PUBLIC LECTURE:
IRT Public Lecture Features Samuel E. Balentine 

The Institute for Reformed Theology welcomed Samuel E. Balentine on September 13, 2007 to Watts Chapel at Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education to give the first lecture in a series that will be presented in conjunction with the “Prayer” colloquy.

In his lecture, entitled “Praying East of Eden,” Balentine explored prayer as “the dialogue between God and humans that keeps heaven and earth bound together in mutual commitment.” This dialogue began with a question from God to Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” (Gen 3:10a).  Balentine depicted prayer as an intimate, honest, and often unvarnished conversation, where God and humans work out their differences in an effort to bridge the gap between heaven and earth. Two convictions generate and sustain this dialogue: first, the Creator of the world is desirous of and responsive to the concerns of human beings; and, second, the contributions of humans are of vital importance, not only for nurturing the relationship with God, but also for preserving and when necessary repairing the world in accord with God’s creational design.

Dr. Balentine is Professor of Old Testament at Union-PSCE and is a highly regarded scholar who served on the faculty of Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond for 10 years, before joining the Union-PSCE faculty in 2004. He is the author of a major new commentary on the Book of Job as well as numerous other books, including a commentary on Leviticus in the Interpretation Bible Commentary series (Westminster John Knox Press) and The Torah’s Vision of Worship (Fortress Press, 1999). Before coming to Richmond, Balentine served as a professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the general editor of the Smyth and Helwys Bible commentary series, co-editor of Interpretation, and a member of the editorial board for The New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible.  The text of this lecture can be read here.