Upper House Commons Events

This preaching class was recorded at our third annual Midwest Gospel Preaching Summit on October 9 & 10, 2024.

Rev. Dr. Phillip Pointer, Sr. is the Senior Pastor of Saint Mark Baptist Church, one of the largest Baptist churches in the state of Arkansas. Raised in the Greater Washington D.C. area, Pastor Pointer is a fourth-generation Baptist pastor from lines of Baptist pastors that run on both sides of his family. Over the years, Pastor Pointer has worked to inspire and empower God’s people to grow in contextual understanding of God’s Word, to apply it, and to spiritually mature in Jesus Christ. Under Pastor Pointer’s leadership, Saint Mark’s ministry has grown by leaps and bounds, achieving major installments of community outreach offerings such as job fairs, financial stewardship classes, record expungement seminars, and food drives. He also led a campaign for a Children & Youth Center and led the formation of the Tendaji Community Development Corporation, which provides outreach programs and initiatives that support the entire Little Rock community. Pastor Pointer earned a Master of Divinity degree with honors from The Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. His doctoral study emphasis was “Preaching Prophetically in a Postmodern Culture: Communicating with Contemporary Audiences.”

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Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

Reverend Dr. Charles E. Goodman, Jr. is the Senior Pastor/Teacher of The Historic Tabernacle Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia. In his role, he established “one church in multiple locations” that serves a TAB Global audience with multiple weekly services, virtually and in-person. Pastor Goodman is also the author of four books: You Can’t Run from Purpose, Road to Recovery, The Flip Side of Favor, and It’s Complicated. In 2023, Dr. Goodman was selected as a Preaching Exemplar in the inaugural cohort for the Compelling Preaching Initiative, which is advancing the sacred tradition of African American Preaching through scholarship and mentorship. He serves on many community boards and as an adjunct professor/mentor at institutions of higher learning. He is also a content contributor to publications concerning ministry methodologies and contemporary preaching. Dr. Goodman earned a Master of Divinity degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and his Doctor of Ministry from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. An avid learner, he also earned a Master of Management with a concentration in Organizational Leadership from Cambridge College and was a practitioner of the Clergy Scholars Program hosted by Yale University. In 2023, he successfully defended his research on the Black Church and Leadership in Times of Crisis, earning a Ph.D. in Leadership from Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina.

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

Rev. Dr. Marcus D. Allen, Sr. is the senior pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Madison, Wisconsin. He holds a doctor of ministry from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. His profound love for God's word and people, coupled with his generous spirit, defines his ministry.

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🖥️ Watch this talk on YouTube

https://youtu.be/CKdhcA3csl0

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

Isaiah Oby, Associate Pastor at Northside Christian Assembly, presented on AI tools for ministry.

https://www.perplexity.ai/

https://notebooklm.google.com/

https://gemini.google.com/

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🖥️ Watch this talk on our YouTube page

https://youtu.be/Mho50H-mfx4

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

Have archaeologists “disproved” the historical reliability of the biblical texts? These concerns are as common as they are serious for believers, whether confronting flashy news articles or hearing well-articulated, challenging claims from scholars.

This lecture aims to contextualize such questions by describing what biblical archaeology is and why it is important for understanding the biblical world. By considering three brief case studies (the Hyksos, “Solomonic Stables”, and the siege of Lachish), we will examine how archaeology interacts with the Old Testament. This enables a perspective in which, rather than “proving/disproving” historicity, biblical archaeology properly applied can illuminate the background of Scripture and render its stories more understandable and more vivid.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER

Dr. Geoffrey E. Ludvik, an active field researcher, Geoffrey is currently co-director of archaeological excavations at Tell el-Hesi, Israel (occupied 2800 BC through the Persian period). His interests include early Canaanite trade and technology, the cultural world of the Patriarchs, the Iron Age kingdom of Judah, and the Old Testament period generally.

He earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology (Archaeology) with an emphasis in Hebrew and Semitic Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018 and is the author of numerous articles and book chapters on Biblical and Mediterranean archaeology. Geoffrey is also an instructor at St. Ambrose Academy in Madison, WI, and a research fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University. Geoffrey lives in Madison, WI, with his wife and son.

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

Have archaeologists “disproved” the historical reliability of the biblical texts? These concerns are as common as they are serious for believers, whether confronting flashy news articles or hearing well-articulated, challenging claims from scholars.

