Have you ever stopped to consider that the earliest Christians preserved the sayings of Jesus in a language other than the one he spoke? Or that we read those same words in a language other than the one the biblical writers used? This willingness to translate the words of Jesus is one example among many of the fairly bold cultural instincts of early Christianity, what some see to be the genius of the faith. This presentation will consider the cultural dexterity of early Christian writers and the beliefs that authorized these bold approaches.

Martha Ballard lived and died before Florence Nightingale and, if not for her diary of 10,000 entries spanning 27 years, her story would be lost. Unusual for the time, Martha could read and write and recorded daily life in Hollowell, Maine along the Kennebec River.

What makes Martha Ballard worthy of the “Enigma of Genius” theme is her remarkable work as a mid-wife during the years following the Revolutionary War. She attended more than 800 births in an era of very high infant and maternal mortality. Through her detailed records, we know that she lost only five mothers and 20 babies. She described in great detail the herbal medicines she used as well as her medical techniques. Her biography, A Midwife’s Tale, based on her diaries and written by Laura Ulrich won a Pulitzer Prize. The book was later adapted for a PBS docudrama. Cynthia Gabriel of University of Michigan will share the story of this remarkable woman who was a genius in her field.

Come to the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm and meet Dr. David Greer, Professor of History, Rochester College. He will be talking about George Washington and early American Presidency.

Winston Churchill was the greatest orator of his day, the greatest leader of the Second World War, the greatest statesman of his age, and the greatest Englishman of the twentieth century….perhaps of all time. The debt owed to Sir Winston Churchill by the free world remains immeasurable. Yet at the heart of this often intimidating colossus lay a man of vast humanity, enormous wit and boundless humor, much of it mischievous and a prolific writer.

Learn more with Oakland University Professor Frank Cardimen, about his WWII exploits, his life with Clementine, his writings, his leadership in Parliament and his wit….. for this talented Englishman WAS an agent of change in the 20th Century. He was a genius for his time…doing what no other Brit could do to save Europe, stop the tyrant in Germany and engage the people of the UK to stand up to Hitler when no one thought it possible.

The New Testament letter of James has, at times throughout Christian history, received harsh criticism from scholars. Among the accusations are that James lacks a coherent structure and unifying theme, that it presents a theology of works that is deficient in comparison with Paul’s more robust theology of faith, and that it fails to present the reader with Jesus. In this presentation, Dr. Stevenson addresses these criticisms by arguing that the letter of James is a masterful work that diagnoses a disease of the human condition that is just as vital for faith in the twenty-first century as it was in the first century.