Next week Eugene Carpenter, Ph.D., professor of Old Testament, will host the first of two lectures in the Colloquia Lecture Series and will speak on “Resident Aliens: God Loves Them.” His presentation will cover briefly the Old Testament and relevant ancient Near Eastern materials on these groups of people with special attention to how God’s people, Israel, were to treat and protect these classes of persons, especially the resident alien.

I sat down with Dr. Carpenter earlier this week and interviewed him about the topic, and came away with a new appreciation for God’s command to love my neighbor as myself. What should that look like in our world today? I was also reminded that I am a resident alien on this planet, and was challenged to think about how this should inform my daily perspective.

Below is my video interview with Dr. Carpenter, where he gives a taste of his upcoming lecture. If you are interested in hearing what he has to say and want to participate in the resulting discussion, please join us on campus next week. The lecture will be on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 3:30 p.m. in the Academic Center, room 342.