2024 Woolman Lecturer in Christian Scholarship: Kelly M. Kapic

Kapic will offer two lectures drawn from his book, You're Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God's Design and Why That's Good News. These lectures will invite the audience to reflect on topics such as the goodness of our God-given limitations and God’s delight in the process of doing His good work. The lectures will take place on March 13 and 14 at 7:00 p.m. in Johnson Center 106. Free online registration is available for this event. More details on the specific lectures follow. 

Kapic has published numerous articles and book reviews in scholarly journals and publications such as Theology Today, Church History, Religious Studies Review, Journal of Reformed Theology, Christian Scholars Review, Westminster Theological Journal, and Christianity Today. In addition to his numerous book chapters, he is the author, co-author, or editor of several notable books. In 2012 Kapic published A Little Book for New Theologians: Why and How to Study Theology with Intervarsity Press, which has been published in translation in a number of languages.  In 2018, along with Justin Borger, he published The God Who Gives: How the Trinity Shapes the Christian Story with Zondervan. His 2022 book You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press) was selected as a Christianity Today Book of the Year.

Lecture One

Crushed by Expectations? The Goodness of our God-given Limits

With our endless to-do lists and the exhausting pace of life we wonder if God is perpetually disappointed in us for not getting more done.  But what if we have misunderstood God’s expectations? We have too often confused our limits with sin in ways that have distorted our faith and our lives. God has a better way for us.

Wednesday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m., Johnson Center, Room 106

"Today's society demands that 'there is more that we can and should do;' but under the weight of these expectations, we're still 'creatures.' That is, we're imperfect image bearers of God and when we strive to meet the world's expectations with limited time we become easily overwhelmed. However, our faith in God makes it possible for us to look to His bigger picture rather than handling expectations independently. We can rest in God knowing that dependence on Him is part of our innate design."

(Excerpt from Kapic's lecture on March 13.)

Lecture Two

Why Doesn’t God Just Instantly Change Me? God Delights in Process

Too often we are suffocated with shame and guilt when we are not instantly perfect.  But God has always been comfortable taking his time when he is doing good work.  We will explore the encouraging and comforting joy of this truth.

Thursday, March 14 at 7:00 p.m., Johnson Center, Room 106

"When we explore the overbearing principles of shame and guilt, we learn more deeply that we'll never be perfect. It is easy to think less of ourselves as individuals when we are overlooking the good work God is doing in our lives; we neglect to consider the path He has set out for us. But when we zoom out and consider the bigger picture of God’s process, we can more freely discover what He wants to do in us along the way rather than expecting ourselves to 'get it right' the first time."

(A teaser for Lecture 2 given by Kapic on March 13.)

The Woolman Lecture Series is sponsored by The Center for Christian Faith and Culture in partnership with the Office of the Provost.