As the world marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 violence, and some recall Pope Benedict XVI’s Regensburg Address five years ago, Dr. Scott Hahn, Ph.D. is joining us Monday evening to discuss and work through some of the thorny questions involved in reading the biblical Old Testament: does the Bible condone or does God command violence in His Name? These questions have numerous implications for the Christian’s understanding of history, of the integrity of faith, of the inspiration and reliability of the Bible, and the ability of Christians and other believers to exist within a context of religious pluralism. The conversation begins, however, with understanding the sources of Christian faith, in particular the sacred Scriptures, and how to explain their contents without explaining them away. Both grad and undergraduate students are welcome to come, and to bring a friend or two for what promises to be an extraordinary and illuminating evening of discussion and dialogue.

About our presenter: Scott Hahn is a graduate of Grove City College, and received a Ph.D. in Biblical Theology from Marquette University in 1995. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and best-selling books, including The Lamb’s Supper. He is presently professor of Theology & Scripture at Franciscan University of Steubenville, as well as the founder and director of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.

Getchur dancin’ boots, pardner; here we go!  The Newman Center’s annual barn dance is happening this Saturday, October 16 out at our little farm retreat in Ligonier, PA.  We’ll fire up the grill, bob for apples, take hayrides around a beautiful autumn scene, before dancing the night away down in our very own red-roof barn, with line and country dances called by local veteran Steve Staub.

We leave in carpools from the Newman Center starting at 2:00pm. Willing drivers are welcome to volunteer: directions and gas expense will be provided. Any (drivers or riders) who need to leave later can indicate you earliest available time, and we’ll try to accommodate passengers. Please contact Nancy at campusministry@pittsburghoratory.org to sign up, or Fr. Joshua for more details.

Have you ever dated a real jerk, but never noticed it till a week after the heartbreak? Were you ever in a relationship that seemed so right… until it just suddenly fell apart? Are you in a relationship now, and not exactly sure what direction to take it, or how to get there safely? Despite the default cultural presumption that relationships are for young people what flying is for young birds – you either just get it or you don’t – the studies are showing that youth are actually very good learners when it comes to the art of dating: it’s just that the teachers have not been so great.

That’s where Dr. John Van Epp, Ph.D., founder of LoveThinks, LLC, has something to offer.  He’s the author of, “How to Avoid Falling in Love with a Jerk,” published by McGraw-Hill, which blends in-depth research with humorous stories to provide a map for making healthy relationship choices. His twenty-five years of clinical experience and extensive research in premarital, marital and family relations have paved the way for his teach-out-of-the-box courses, PICK (How to Avoid Falling for a Jerk) and Marriage LINKS to be taught in thousands of churches, singles organizations, educational settings and social agencies in all fifty states, ten countries and by more than 2,500 military personnel. Van Epp and his innovative Relationship Attachment Model, book and relationship courses were awarded the Smart Marriage Impact Award (2008) and have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Psychology Today, O Magazine, and Cosmopolitan; and he has appeared on the CBS Early Show, the O’Reilly Factor, Fox News, and Focus on the Family. He has been happily married for over thirty years and is the proud father of two daughters.

He will deliver his popular and effective presentation this coming Thursday, September 16, at 8:00pm, in the Cathedral of Learning, Room G-24 (**please note updated location**), University of Pittsburgh.  All students from any of the local universities are welcome; bring a friend, of any kind!

Bored on a Saturday Night?  Nothing to do but lay around and vegetate.  Well there might be a remedy for that.  On Saturday, Jan 16th at 8pm in the William Pitt Union Assembly Room there will an 80s Dance held by the Newman Club.  All are welcome to attend no matter if you’re from Pitt or Chatham or CMU or some other place.  Absolutely any student is invited so bring a friend; the cost will be $2, and food and drink and other yummy snacks will be provided, so get those old dusty 80s clothes out of the closet, come on down to the union,  and dance the night away.

Women’s Bible Studies

Mondays
6:00pm, Newman Center; Kristin Gottron – krg24@pitt.edu
8:00pm, Caribou Coffee on Forbes; Stacey Beasock – slb79@pitt.edu

Tuesdays
5:00pm, Einstein’s in Posvar; Ruth Kalscheur – rkalscheur@focusonline.org
8:00pm, Kiva Han on Craig; Ashton Mallon – amallon@focusonline.org

Wednesdays
6:00pm, Newman Center; Lyn Conner – cmc101@pitt.edu
6:00pm, Chatham Carnegie Sun Rm; A. Mallon -  amallon@focusonline.org

Thursdays
7:30pm, Posvar; Julie Berna – jmb155@pitt.edu
8:00pm, CMU Black Chairs; Ruth Kalscheur – rkalscheur@focusonline.org

Men’s Bible Studies

Mondays
6:00pm, Posvar; Rick Hill – rjh49@pitt.edu
8:45pm, Cath. of Learning; P.J. Gruber – gruberpj@gmail.com

Wednesdays
6:00pm, Cath. of Learning; Connor McNabb – jmc130@pitt.edu

Thursdays
3:00pm, Cath. of Learning; Jack Berard – jberard@focusonline.org
5:00pm, Posvar; Vince Sartori – vsartori117@gmail.com

This week’s story comes from Luke who was able to meet with a student from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).  He is a leader for the CMU Orientation team.  The orientation team puts on different talks to help freshmen assimilate into college life.  One of the talks is about “safe sex” and decision-making.  It is a highly promoted talk and really degrades the meaning of sex and how men and women view each other.  Luke was able to talk with him that day and a few weeks later was able to have lunch with him.  He was open to talking about the Church, his search for the Truth, and is even interested in learning more about Church teachings!  It is great to see students who want to live Christ-centered lives and see the Holy Spirit working in them even when they don’t realize it themselves!