Common Places

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.

A presentation given at the Fall 2022 Carolinas Regional Convivium entitled "Law, Justice and International Order: Wisdom from Thucydides" by Dr. Nathan Johnson

A lecture with Q&A by Dr. Jason Lepojärvi entitled "C.S. Lewis and the Personal Opinion Fallacy." Perhaps now more than ever, authors can become targets of critics who mistake the views expressed by their characters, plot, or atmosphere for views held by the authors themselves. Authors then begin to censor themselves, fearing that the opinions expressed in their art will be equated with their own. The end result is a bland, homogenous world of fiction, lacking in both diversity of perspective and vigor of expression. In this lecture, Dr. Jason Lepojärvi reflects on this particular form of literary misreading and its contribution to other literary maladies. This form of misreading is closely related to what C. S. Lewis and E.M.W. Tillyard called “The Personal Heresy” and what W. K. Wimsatt and M. C. Beardsley called “The Intentional Fallacy,” but is distinct from both. Dr. Lepojärvi presents an argument based on Lewis’s writing which can serve as a possible solution to this pervasive literary fallacy. The

A lecture with Q&A by Dr. Andrew Messmer entitled "Spain's Forgotten Reformation." The Spanish Reformation has been almost completely forgotten, including by many 16th century specialists. Yet its roots preceded Luther, and it secretly attracted scores of top-level Spanish clergymen and academics across the country. It was insistent on equally stressing orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Had the Spanish Inquisition not snuffed it out, it may have been the most promising Reformation of all. In this lecture, Dr. Andrew Messmer introduces the major figures and questions of the Spanish Reformation’s first 100 years. What did the Spanish Reformers believe? Why was the Spanish Reformation unsuccessful? What would a Spanish Church look like today? These questions will be examined, along with key Reformers such as Juan de Valdés, Constantino de la Fuente, Casiodoro de Reina, and others. Andrew Messmer (Ph.D., Evangelische Theologische Faculteit) is Academic Dean of Seville Theological Seminary (Spain); Associated Professo

A lecture with Q&A given by visiting Davenant Hall Teaching Fellow, Dr. Matt Hoskins. In the fifth century, the Church decisively rejected Nestorianism―the teaching that Jesus Christ is comprised of two persons hitched together, one human and one divine. This rejection was shared by Church Fathers writing across the Mediterranean in different languages, such as John Cassian in Latin, Shenoute of Atripe in Coptic, and Mark the Monk in Greek. Far from being a dry doctrinal dispute, the rejection of Nestorianism was vital for the preservation of the Gospel. In this lecture, Dr. Matthew Hoskin demonstrates how, despite their diverse tongues and contexts, Latin, Coptic, and Greek authors were united in their rejection of Nestorianism through a shared concern for its negative impact on spiritual life. All knew that only a true union of God and man in the person of Christ can bring good news and spiritual fruit to the personal lives of Christians. Dr Matthew Hoskin (PhD, University of Edinburgh) teaches ancient

A debate between Jonathan Leeman and Brad Littlejohn on "Religious Liberty and the Common Good," hosted by Colorado Christian University (www.ccu.edu). Christianity in America faces dire threats from two directions. On the one hand, unfriendly government bureaucrats and downright hostile woke activists are tightening the screws on Christians’ freedom of worship, expression, and conscience. At the same time, churches themselves are not immune to the profound crisis of authority that has engulfed our public life, and the reflexive “me and my rights” individualism that has undermined the very concept of institutional norms and the common good. How can we stand up for authentic religious liberty in an age of license and moral chaos? And on what basis should we advocate in the public square for policies that protect the church? Different Protestant traditions have offered sharply different understandings of the relationship between individual conscience, the institutional church, and the responsibility of civil

A Q&A discussion featuring Protestant Social Teaching Contributors Brad Littlejohn, Mark LiVecche, and Jake Meador discussing their respective chapters at the Protestant Social Teaching launch event, hosted by the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington D.C. A full recording of the event featuring individual remarks from each speaker can be found here: https://youtu.be/Ea3PvhAJADw

