Upcoming Events

Different Stories, Different Genres, Different Gods
presented by Dr. Michael Goldberg
Wednesday, March 26, 2026 – 4:30 p.m.
Quad 264, Saint John’s University

Influenced by common English usage as well as by Jewish and Christian monotheistic traditions, we typically talk of “God” as though the Bible speaks of one — and only one — deity. However, a close reading of various biblical texts reveals that instead of a singular character called “God,” we find several different characters who go by that appellation while having their own distinctive set of character traits. Those respective characteristics are at times so incompatible, indeed so incommensurate, as to depict separate gods, each with a unique character in its own right.

The talk will not only draw on his forthcoming Oxford University Press book,The Bible’s Gods: The Nonexistent One True God of Scripture, it will also make use of Goldberg’s earlier work, Jews and Christians, Getting Our Stories Straight:The Exodus and the Passion-Resurrection.
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Meet You at the Crossroads: A Salon Concert
A musical meeting place for African American gospel and Somali blues
Sunday, April 27, 2025 – 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, Saint John’s University
J.D. Steele (vocalist and conductor) Ahmed Ismail Yusuf (writer-musician), and David Jordan Harris (narrator)

This concert is led by celebrated vocalist and conductor J.D. Steele and writer-musician Ahmed Ismail Yusuf featuring an enthralling mix of local gospel singers and Somali poetry woven with rhyme, rhythm, and melody. Meet You at the Crossroads is both encounter and collaboration, in which two musical cultures and the communal traditions that gave life to them are explored in conversation during and after the concert. Musician David Jordan Harris narrates and encourages discussion with the musicians and audience. This program will also be presented on Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. at Schoenecker Center Performance Hall at the University of St. Thomas.
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