The inaugural lecture is a tradition that has been practiced in western universities for centuries. These lectures originated in the great universities of continental Europe, spread to Great Britain, and then to North America. The tradition has now been appropriated further by universities around the world and especially of late in majority world countries. The inaugural lecture is a form of academic discourse, in which the recipient of a suitable academic honor--usually the bestowal of a form of professorial appointment--offers a public lecture in recognition of the event. McMaster Divinity College follows in this academic tradition by attaching public inaugural lectures to the appointment of scholars to professorial positions, and in particular to those appointed to endowed and named professorial chairs within the institution. McMaster Divinity College currently has six such endowed, named chairs held by its faculty. This volume contains the six lectures by those in these six chairs, representing the fields of preaching, theology, pastoral studies, Christian worldview, ministry studies, and Christian history. Each of these inaugural lectures is a contribution to scholarship in the field and a token of the inaugural professorial lecture.Following the tradition of the great universities of Britain and Europe, McMaster Divinity College has not only featured its endowed chairs by holding inaugural lectures, but thanks to Stanley Porter, these recent lectures have been gathered into a helpful collection that will serve the church, the academy, and society. These state-of-the-art essays bring to bear the finest of theological and biblical scholarship upon contemporary issues of the day. Readable and profitable, this is an impressive collection, indeed!--Paul N. Anderson, Professor of Biblical and Quaker Studies, George Fox UniversityInaugurations provides windows into the soul of one of Canada's most prestigious theological institutions. Each chapter offers insights into the minds and hearts of the senior faculty of McMaster. Stanley Porter's practical approach to Christian worldview, Steven Studebaker's warm-hearted systematics, and the call for creative ministry by Lee Beach are fine examples of the 'real world' scholarship so desperately needed by the church today. Open and read. You will like what you see!-- J. Kent Edwards, Professor of Preaching & Leadership, BIOLA UniversityStanley E. Porter is President and Dean, Professor of New Testament, and holder of the Roy A. Hope Chair in Christian Worldview at McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, ON, Canada. He is the author of 28 books and the editor of over 90 others. He is a recognized expert in numerous New Testament and related fields, including hermeneutics and Christian worldview. His latest book is When Paul Met Jesus: How an Idea Got Lost in History (2016).