Some remarks by Marc LiVecche on his chapter in Protestant Social Teaching, "Just War," at the book launch party hosted by the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington D.C. Marc LiVecche is the McDonald Distinguished Scholar of Ethics, War, and Public Life at Providence. He is also a non-resident research fellow at the US Naval War College, in the College of Leadership and Ethics. Marc completed doctoral studies, earning distinction, at the University of Chicago, where he worked under the supervision of the political theorist and public intellectual Jean Bethke Elshtain, until her death in August, 2013. His first book THE GOOD KILL: JUST WAR & MORAL INJURY, was published in 2021 by Oxford University Press. Another project, RESPONSIBILITY AND RESTRAINT: JAMES TURNER JOHNSON AND THE JUST WAR TRADITION, co-edited with Eric Patterson, was published by Stone Tower Press in the fall of 2020. Currently, he is finalizing Moral Horror: A Just War Defense of Hiroshima. Before all this academic stuff, Marc sp

Some remarks by Jake Meador on his chapter in Protestant Social Teaching, "Environmental Care," at the book launch party hosted by the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington D.C. Jake Meador is the editor-in-chief of Mere Orthodoxy and is a writer and editor from Lincoln NE. His work has been published in First Things, National Review, Books & Culture, Commonweal, Plough Quarterly, Christianity Today, Front Porch Republic, and the University Bookman. He holds a BA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Jake lives in Lincoln NE with his wife Joie, daughter Davy, and three sons, Wendell, Austin, and Ambrose. His first book, IN SEARCH OF THE COMMON GOOD: CHRISTIAN FIDELITY IN A FRACTURED WORLD, was published by InterVarsity Press. Find him on Twitter @JAKE_MEADOR.

Some remarks by Davenant President ,Dr. Brad Littlejohn, on his chapter in Protestant Social Teaching, "The Civil Magistrate," at the book launch party hosted by the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington D.C. Dr. Bradford Littlejohn (Ph.D., University of Edinburgh) is the Founder and President of the Davenant Institute. He also works as a Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and has taught for several institutions, including Moody Bible Institute-Spokane, Bethlehem College and Seminary, and Patrick Henry College. He is recognized as a leading scholar of the English theologian Richard Hooker and Has published and lectured extensively in the fields of Reformation history, Christian ethics, and political theology. He lives in Landrum, SC with his wife, Rachel, and four children. Follow him on Twitter at @WBLITTLEJOHN The full launch event with Q&A is available here:

A lecture with Q&A with Davenant Teaching Fellow Tim Jacobs entitled "Duty or Virtue: Which Does the Church Need More?" Many Christians assume morality starts with duty to commands. We search the Bible looking for commands to obey. Yet swiftly we invent new rules, and eventually accidental legalism is born. Even healthy churches struggle with this subtle moralism that breeds Pharisaism, with honesty sacrificed for appearances, or compassion for authoritarianism. How can we reform our view of duty? In this lecture, Tim Jacobs will show how biblical commands point us to the more fundamental source of ethics: the natural law based in human nature, which is itself founded on God’s nature. Attendees will learn the sources and dangers of duty-based ethics, the case for New Testament virtue ethics, and how the Reformed tradition has understood virtue. This talk will make use of Aristotle, Aquinas, John Calvin, Peter Martyr Vermigli, and Jonathan Edwards.

A synthetic session titled “The Task Ahead of Us” led by Brad Littlejohn, Colin Redemer and Joseph Minich. This talk was delivered at the 2022 National Convivium hosted at Davenant House in Landrum, SC. The synthetic talk at our convivia is traditionally a final discussion that brings together key ideas from the various talks presented. The value of this discussion is in how the presented papers relate to the overall theme of Philosophy and the Christian as well as ways we can put into practice the principles gleaned therein.

