Freedom of thought is a long cherished tradition in Western society, especially within the academic and scientific communities. Ben Stein’s movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed exposes the hypocrisy of current attitudes towards those who don’t toe the party/peer-reviewed line. The father of modern science, Galileo Galilei, faced such fierce opposition in his day. What has changed in 400 years? Have today’s scientific and academic communities taken the place of the church of Galileo’s time? Does the church today welcome questions and prize the pursuit of truth? Oktoberfuss 2008 explored various arenas where freedom of thought ought to be esteemed and treasured.

Note: This MP3 CD includes the three talks given by Gutenberg College tutors at Oktoberfuss 2008. It does not include the keynote speaker’s talk.
 

3 MP3 files on 1 disk

• “Freedom of Thought in the Church: Should It Be Valued?”
  Speaker: Jack Crabtree, director of McKenzie Study Center and tutor at Gutenberg College
  The local church is a place where those who put their faith in Jesus Christ can gather together and learn. Often, however, Church leadership and traditions demand strict conformity to a cultural and doctrinal norm that may neither be Christian nor foster true spiritual growth. Is this what the Church is about? Should we demand unflinching submission or allow messy searches for truth? Is conformity of thought more valuable than freedom of thought?
• “Freedom of Thought in Science: Does Truth Need Guarding?”
  Speaker: Dr. Charley Dewberry, dean and tutor at Gutenberg College
  Science must be done by scientists or it isn’t science…right? Only highly trained technicians are qualified to provide answers to challenging questions in their respective disciplines…correct? This is what modern science would have us believe. Does this make sense? Is it true? Or is there room for freedom of thought and perspectives from outside a discipline to bring us to wisdom and truth?
• “Freedom of Thought in Education: Is Good Education Conformity to a Standard?”
  Speaker: Dr. David Crabtree, president and tutor at Gutenberg College
  Many in America would say that our higher educational system is broken and in dire need of repair. Is this true? Some would say that a good education ought to encourage students to freely pursue ideas to their logical conclusions. Is this happening? A common Christian solution to higher education is a Christian college, which endeavors to maintain conformity to biblical teachings, culture, and moral standards. Does this assure anything? What ought education be about?