Common Places

A lecture with Q&A given at the Fall 2022 Convivium at the Davenant House by Joshua Janniere entitled “‘An Ordinance of Reason for the Common Good’: Junius’s Reformed Thomist Theory of Law.” The theme for this convivium was “Law and Wisdom."

A lecture given at the Spring 2023 Regional Convivium by Dr. Katherine Wyma entitled "“Resisting the ‘Machine:’ CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien as Models for Embodied Friendship in an Increasingly Encroaching Digital Age.” Dr. Wyma is Senior Lecturer of English at Anderson University in South Carolina. This talk is preview of a book Dr. Wyma has been working on related to navigating both the positives and negatives of living in a 24/7 digital environment.

A lecture given at the Spring 2023 Regional Convivium by Paul Shakeshaft entitled "C.S. Lewis: Author of Literary Criticism, Children’s Fiction, and…Papal Encyclicals? Love and Friendship in Lewis, Pieper and Ratzinger" Paul Shakeshaft is a Research Fellow with the Davenant Institute and holds an M.A. from the University of Buckingham where he was trained in philosophy by Sir Roger Scruton. He holds a J.D. from Regent University Law School and a B.A. from Elmhurst College. His popular writing has been published in Mere Orthodoxy, The Federalist, and Providence Magazine, and he is a former scholar-in-residence of the Kilns, the home of C.S. Lewis. Paul is currently on the development staff of the Manhattan Institute.

A lecture given by Robin Harris at the Spring 2023 Regional Convivium entitled "Virtue and Friendship in Jane Austen’s Emma" Robin Harris is a Bible curriculum writer based in North Carolina. This talk develops the friendship aspect of the theme of this conference, “The Inklings and the Great Conversation: Friendship through Literature.”

A lecture given at the Spring 2023 Regional Convivium by Dr. Kathryn Wagner entitled “Intellectual Friendship and Academic Vocation in The Place of the Lion, Gaudy Night, and That Hideous Strength.” Dr. Wagner is a scholar of medieval English literature and current Director of Academic Programming at the Center for Christianity and Scholarship at Duke University. This talk develops a contrast and convergence of intellectual conviviality in the work of Dorothy Sayers and C. S. Lewis.

Nathan Johnson, Provost of Davenant Hall, interviews Joshua Shaw on his upcoming courses, the significance of the Hellenistic tradition in early Christianity, and the calling of the teacher to help students climb the ladder of knowledge up to God. To register for Joshua Shaw's course on "Alexandrian Theology from Philo to Origen" please visit https://davenanthall.com/product/alexandrian-theology-from-philo-to-origen/ To register for classes or begin a degree at Davenant Hall, please visit Davenanthall.com

A keynote address delivered at the Spring 2023 Regional Convivium by Dr. Harry Poe entitled "The Allegory of Love and the Launching of the Career of C. S. Lewis." Dr. Poe is the Charles Colson University Professor of Faith & Culture at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. He has written and edited several books, however his book "The Inklings of Oxford: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Their Friends," was of special interest to this Convivium.

A lecture given at the 2023 Spring Convivium by Dr. Donald Williams entitled "Jurassic Jubilee: Dinosaurs and the Revivification of our Literary Legacy." Dr. Williams is the retired Professor of English at Taccoa Falls College. In keeping with the conference theme, “The Inklings and the Great Conversation: Friendship through Literature,” Dr. Williams presents a defense of a traditional hermeneutic vs various iterations of deconstruction.

A lecture given at the 2023 Spring Convivium by Mr. Mark Olivero entitled "Something to Talk About: An Introduction to the Great Conversation & Its Affinity for Great Ideas." The theme for the 2023 Spring Convivium was “The Inklings and the Great Conversation: Friendship through Literature.” Mark is the organizer for this annual convivium on literature. In this talk, Mark presents a framework for returning "ad fontes" (to the sources) in the study of literature and the wisdom of doing so.

