Geneva Visiting Artist & Lecture Series (GVALS)
Geneva College invites prominent guests to campus each semester to enrich the educational experience while engaging the campus and surrounding community with cultural ideas and values. Visitors include distinguished lecturers, well-known artists and musicians, best-selling authors and leading religious figures.
Members of the campus and community are invited to attend lectures and presentations free of charge, unless otherwise announced. The list of upcoming speakers can be accessed through the links below. View Campus Map for venue location.
All events except for David Payne are free and open to the public and do not require a ticket.
While Skye Lounge in the Student Center is handicap accessible, we apologize that our historic Old Main, home to the John White Chapel, is not.
Upcoming Guests@Geneva
Adam Seagrave | September 21, 2018
Adam Seagrave (Constitution Day)
Dr. Seagrave is the Associate Director of the School of Civic & Economic Thought & Leadership and the Associate Director of the Center for Political Thought & Leadership at Arizona State University.
September 21 at 10:10 a.m. in Skye Lounge – “Christianity and American Political Thought”
Xueying Wang | October 19, 2018
Xueying Wang
Dr. Wang is an instructor of humanities and theology at Loyola University, Chicago.
Her interests include: Historical Theology (Patristic and Medieval Theology) and Comparative Religion (Christianity and East-Asian Religions)
Wang’s research is focused on the intersection of historical theology with Christian anthropology, ethics, and eschatology. Her current book project is titled, Gregory of Nyssa on the Corporate Nature of the Human Body. This book explores Gregory of Nyssa’s account of how the human body constitutes an indispensable medium of interpersonal relationships, including the human person’s relationship with the incarnate Word—Jesus Christ.
Friday, October 19 at 10:10 a.m. in McCartney Library (West Reading Room) – "Mencius, Xunzi, Augustine, and John Chrysostom on Childhood Moral Education"
Mark Charles | November 9 - 10, 2018
Mr. Charles is a Native American who speaks on Race, Trauma and the Doctrine of Discovery.
Friday, November 9 at 10:10 a.m. in Skye Lounge –“The Challenges of 'We the People'...A Vision for 'All the People'”
The United States' Constitution begins with the inclusive sounding words 'We the People,' but throughout our nation's history, a history that includes stolen lands, broken treaties, slavery, Jim Crow laws, Indian boarding schools, internment camps, mass incarceration and gaping income inequality, it can be argued that it has never fully meant 'All the People.' This lecture will examine our nation's history and its foundations to further understand the depth of the problem, and then present a vision for how these deep and systemic challenges can be addressed.
Saturday, November 10 - Speaker at the Convergence Conference
Tolkien & Lewis: Wardrobes, Rings and Last Goodbyes | January 25 - 26, 2019
Friday and Saturday, January 25 and 26, 7 p.m. in John White Chapel
Tickets Available online beginning Monday December 3, 2018.
David Payne returns to Geneva College in Tolkien & Lewis: Wardrobes, Rings and Last Goodbyes.
They were lions of 20th century British fantasy, giants of a literary genre that reached millions of readers, young and old alike, with mystifying adventures to entertain and deep truths to move people’s hearts. C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia) and J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings) were also distinguished faculty members at Oxford University and participants in a literary group known as The Inklings. Their robust philosophical discourse served an uncommon friendship that was not without its differences. Life’s circumstances and, sometimes, unresolved disagreements forced an uncomfortable season of estrangement. In Wardrobes & Rings we join “Jack” and “Tollers,” as they knew each other, at Oxford’s historic Eagle and Child pub for one last visit, tempered by thawing humor, confession and reconciliation.
Show Times and Tickets:
Friday, January 25 – John White Chapel, Old Main – 7 p.m.
Saturday, January 26 – John White Chapel, Old Main – 7 p.m.
Tickets required at all performances. We apologize that our historic Old Main building is not handicap accessible.
Steve Stockman | February 14 - 15, 2019
Rev. Steve Stockman (pictured right)
Rev. Stockman is a Presbyterian minister from Belfast, Ireland and the author of Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2
Thursday Evening at 7 p.m. in Skye Lounge – “The Gospel According to ….. U2?”
Rev. Stockman will share how faith has influenced Bono and U2 with their music and their activism. He will also touch on other musical artists and their faith jouneys.
Friday Morning at 10:10 a.m. in Skye Lounge – “Transformative Relationships: One Coffee at a Time”
Rev. Stockman will share his experiences with reconciliation work in Belfast and the 4Corners Festival that he founded with his friend Fr. Martin Magill.
Christopher Yuan | February 27, 2019
Dr. Yuan is a professor at Moody Bible Institute and co-author of Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son’s Journey to God. A Broken Mother’s Search for Hope.
Wednesday, February 27 at Geneva College Chapel at 10:10 a.m. in Metheny Fieldhouse – His testimony combined with “Redeeming Biblical Singleness”
In the U.S., the majority of adults are single (never married, divorced or widowed) and yet in evangelical churches, there are less than a quarter of the adults that are single. A cursory glance at programs offered in churches reveals a dearth of groups for singles. In our pursuit of “protecting marriage,” have we begun to idolize it at the expense of singleness? How can we restore and redeem biblical singleness as a gift and a calling? Dr. Christopher Yuan through years of living faithfully as a Christian single man brings insight on how the church has to better minister to Christian singles. This is a must for all—especially those who are not single!
