Foster-Whiddon selected for Dr. Richard G. Kyle Faculty Lecture

HILLSBORO, Kan.— Eric Foster-Whiddon, Ph.D., will present the 27th Dr. Richard G. Kyle Faculty Lecture on Tuesday, April 22 in the Franz Family Heritage Lobby of the Shari Flaming Center for the Arts. The event will begin at 7 p.m. and is open to the public.

Foster-Whiddon is in his first year as assistant professor of biblical studies at Tabor College. He will present “Following Jesus Out of Bounds: Cognition, Travel, and Boundary-Crossing in John 4.”

“I am grateful and humbled to be selected to deliver the 2025 Kyle Faculty Lecture,” Foster-Whiddon said. “This presentation is a selection from my recent work as a co-investigator with the international research project Diegesis in Mind, in which I apply approaches from cognitive science in a reading of the Samaria episode in John 4 to explore the function of boundary-crossing and exterior spaces in travel stories that communicate religious or philosophical ideas. I am perpetually intrigued by the beauty and impact of John’s portrayal of Jesus and look forward to sharing my research on it. It is an honor to represent the Bible and Theology department and the faculty of Tabor College.”

Foster-Whiddon completed his Ph.D., in Divinity & Classics at the University of St. Andrews in (St. Andrews, Scotland). He earned his M.Phil., in the New Testament from the University of Cambridge (Cambridge, England), and his M.Div., at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (Jacksonville, Fla.).

The series was named in Kyle’s honor in 2004, encouraging scholarship and recognizing the work of the Tabor faculty.  

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