Dr. Nancey Murphy announced as Bitar Lecturer

BEAVER FALLS, PA (03/15/2013)(readMedia)-- Dr. Nancey Murphy will be speaking on March 20 and 21, 2013 for Geneva College's Dr. Byron I. Bitar Memorial Lecture in Philosophy, an annual event since 2004. Geneva College will host the greatly sought-after speaker for a public lecture series titled "Human Nature at the Intersection of Science, Religion, and Philosophy."

Dr. Murphy's first lecture will be at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20 in John White Chapel of Old Main. The presentation is titled "Do Christians Need Souls?: Biblical and Theological Issues." Her second lecture, "Do Humans Have Minds?: Scientific Issues," will take place at the same time and location on the following day, Thursday, March 21.

Dr. Murphy holds a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, a Th.D. from the Graduate Theological Union and is currently a professor of philosophy at Fuller Seminary, Pasadena, California.

In addition to her academic degrees, Murphy has earned accolades for her books. The author of 10 philosophy books won the American Academy of Religion Award for Excellence for her first book, Theology in the Age of Scientific Reasoning. Bodies and Souls, or Spirited Bodies? and Did My Neurons Make Me Do It? Philosophical and Neurobiological Perspectives on Moral Responsibility and Free Will (2007), the latter of which was co-authored with Warren Brown, are her latest works, and she has also co-edited 12 other publications.

Murphy's research interests focus on the role of modern and postmodern philosophy in shaping Christian theology, on relations between theology and science, and on relations among philosophy of mind, neuroscience, and Christian anthropology.

Alex Plato will serve as Respondent to Dr. Murphy's lectures. Plato is a Ph.D. Candidate in Philosophy at St. Louis University, and his dissertation concerns recent English philosopher Elizabeth Anscombe. A Teaching Fellow at SLU, Plato teaches introductory courses in philosophy and ethics, and the philosophy of religion.

The Dr. Byron I. Bitar Memorial Lecture in Philosophy is endowed by the William C. Kriner Family in memory of Geneva College's beloved professor of a quarter-century, in order to continue his legacy and vision for philosophy. The Lecture was inaugurated in 2004, a year after Dr. Bitar's untimely death. Geneva College's Philosophy Program can be contacted at 724-847-6700.

Murphy's lectures are free and open to the public.

Geneva College invites students to accept the challenge of an academically excellent, Christ-centered education. Offering nearly 40 undergraduate majors, an Adult Degree Completion Program with fully online and campus-based options, and seven graduate degrees, Geneva has programs that place students at the forefront of higher learning. Adhering to the inerrancy of scripture, the liberal arts core curriculum fosters a breadth of knowledge through the study of humanities, social and natural sciences, and experiential learning.