of writing, both our 2018 and 2019 lecturers have already given in principle agreement to contributing to our lecture series. I am confident that our immediate future lectures will be prescient contributions and of benefit to all who hear them. As we look to 2020 and beyond, more fundamental questions about the future of the New College Lectures emerge. For what end do we hope the Lectures will engage and challenge residents and alumni of New College whilst also being outward looking to serve the university and broader community? Why bother holding lectures when 15 minute TED talks are the fashion and ideas are measured in thousands of tweets per minute? Daniel Kahneman has brilliantly highlighted the answer for us in Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011). It requires dedicated work to carefully consider major problems and it is beguilingly easy to be lazy and trust our intuition – leading to serious and fundamental mistakes. Purposeful planning is required to think through challenging issues. Our present societies are undergoing cataclysmic changes. Our environments are undergoing secular changes that universally are regarded with regret but are also (apparently) irresistible. Technology and big data are invading our lives in an accelerating fashion. This present time, perhaps more than any other in the course of human history, requires careful consideration of the consequences of present initiatives, actions and trajectory. The ongoing challenge of Christianity comes from its founder, Jesus Christ, whose life and words remain disturbing and inspirational to this day. Jesus’ own major lecture is recorded for us by His disciple Matthew as the Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5 to 7. The breadth of Jesus’ topics in His sermon is breathtaking. Significant issues relevant to every UNSW Faculty are addressed. Following Jesus’ example, and in collaboration with our invited lecturers, the New College Lectures will continue to challenge and to reflect profoundly on the entire counsel of God (Acts 20:27): not in cloistered halls, but as it applies to the streets, board rooms, schools, churches and research laboratories of the 21st century. I am pleased to advise that, at the time of writing, both our 2018 and 2019 lecturers have already given in principle agreement to contributing to our lecture series. THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE NEW COLLEGE LECTURES 30TH ANNIVERSARY 17
Page 1 and 2: A N N I V E R S A R Y 30th A brief
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