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Dr. Laura Carson Hasler, professor at Indiana University, will explore what the biblical book of Haggai can offer today's readers. The Washburn University department of philosophy and religion will host the 41st annual Thomas L. King Lecture in Religious Studies. Dr. Laura Carlson Hasler summarizes her lecture as follows: The Disappointing Prophet: What the book of Haggai can tell us about how we read. Why read the Bible's prophets? What do we want from them? For generations, readers from many traditions (including scholars) have asked these texts to inspire them and even to predict the future. But what if a biblical prophet made a prediction that was wrong? Why keep or read a failed prophet? In this talk, Laura Carlson Hasler will introduce you to Haggai, a short collection of disappointing prophecies. Brief, unpoetic and (arguably) wrong, Haggai doesn't sound like the kind of prophet we want in our Bibles - and yet, he's there! This lecture will explain how a disappointing prophet reveals the power of our own expectations: in this case, that biblical prophecy must be good, beautiful and true in particular kinds of ways. With our own biases in mind, I argue that Haggai still does surprising and valuable work for us. Instead of offering inspiration or accurate prediction, this 'unpoetic,' failed prophecy helps us rethink divine violence, human bodies and human speech.

Clear bag policy in effect! Please see the venue website for the clear bag and prohibited items policy.