You are invited to attend a lecture by Laura Carlson Hasler: Feb. 24, 2026, at 7 p.m. in Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center on the Washburn campus.
The Disappointing Prophet: What the book of Haggai can tell us about how we read
Why read the Bible's prophets? What do we want from them? For generations, readers from many traditions (including scholars) have asked these texts to inspire them and even to predict the future. But what if a biblical prophet made a prediction that was wrong? Why keep or read a failed prophet?
In this talk, Laura Carlson Hasler will introduce you to Haggai, a short collection of disappointing prophecies. Brief, unpoetic and (arguably) wrong, Haggai doesn't sound like the kind of prophet we want in our Bibles - and yet, he's there! This lecture will explain how a disappointing prophet reveals the power of our own expectations: in this case, that biblical prophecy must be good, beautiful and true in particular kinds of ways. With our own biases in mind, I argue that Haggai still does surprising and valuable work for us. Instead of offering inspiration or accurate prediction, this "unpoetic," failed prophecy helps us rethink divine violence, human bodies and human speech.
About Laura Carlson Hasler
Laura Carlson Hasler is an assistant professor of religious studies and Jewish studies at Indiana University, where she holds the Alvin H. Rosenfeld Chair in Hebrew Bible. Her first book, "Archival Historiography in Jewish Antiquity" (Oxford University Press 2020) won the Manfred Lautenschlaeger Prize for Theological Promise.
About the King lecture series
The Thomas L. King Lecture in Religious Studies, established in 1982 through a generous gift from the First Congregational Church in Topeka in memory of alumnus and Washburn benefactor Thomas L. King, now also receives support from contributions in memory of Rev. Dick Dickinson and Dr. Barry Crawford. This lecture series significantly enhances Washburn's religious studies program by offering a platform each spring semester for students, faculty, and community members to engage with the works of eminent scholars in the field. Over the years, the series has been privileged to host distinguished speakers such as Walter Brueggemann, Jacob Neusner, Martin Marty, John Dominic Crossan, Huston Smith, Wendy Doniger, Bart Ehrman, Peter Gomes, and Eva Morczek. Beyond the formal public lecture, speakers often arrange informal meetings with undergraduate classes, further enriching the educational experience.
The Thomas L. King Lecture in Religious Studies always is free and open to the public. It is held each spring semester.
First Congregational Lecture Series
March 27, 1983 - Walter Brueggemann
"Obedience and Imagination in the Life of Faith"
Thomas L. King Memorial Lecture Series
February 19, 1984 - Charles H. Talbert
"Mission, Formation & Community: Discipleship in Luke & Acts"
March 3, 1985 - Walter Harrelson
"The Prophet Ezra: Champion of the Law, Friend of Sinners"
April 13, 1986 - George W.E. Nickelsburg, Jr.
"The First Century: A Time to Rejoice and a Time to Weep"
April 26, 1987 - Elizabeth Achtemeier
"The Themes of Isaiah: Words for our Time"
March 27, 1988 - Leander E. Keck
"Paul: Problem and Promise"
Thomas L. King Lecture in Religious Studies
April 30, 1989 - David Ray Griffin
"Religion and Science in the Post-Modern World"
March 11, 1990 - Dennis E. Groh
"New Discoveries in New Testament Galilee: Excavations at Sepphoris"
April 14, 1991 - Rosemary Radford Ruether
"Eco-Feminism: Social and Symbolic Connections Between the Domination of Women and the Domination of Nature"
November 21, 1991 - Jacob Neusner
"From Doctrine to Imagination: A Different Kind of Judaeo-Christian Dialogue"
September 17, 1992 - Martin E. Marty
"The Extremes of Fundamentalism: Global and Local Issues"
October 14, 1993 - John Dominic Crossan
"Jesus the Peasant"
September 29, 1994 - E.P. Sanders
"Jesus as Prophet of the Restoration of Israel"
October 24, 1995 - Lawrence H. Schiffman
"Scholars, Scrolls, and Scandals: Christianity, Judaism, and the Dead Sea Scrolls"
November 12, 1996 - Huston Smith
"The Coming World Civilization"
October 13, 1997 - Paula Fredriksen
"Jews, Romans, and the Death of Jesus"
March 10, 1999 - Ron Cameron
"The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Origins"
March 7, 2000 - Langdon Gilkey
"The Creationism Controversy"
March 8, 2001 - Merrill Miller
"Redescribing Christian Origins"
October 25, 2001 - Karen L. King
"Early Christian Diversity and Contemporary Christian Identity"
April 16, 2002 - Jonathan Z. Smith
"God Save This Honourable Court": Religion in Public Discourse"
April 8, 2003 - Amy-Jill Levine
"Jews and Christians in Conversation: The Future of Interfaith Dialogue"
April 20, 2004 - John Dominic Crossan
"The Life of Jesus and American Christianity"
April 12, 2005 - Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad
"Islam in the West: History, Theologies, and Values"
April 4, 2006 - Wendy Doniger
"The Mythology of Magic Rings of Forgetfulness"
April 17, 2007 - Derek Davis
“Religion and Politics in the United States: Conflicts and Anomalies”
April 11, 2008 - Bart D. Ehrman
“God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Explain Human Suffering”
April 25, 2009 - Peter J. Gomes
“Beyond the Bible: Recovering the Gospel”
April 14, 2010 - Mark D. Nanos
“Images of Jews and Judaism in Paul’s Letter to the Romans: Challenging Translation Decisions That Subvert Paul’s Message”
March 10, 2011 - Robert Jewett
“Jesus, Captain America, and Barack Obama: The Superhero Myth in Contemporary America”
October 26, 2011 - Ferdinand Schlingensiepen
“Dietrich Bonhoeffer 1906-1945: Martyr, Thinker, Man of Resistance”
April 24, 2013 - William E. Arnal
“Just How Christian Were the First Christians?”
October 28, 2013 - Robert Wuthnow
“Red State Religion”
October 15, 2015 - Amy-Jill Levine
“Pearls and Prodigals: Hearing Jesus’ Parables Through Jewish Ears”
September 13, 2016 - Rami Arav
“Bethsaida from King David to Jesus”
March 14, 2018 - Barry Crawford
“The King Lecture at 35: Retrospect and Prospect”
February 25, 2019 - Eva Mroczek
“Out of the Cave: Manuscript Discoveries and New Biblical Pasts”
February 25, 2020 - Cyrus Zargar “Muslim Encounters with the Christian Other in Persian Sufi Poetry”
February 15, 2022 - Ann Taves
"Sacralizing and Desecrating Public Spaces: Civil Religion, Worldviews, and the Role of Ultimate Values in the January 6 Attack and its Aftermath"
March 2, 2023 - Robyn Faith Walsh
"Argumentum ad lunam: Discourse and Competition on the Moon"
March 5, 2024 - Dan McClellan
"The Bible Tells Me So": Making Meaning with the Bible
Feb. 27, 2025 - Dr. Liz Bucar
The Monsters Under Our Mats: Exploring the Ethical Implications of Yoga
GET IN TOUCH WITH Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
Philosophy and Religious Studies Department
Morgan Hall, Room 206
1700 SW College Ave.
Topeka, KS 66621
Phone & Email
785.670.1542
phil-rg@washburn.edu
