Professor of Rhetoric and Director of Debate at Patrick Henry College, presented a Fireside Chat on the subject of

“Excellence in Theological Disputation:

What Lutherans Can Learn from Aristotle’s Topica

(with examples from Monty Python)”

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Part 1:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Part 2:

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This interactive discussion will help you to identify premises and presuppositions  in conversation, argument and debate.

Dr. James Tallmon is Professor of Rhetoric and Director of Debate at Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia since 2007. Previously Dr. Tallmon was Professor of Rhetoric and Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Honors Leadership Program at Dickinson State University in North Dakota.  He earned his Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Ethics from the University of Washington in 1993.  Dr. Tallmon enjoys teaching students to apply classical theory to the resolution of contemporary problems.  He contributes regularly to classical liberal arts education conferences, and his “Rhetoric Ring”(www.phc.edu/rr_ring_d.php) provides online resources especially dedicated to helping classical educators successfully teach the arts of eloquence.

Dr. Tallmon is published in the areas of rhetorical theory, reason, casuistry and pedagogy, ethics, argumentation, debate, first amendment jurisprudence, and broadcast regulation.  He is currently at work on a series of handbooks on Rhetoric (Public Speaking, Advanced Public Speaking, Argumentation & Debate, and Oral Interpretation of Literature) for high school students being classically educated.  This series will also critically engage the cultural phenomenon of teens growing up in America with their “second lives” online. 

Dr. Tallmon serves as Associate Editor for The Classical Education Quarterly and as Executive Board Secretary and Chairman of the Technology Committee for the Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education (CCLE).  Tallmon also consults in Total Quality Management. 

Dr. Tallmon and his wife of 29 years, Bonnie, live in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. They are members of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Winchester, Virginia, where Jim serves as Elder and High School Sunday School Teacher.  In his spare time he volunteers for the Vector Speech and Debate Club for junior- and senior-high homeschool students in Purcellville, Virginia.

In this issue:

Direct link: ePilgrimage May 2009

Click here to view the embedded video.

In an increasingly pluralistic society, Concordia Theological Seminary recognizes the need for Christians to be able to defend the truthfulness of the Gospel in the public square. To that end, the seminary is pleased to offer a new retreat entitled “Contending for the Faith in the Twenty-First Century.”

Held on May 1–2, 2009, the seminar will offer several presentations on differing topics, such as atheism, Islam, and the historical and practical implications of a Christian witness. Featured speakers include:

Dr. Steve Mueller (Dean of Christ College, CUI)
Dr. Angus Menuge (Prof. of Philosophy, CUW)
Dr. Jeffrey Mallinson (Academic Dean, Trinity Lutheran College)
Rev. Dr. Robert Newton (President, California-Nevada-Hawaii District)
Rev. Dr. Steven Mueller (Concordia University Irvine)
Mr. Craig Parton (United States Director of the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism and Human Rights)
Mr. Sam Shamoun (Apologist and Islamic scholar, www.answeringislam.org)
Dr. Adam Francisco (Concordia Theological Seminary)

Their combined expertise on apologetics will give attendees a greater confidence and insight into Christian witness in the public arena and will give them the tools to “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks for the reason for the hope among us” (1 Peter 3:15).

The cost of the retreat is $50.00 and includes lunch and refreshments. To register, call 260-452-2100, e-mail retreats@ctsfw.edu, or go to www.ctsfw.edu/retreats.