The public is invited to the free lecture \u0093Why Did Augustine Become a Christian?\u0094 by Dr. Don Ross from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3 in the Lee Reception Room of Marymount University\u0092s Reinsch Library.<\/p>\n
Ross, an adjunct professor of philosophy at Marymount, will discuss \u0093Confessions,\u0094 an autobiographical work of St. Augustine that outlines his sinful youth and conversion.<\/p>\n
\u0093There are generally two conversion models,\u0094 said Dr. Michael Boylan, chair of MU\u0092s Department of Philosophy. \u0093We have the really quick conversion, like Saul of Tarsus, who became Paul the Apostle. Then we have the slower version, like Augustine, where a person \u0096 over time \u0096 thinks about it, mulls it over, and then says, \u0091I\u0092m a Christian.\u0092 \u0094<\/p>\n
Boylan said Augustine\u0092s appeal comes from his sincerity.<\/p>\n
\u0093If he goes down the wrong path, he admits it and says he blew it,\u0094 Boylan said.<\/p>\n
The lecture will be followed by a question-and-answer session, along with a more in-depth breakout session for philosophy majors and minors.<\/p>\n
Ross earned his bachelor\u0092s degree in philosophy from Wake Forest University, his master\u0092s from the University of Iowa, and his doctorate from the University of Chicago. In addition to Marymount, he has also taught at George Mason University, the University of Maryland and Georgetown University. He has taught the history of philosophy, theology and Asian philosophy and considers himself \u0093primarily a historian of ideas.\u0094<\/p>\n
In addition, he\u0092s worked in the computer field since 1983 and is employed by ManTech International Corp.<\/p>\n
Ross said his talk will appeal to those interested in culture in general, since it deals with a major figure in western intellectual history, and those who are religious and interested in \u0093Confessions\u0094 as a devotional tract.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The public is invited to the free lecture \u0093Why Did Augustine Become a Christian?\u0094 by Dr. Don Ross from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3 in the Lee Reception Room of Marymount University\u0092s Reinsch Library. Ross, an adjunct professor of philosophy at Marymount, will discuss \u0093Confessions,\u0094 an autobiographical work of St. Augustine that […]<\/p>\n