These are free lectures designed to provide good science direction while allowing the participants to ask the questions that they might not have felt comfortable asking or have not had the opportunity to ask. It is an exploration into science, but also seeks to recognize the spiritual needs that are part of the human condition. It is non-denominational, but there is a focus on the answers that Christians can count on from Scripture. There is no intent to convince either from the science or faith platforms, but a desire to have a meaningful conversation.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT UNFORESEEN NEGATIVE (e.g. Weather) or POSITIVE (e.g. HOSPITALITY) that require time or date changes can happen. It is a good practice to visit and watch the top NEWS Banner on our website the day of for possible changes in an event. We will do our best to inform you of any changes if we have a good contact email and know you are planning on attending. We are eager to have you join us on all our events. Janet has her doctorate in Biology and is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Statistics (mostly retired) at Rice University. She currently serves as a Senior Research Fellow and Director of Communications at the LTL. She has a Wikipedia page, although she truly hates Wikipedia and is willing to talk to you about it over coffee.  She believes all of this is further proof that God is not done with her yet. 

Past Halls

• September 16, 2021 – COVID Revisited
• October 2, 2021 – Space and Faith
• March 9, 2021 – Sin: Is It a Thing or Not?
• March 2, 2021 – The Science of Dogs
• February 23, 2021 – The Genetics of COVID 19
• February 15, 2022 – Conspiracy Theories: There’s Nothing New Under the Sun
• March 22, 2022 – Does God Recycle and If So, Should You?
• April 5, 2022 – Social Media (Click HERE for an mp4 of the powerpoint.)
• May 10, 2022 – How Do We Know What is Real?
• Sept 19 – Ancient Aliens, Part I The James Webb telescope has provided unprecedented images of our universe. It has also provided a new opportunity for us to consider our uniqueness in the vastness and beauty of space. Are we alone? Is AI a possibility? What happens to faith if life is elsewhere? How does our understanding of the way we see and know God from an earth’s perspective differ from knowing him as the God of our universe, with all of our universe’s possibilities?
• October 24 – Ancient Aliens, Part II  Not nearly the billions of years from Part I, we travel back a mere 4 thousand years to the early Israelites, aliens in a foreign land. Modern archaeology is divided into two camps on the origin of Israel. One camp is based upon the reliability of the Old Testament as a source of real historical information and therefore can provide keys to interpreting archaeological findings. The other does not trust the Old Testament for this kind of information. How do we meld the two opposing views? Does Wikipedia, a popular encyclopedia reference, fairly represent the archeological debate?
• November 14 – Is It Just Me? What does it mean when Christian scripture says humanity is made in the Image of God? How far does the science of sentience take us in understanding personhood? How is that personhood reflected in self confidence? How do you navigate confidence with humility?  When does self confidence turn into arrogance and narcissism? Do you only need Scripture or can science help us understand how to answer these questions?
• December 5th – All Skate! Have you gone roller skating. Remember when the lights came up, the couples left the floor, and over the loud speaker came the announcement, “All skate, all skate everyone.” What’s the science behind loneliness and solitude. Do we need community or are we islands? We will discuss Jesus’ examples of loneliness and solitude.
• January 23 – Dreams and Visions.Scripture is full of examples of visions. Dreams are an important part of many biblical stories and passages. We know from sleep studies that dreaming is part of a human’s healthy sleep cycle. This Hall of Reason will provide the scientific underpinnings of dreams, including how science evaluates visions and visionaries. We will discuss this scientific understanding in light of God’s message of dreams and visions in scripture. (Click HERE for a pdf of the powerpoint.)
• Feb 20 – The Origin of Life: Science vs Scripture? Much debate is made over the concordance of scientific research on the origin of life with Scripture’s narrative for creation. This Hall will focus on the differences that cause dissension and the places where God’s scriptural revelation and science intersect. Yes, there will be some discussion on evolution. The intent is to provide tools of information and defend the truth of God’s words to us and at the same time pay tribute to His charge for us to care and have dominion over His creation. We will discuss the role that science, including origin of life research, bears on this charge.  Monday, March 27th,
• Music! The word ‘sing’ appears in the scriptures over 400 times and is presented as a command at least 50 times. Music is integral to all cultures and throughout time.  It is an expression of worship but it is also an expression outside of faith traditions. What does music have to do with us as humans? What does science say about music and singing? From bone flutes 40,000 years ago today’s music of raps, blues, and country, it all fits somewhere in our psyches and our collective desires to speak that universal language. Come and discuss with us the virtues and blessings that song gives, from scripture and from science. There will probably be some examples. Maybe a tiny of math. However, no one will be called on to solo. Maybe a duet though.