Requiem (Hans-Christian Schmid, 2006)

December 12, 2011- 7:00-10:00pm

St Mark's Between-the-Bayous
1900 Kane St.
Houston, TX 77007
(Located inside of MECA)
 

Fuller Conversations fosters a dialogical space for the creative integration of worship, theology and the arts in culture. From conversations on the emergent church to film and art discussions, Fuller Conversations seeks to explore how faith in Jesus Christ is related to human flourishing in every sphere of life.

The “problem of evil” is more than just the problem of how a good God could allow evil to exist.  In its broadest interpretation, it means something closer to the problem of the meaning of life:  how are we to make sense of our place in a world where evil exists? These days it seems profound reflection on this important question is done as much through cinema as it is through academic theology and philosophy.  In this film discussion series, we will follow a chronological journey through Western religion, moving from modernized meditations on the Hebrew book of Job (9/19 - "A Serious Man") and the Greek tragedy of Oedipus (10/24 -"Oldboy") to investigations into the continuing relevance of classical Christian concepts such as sacrificial suffering (11/14 - "Dead Man Walking") and the figure of the Devil (12/12 - "Requiem").  We will watch the movies together and then enjoy a lively discussion where all viewpoints are welcome.

PLEASE RSVP FOR DECEMBER 12

This month’s discussion is led by John McAteer. John is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Houston Baptist University. John received his PhD from the University of California at Riverside where he focused on the history of philosophy, especially the early modern period and began reading in contemporary continental philosophy. Before that he received an M.A. in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics from Biola University where he received rigorous training in contemporary analytic metaphysics and epistemology. He began his academic career studying film as an undergraduate at Biola.

His research, publications, and teaching over the past several years have been rather diverse and eclectic but not entirely disorganized. Stated most broadly, he studies what makes life meaningful: love, art, ethics, religion, and the connections between these domains of value. More specifically, he studies the history of aesthetic responses to the problem of the meaning of life and the contemporary expression of these responses in cinema.

When John is not doing philosophy, he enjoys gourmet cooking and fine dining, daydreaming about becoming an Episcopal priest and/or planting an emerging church, and (obviously) watching movies and TV.