This lecture aims to contextualize such questions by describing what biblical archaeology is and why it is important for understanding the biblical world. By considering three brief case studies (the Hyksos, “Solomonic Stables”, and the siege of Lachish), we will examine how archaeology interacts with the Old Testament. This enables a perspective in which, rather than “proving/disproving” historicity, biblical archaeology properly applied can illuminate the background of Scripture and render its stories more understandable and more vivid.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER

Dr. Geoffrey E. Ludvik, an active field researcher, Geoffrey is currently co-director of archaeological excavations at Tell el-Hesi, Israel (occupied 2800 BC through the Persian period). His interests include early Canaanite trade and technology, the cultural world of the Patriarchs, the Iron Age kingdom of Judah, and the Old Testament period generally.

He earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology (Archaeology) with an emphasis in Hebrew and Semitic Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018 and is the author of numerous articles and book chapters on Biblical and Mediterranean archaeology. Geoffrey is also an instructor at St. Ambrose Academy in Madison, WI, and a research fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University. Geoffrey lives in Madison, WI, with his wife and son.

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

Have archaeologists “disproved” the historical reliability of the biblical texts? These concerns are as common as they are serious for believers, whether confronting flashy news articles or hearing well-articulated, challenging claims from scholars.

This lecture aims to contextualize such questions by describing what biblical archaeology is and why it is important for understanding the biblical world. By considering three brief case studies (the Hyksos, “Solomonic Stables”, and the siege of Lachish), we will examine how archaeology interacts with the Old Testament. This enables a perspective in which, rather than “proving/disproving” historicity, biblical archaeology properly applied can illuminate the background of Scripture and render its stories more understandable and more vivid.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER:

Dr. Geoffrey E. Ludvik, an active field researcher, Geoffrey is currently co-director of archaeological excavations at Tell el-Hesi, Israel (occupied 2800 BC through the Persian period). His interests include early Canaanite trade and technology, the cultural world of the Patriarchs, the Iron Age kingdom of Judah, and the Old Testament period generally.

He earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology (Archaeology) with an emphasis in Hebrew and Semitic Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018. He is the author of numerous articles and book chapters on Biblical and Mediterranean archaeology. Geoffrey is also an instructor at St. Ambrose Academy in Madison, WI, and a research fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University. Geoffrey lives in Madison, WI, with his wife and son.

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🖥️ Watch this talk on YouTube

https://youtu.be/i5n8Xbuazv0

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

This event was recorded live at Upper House on June 6, 2024.

This contentious era has tested many of us who long to positively engage on issues that matter, yet find ourselves instead engaging in fruitless arguments, or distancing ourselves from people we care about, or occasionally disparaging those we oppose. We know that God desires us to work out our differences and seek mutual flourishing. In that hope, how can we disagree with empathy and respect without sacrificing our convictions? How can we better navigate the differences and disagreements we encounter every day?

John Inazu — law professor, thought leader, and former litigator — addresses these challenges in his new book Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect (Zondervan, 2024), the basis of his in-person interview with Ed Ollie, Jr. at Upper House. John will discuss what he has learned through his years of teaching and working as a litigator, based on navigating conversations with those whose viewpoints seemed ill-informed, wrong, or even evil. At the same time, he will also share gleaned insights that can inform patience, trust, forgiveness, and compassion for the “other.”

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Insights:

➡️ Cultivate empathy as a skill for your personal and professional life.

➡️ Live a more connected life and have more authentic relationships with family and friends with whom you disagree.

➡️ Better understand what holds you back from healthy disagreement.

➡️ Develop practical strategies for making difficult conversations more respectful, with better outcomes.

➡️ Know when to walk away from difficult conversations.

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SPEAKERS:

John Inazu is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis. He teaches criminal law, law and religion, and various First Amendment courses. He writes and speaks frequently about pluralism, assembly, free speech, religious freedom, and other issues. John has written three books and published opinion pieces in the Washington Post, Atlantic, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, USA Today, Newsweek, and CNN. He is also the founder of the Carver Project and the Legal Vocation Fellowship and is a senior fellow with Interfaith America.

Ed Ollie, Jr. will interview John to kick off our program. Ed is an executive leader, coach, pastor, educator, and master encourager, and currently serves as board chair for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA.

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🖥️ Watch this event on YouTube = https://youtu.be/8q6XaZwRKlE

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Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

This event was recorded live at Upper House for our annual Baccalaureate Service. Adam Penning serves as lead pastor of Blackhawk Church Downtown. Previously, he was the Cru Campus Ministry Director for the New York City Metro Area; from 2001 to 2015, Penning served with Badger Cru on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, including as Area Director. Penning studied at Iowa State University and earned an M.A. in Biblical Studies, Languages, and Urban Ministry from Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

This was recorded live at our annual Baccalaureate Service. Thomas Browne is the Senior Assistant Dean in the Office of Academic Affairs in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at UW–Madison. He is an advocate for meaningful culture and climate change to encourage and support those who might feel undervalued or marginalized. Since 2000 he has worked at UW–Madison, where he also completed undergraduate and graduate work.  

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons