Description: From The Original Series of the 1960s to Strange New Worlds today, Star Trek has always explored philosophical and religious ideas, pushing the boundaries of thought and entertaining us along the way. While full of secular concepts, the franchise has interacted with Christian beliefs for decades. In Star Trek and Faith, Mark S. Hansard examines the intersection of Star Trek and Christianity, utilizing logic and critical thinking to investigate the ideas in both new and old Trek series to compare them with a Christian worldview. Is Christianity manipulative? Is God capricious, angry, and insecure? Is it rational to believe in the resurrection of Jesus? Does predestination contradict our free will? Join Hansard in a thrilling ride through the galaxy, exploring Christian ideas through the lens of Star Trek.
Brief description: Mark S. Hansard is on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and ministers to professors at Kansas State University. Previously he ministered to graduate students and faculty at the University of California, Irvine. He has served in campus ministry for 32 years. Mark has an M.A. in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics from Talbot School of Theology, La Mirada, CA. A long time Star Trek fan, Mark enjoys hanging out with his wife and three daughters, cheering them on at volleyball matches and watching reruns of Monk. He and his family reside in Manhattan, KS.