Nathan Johnson, Provost of Davenant Hall, interviews Charles Carman on his upcoming courses, the importance of knowing ancient languages, and the exciting research being done in Arabic and Syriac Christianity. To register for classes or begin a degree at Davenant Hall, please visit Davenanthall.com

Nathan Johnson, Provost of Davenant Hall, interviews Jordan Steffaniak on his upcoming courses, the relevance of philosophy for theology, and how studying the great texts of the Christian tradition is a historically Baptist endeavor. To register for Jordan Steffaniak's course on Baptist History, please visit https://davenanthall.com/product/baptist-history-i-europe/ To register for classes or begin a degree at Davenant Hall, please visit Davenanthall.com

Nathan Johnson, Provost of Davenant Hall, interviews Dr. Michael Lynch on his upcoming courses, the importance of reading early modern theology, and why it's important to wrestle with controversial ideas. To register for his upcoming course on Richard Baxter's Political Theology, please visit https://davenanthall.com/product/richard-baxters-political-theology/ To register for classes or begin a degree at Davenant Hall, please visit Davenanthall.com

Nathan Johnson, Provost of Davenant Hall, interviews Dr. Joseph Minich on his upcoming courses, the unique challenges of being a Christian in the late modern world, and how to approach theology as a whole person for the sake of all of human life. To register for classes or begin a degree at Davenant Hall, please visit Davenanthall.com To register for Dr. Minich's upcoming fall course Approaches to Defending the Faith, please visit https://davenanthall.com/product/approaches-to-defending-the-faith-2/ To purchase Dr. Minich's new book Bulwarks of Unbelief, please visit https://lexhampress.com/product/229474/bulwarks-of-unbelief-atheism-and-divine-absence-in-a-secular-...

Nathan Johnson, Provost of Davenant Hall, interviews Teaching Fellow Tim Jacobs on his upcoming courses, the relevance of philosophy for theology, and the importance of ethics and moral theology for the thoughtful Christian. To register for classes or begin a degree at Davenant Hall, please visit our website: Davenanthall.com

Nathan Johnson, Provost of Davenant Hall, interviews Dr. Alastair Roberts on his upcoming courses, Biblical typology, and the importance of listening and attending to the voice of Scripture. To register for classes or begin a degree at Davenant Hall, please visit Davenanthall.com To register for Dr. Robert's upcoming course on John and Revelation, please visit https://davenanthall.com/product/john-and-revelation/ To purchase Dr. Robert's 20-lecture course on an introduction to Biblical Wisdom, please visit https://davenantinstitute.org/biblical-wisdom-lectures

Nathan Johnson, Provost of Davenant Hall, interviews Professor Matthew Hoskin on his upcoming courses, ancient Christian theology, and the importance of knowing the philosophy, history, and literature of cultures of the great theologians of the past. To register for classes or begin a degree program at Davenant Hall, please visit Davenanthall.com To register for Professor Hoskin's upcoming course Augustine the Preacher, please visit https://davenanthall.com/product/augustine-preacher/

Nathan Johnson, Provost of Davenant Hall, interviews Professor Ryan Hurd about his upcoming courses at Davenant Hall, Reformed Scholasticism, Thomas Aquinas, and the love and mercy of God. To learn more about Professor Hurd's courses, and to register, please visit: Thomas Aquinas Seminar I: The Sentences https://davenanthall.com/product/thomas-aquinas-seminar-i-the-sentences/ Master of the Sacred Page: Senses of Holy Scripture https://davenanthall.com/product/senses-of-holy-scripture/

A lecture with Q&A entitled "Italy's Forgotten Reformation" by Dr. Chris Castaldo. To the surprise of many, Italy, the seat of Roman Catholicism, underwent a Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century that reverberated throughout the country. From 1511 until 1542, home-grown movements of gospel renewal coalesced with the teaching of northern Protestant Reformers to produce a host of Italian preachers, commentators, theologians, and committed laypeople who believed that the authority of Scripture and the doctrine of justification were the leading edge of Christian identity and calling. This dynamic movement in Italy transformed segments of the Roman church, on both the lay level and in the upper echelons of the curia, until it was stamped out by the Roman Inquisition. In this lecture Dr. Chris Castaldo offers an introduction to the chief exponents, contributions, and enduring lessons of this now forgotten episode of church history. Chris Castaldo serves as lead pastor of NEW COVENANT CHURCH in Napervill

A presentation given at the Fall 2022 Carolinas Regional Convivium entitled "The Place of the Human Body in Natural Law" by Dr. Eduardo Echeverria.

The keynote presentation given at the Fall 2022 Carolinas Regional Convivium entitled "Natural Law and Protestant Social Thought" by Dr. Jordan J. Ballor. Jordan J. Ballor directs the research agenda of the Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy (CRCD), which includes oversight of research publications as well as pursuit of his own scholarship, popular speaking, and writing. He has previously held research positions at the Acton Institute and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and has doctorates in Reformation history from the University of Zurich and in moral theology from Calvin Theological Seminary.