University of Birmingham

Leading philosopher Professor William Lane Craig is to give this year’s Edward Cadbury Lectures at the University of Birmingham.

Professor Craig, Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, and Professor of Philosophy at Houston Baptist University, will deliver a series of five lectures between Monday 16 and Friday 20 March on the theme of ‘God All Over’. He will also give an additional public lecture on the Kalam cosmological argument for the existence of God on Saturday 21 March.

The Edward Cadbury Lectures come from an endowment from the Cadbury family to the University of Birmingham for an annual series of lectures open to the public on the history, theology and culture of Christianity. The first Cadbury Lectures were delivered in 1948 by the historian Arnold Toynbee, who has been followed by a succession of eminent scholars from around the world. Themes in recent years have included ‘Parables for the City’ and ‘Seeing is Believing in Modern Christianity’.

Professor Craig’s lecture series, which is hosted by the John Hick Centre for Philosophy of Religion, will begin with ‘Divine Aseity’ and will go on to include topics such as ‘The Challenge of Platonism’ and ‘Making Ontological Commitments’.

Professor Craig, who undertook his PhD at the University of Birmingham, has written or edited more than 30 books and authored more than 100 journal articles in his academic career. His Cadbury Lectures will explore the traditional concept of God as a self-existent being, as well as the challenges to this view from Platonism.

View the full programme of lectures. All Cadbury Lectures will take place from 5.00pm–6.30pm in Lecture Theatre 1, Arts Building, Main Edgbaston Campus. The additional public lecture will be held in the Barber Institute’s main concert hall from 5.30pm–7.00pm.

The events are free and open to all, but registration is compulsory as limited seats are available. Register by email.

Attendees should specify which lectures they would like to attend and will be required to bring along a registration confirmation email. Attendees are asked to arrive 15 minutes before the talk is due to start to guarantee a seat.

The lectures will be filmed by the University of Birmingham Media Centre. By attending the lectures, attendees consent to being filmed and to this filming being publicly available.

ENDS

For further information, please contact Stuart Gillespie in the University of Birmingham press office on +44 (0)121 414 9041. Out of hours, please call +44 (0)7789 921165 or email the press office.