- Roy Hoover, author and lecturer
Sedona AZ (May 3 2011)–The Mustard Seed Venture partnered with St. Andrews Episcopal Church to invite Roy Hoover, hailed for his work as co-author of the groundbreaking book, The Five Gospels: What Did Jesus Really Say? The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus to be the guest lecturer of a two-day workshop and seminar on May 6 and May 7, 2011 at St. Andrews in West Sedona. Mr. Hoover is also the editor of Profiles of Jesus, and co-author of The Authentic Letters of Paul.
The Friday evening May 6 lecture is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m. Mr. Hoover’s topic will be on Excavating Jesus followed by a booksigning and reception. Throughout the church’s long history, Christians have venerated Christ but, strangely, have displayed little interest in Jesus as an actual person in history. A century ago, however, Albert Schweitzer observed a momentous change saying that “the quest for the historical Jesus has actually laid down the conditions and determined the course of the religious thinking of the future.” What accounts for this sea change? Where can we find evidence for the historical Jesus and how can we decipher it? Mr. Hoover will be exploring this and more during his Friday evening lecture and Saturday workshop and seminar.
On Saturday, May 7 2011, from 10:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m., Mr. Hoover will present an all-day workshop in two parts, Jesus in Profile and Paul and Jesus. Jesus in Profile tries to answer the question “Who was the Jesus of history?” After 200 years of sifting the evidence about the historical Jesus what kind of figure emerges? Once we remove the encrustation of myth and dogma from Jesus, the resulting figure may pose genuine problems for Christianity, yet this figure may also come bearing real possibilities for us in the Twenty-First Century.
Hoover will share the profile he has drawn of Jesus, based in part on the voting of the Jesus Seminar, and will explore the problems and possibilities inherent in this startling new figure.
The second part of Hoover’s Saturday seminar will be Paul and Jesus. The most effective and most controversial figure in the first Christian generation was the Apostle Paul. Paul is still controversial today. On Saturday afternoon, Hoover will use his acclaimed recent book, The Authentic Letters of Paul, to uncover the original Paul based on the seven New Testament letters that scholars have concluded Paul actually wrote. Hoover will explore how this original Paul relates to the original Jesus.
Cost for attending only the Friday evening lecture is $15.00 and includes the reception. The cost for the Saturday workshop is $35, and $50 for the entire two-day event including lunch. Both events will take place at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 100 Arroyo Pinon Drive, Sedona, Arizona.
This year, St. Andrews and Mustard Seed Venture added a special Sponsors Event to be held Saturday evening, May 7 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. with dinner following. We are offering this unique opportunity to spend time with Roy Hoover including before-dinner drinks and a catered meal. The event will be held in a private home. Cost for this event is $100 (does not include workshop). Registrations for the Sponsors Event must be received by May 4, 2011 and tickets must be purchased through St. Andrews Episcopal Church for a portion of the fee to be tax-deductible.
Mr. Hoover is a Weyerhaeuser Professor of Biblical Literature and Professor of Religion Emeritus, Whitman College, where he taught courses in ancient Greek, biblical history and literature, capitalism and socialism in theological perspective, and world religions. He has been a Fellow of the Jesus Seminar since 1986. He also wrote a number of the papers that served as the basis for the Seminars deliberations.
To order tickets, go to www.mustardseedventure.org or call (928) 862-0130.