A Guided Discussion titled “C.S. Lewis and the History of Religion” led by Dr. Joseph Minich and Colin Redemer.This talk was delivered at the 2022 National Convivium hosted at Davenant House in Landrum, SC. Dr. Minich is a teaching fellow for Davenant Hall and co-host for the Pilgrim Faith podcast, a Davenant Institute podcast available on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud. Colin Redemer is Vice-President of The Davenant Institute and is a Ph.D candidate with a focus on friendship in the writings of Aristotle.

A presentation titled “Re-evaluating Mark Noll, Scottish Common Sense Realism, and Charles Hodge” by Mark Hallman (Dallas Theological Seminary). This talk was delivered at the 2022 National Convivium hosted at Davenant House in Landrum, SC.

A presentation titled “Theology’s ‘Gardner’: Yielding the Fruit of Bavinck’s Theological Encyclopedia” by Dr. Gregory Parker. This talk was delivered at the 2022 National Convivium hosted at Davenant House in Landrum, SC. Dr. Parker received his Ph.D. in systematic theology at the University of Edinburgh under the supervision of James Eglinton. He joined the Cairn University, School of Divinity faculty in 2022. His dissertation focuses on the relationship between the dogmatics and ethics of the 19th century Dutch Reformed theologian, Herman Bavinck. He also played lacrosse for the University of Edinburgh. He teaches courses in systematic theology at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including Triune God, Narrative of Redemption, and Life and Calling.

A presentation titled “Intellectus Quaerens Fidem: John Locke’s Reading of Romans 1” by Dr. Clifford Humphrey. This talk was delivered at the 2022 National Convivium hosted at Davenant House in Landrum, SC. Dr. Clifford Humphrey is the director of Troy University’s Institute for Civic and Global Leadership. He was previously a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America and Assistant Professor of Humanities at Thales College.

A presentation titled “Theology as a Science: Aquinas on How Philosophy Transforms Theology” by Tim Jacobs. This talk was delivered at the 2022 National Convivium hosted at Davenant House in Landrum, SC. Tim Jacobs is a teaching fellow with Davenant Hall. He is a PhD candidate in philosophy at the University of St. Thomas.

This is a Keynote Seminar titled “Bavinck: Personality and Worldview” presented and led by Dr. James Eglinton. This talk was delivered at the 2022 National Convivium hosted at Davenant House in Landrum, SC. More information on Dr. Eglinton can be found in the description of the audio of the Keynote Address of the 2022 National Convivium. In this talk Dr. Eglinton discusses the little known contributions of another Bavinck, J. H. Bavinck and his influence on theology and philosophy of his time.

A presentation titled “Making the Great Tradition Great Again: A Classical Defense of Modern Metaphysics" by Dr. Jordan Steffaniak. This talk was delivered at the 2022 National Convivium hosted at Davenant House in Landrum, SC. Dr. Steffaniak is the President of the London Lyceum. He fulfills several roles, including host and producer of the podcast, editor of the website and journal Theologia Viatorum. He is a research fellow for the Center for Faith and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and an academic tutor for Bible Mesh. He also works full-time in the finance industry as a business intelligence manager. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Philosophy at the University of Birmingham (UK).

This is a Guided Discussion titled “Speaking of God: Discerning the Limits of Philosophy” led by Onsi Kamel. Onsi is the former Editor-in-Chief of Davenant Press. This talk was delivered at the 2022 National Convivium hosted at Davenant House in Landrum, SC. Onsi holds MA degrees from The University of Chicago and Princeton Theological Seminary. Onsi is a first-year Ph.D. student in philosophy and religion. His primary research interests lie in metaphysics and epistemology, the history of philosophy, historical theology, and intellectual history. His prior research has encompassed themes including theological anthropology, Augustinian conceptions of the passions and the soul, early modern and Cartesian metaphysics and physics, Protestant theology and its relation to secularity, and Western missionary endeavors in Egypt.