Wednesday evening, February 27 at 7 p.m. in Skye Lounge – “A Christian Response to Homosexuality”
Sexual identity is one of the most relevant topics of our day. Most know someone who is gay. How can Christians better engage with our loved ones and friends in the LGB community? How does the gospel (sin, repentance and redemption) influence the conversation around sexual identity? Without any compromise of truth or grace, Dr. Christopher Yuan combines his life experiences and his theological training in biblical languages to bring a fresh and unique perspective on this important topic.
Kevin Vanhoozer (Vos Lecturer) | March 20, 2019
Dr. Vanhoozer is a theologian and current Research Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
Wednesday morning, March 20 at Geneva College Chapel at 10:10 a.m. in Metheny Fieldhouse – Sermon title TBD
Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. in Skye Lounge – “Two Roads Diverge? The Relationship Between Biblical and Systematic Theology”
Previous Speakers
Iain Duguid
The Rev. Dr. Iain Duguid (PhD, Cambridge) is professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary. Dr. Duguid’s academic interests include various topics of Old Testament theology. His doctoral research was on Ezekiel, which was published in the Supplements to Vetus Testamentum series. He has also published scholarly work on Esther, Nehemiah, the Song of Songs, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi as well as more popular treatments of the patriarchs, Esther, and Daniel. Current research projects include Judges, the biblical theology of worship, and preaching Christ from the different genres of the Old Testament. As part of the oversight committee for the Holman Christian Standard Bible, he engages in regular discussions about best practices in Bible translation.
More on Iain Duguid
Timothy Mooney
Timothy Mooney is the author/adaptor of "Breakneck Hamlet" and "Shakespeare's Histories: Ten Epic Plays at a Breakneck Pace!”, new one-man plays which "crack the code" on Shakespeare's most challenging plays. Mooney is the author of Acting at the Speed of Life and The Big Book of Moliere Monologues which has provided actors with a new resource for comic classical auditions. Mooney is the former founder and editor of The Script Review and also the former Artistic Director of Chicago's Stage Two Theatre, where he produced nearly fifty plays in five years, including many new versions of the plays of Moliere. Mr. Mooney continues to present six one-man shows across North America.
More on Timothy Mooney
Laura Pettler
Dr. Laura Pettler is a Geneva alumna who has earned a national reputation as a forensic criminologist. Her area of expertise is staged crime scenes in domestic violence homicide cases, however, she is well versed in serial homicide, sexual homicide, bloodstain pattern, and shooting reconstruction. Laura is the author of Crime Scene Staging Dynamics in Homicide Cases, the first book published on the subject. She is also the inventor of The Kaleidoscope System Shooting and Bloodstain Reconstruction System and is the CEO of Laura Pettler & Associates. Most recently, she produced and hosted the crime docuweb series “Notorious: True Crime Stories with Laura Pettler” about Edward Surratt, a serial killer active in Beaver County during the 1970s.
More on Laura Pettler
Caleb Stegall
A Geneva College graduate, Caleb Stegall earned his Juris Doctorate from the University Of Kansas School of Law where he served on the Kansas Law Review. In 2011 he was named Chief Counsel to Governor Sam Brownback and was appointed to the Kansas Supreme Court in 2014 following his tenure on the Kansas Court of Appeals. Justice Stegall is an expert in Constitutional law and has practiced in the areas of commercial, tort, and appellate litigation. He joins us in recognition of Constitution Day.
More on Caleb Stegall
David Payne | "My Life's Journey: An Evening with C.S. Lewis"
The year is 1963 and C.S. Lewis, the famous British author, is hosting a group of American writers at his home near Oxford. They are about to experience a captivating evening with a man whose engaging conversation and spontaneous humor made him one of the great raconteurs of his day. Seated in his living room, he recalls the people and events that inspired his thought and shaped his life; of his friendship with J. R. R. Tolkien; why he nearly abandoned the Narnia Chronicles; how he came to embrace Christianity and of the American woman who turned his life upside down.
British actor David Payne’s first encounter with C.S. Lewis was when, as a teenager, he was given a copy of Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. Little did he realize that some 40 years later he would be gaining a reputation for his portrayals of its famous author.
More on David Payne
Lisa Sharon Harper
Formerly Sojourners’ Chief Church Engagement Officer, Lisa Sharon Harper is a prolific speaker, writer and activist. Ms. Harper is the author of several books, including the critically acclaimed The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong can be Made Right, an exploration of God’s intent for the wholeness of all relationships considering today’s headlines. Ms. Harper is regularly featured on Sojourners Blog, in The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, and Relevant Magazine. Most recently, New York Magazine named Ms. Harper among "Six Surprising Champions of Women from the 2016 Election.” Relevant Magazine recognized The Very Good Gospel as one of “Six Books that Will Change the Way You See the World” and named Ms. Harper as one of “Seven Leaders to Follow in 2017.”
More on Lisa Sharon Harper
The Geneva Visiting Artist & Lecture Series is funded through the generosity of the following:
Geneva College Student Development OfficeIva E. Patterson and Dale W. Gilmore Visiting Artist and Lecture Series Fund, endowed by Paul H. Gilmore ‘31
Staley Distinguished Christian Scholar Lecture Series Endowment