Featured Speakers

Paul S. Fiddes, University of Oxford

Professor of Systematic Theology, University of Oxford
Director of Research, Regent’s Park College

Paul Fiddes took undergraduate degrees in both English Literature and Theology at the University of Oxford, and he continues to have a particular interest in the interface between theology and literature. After gaining a doctorate (D.Phil.) in Theology from Oxford, he spent a year of post-doctoral study in the University of Tübingen, Germany. He taught as a Fellow of Regent’s Park College from 1972 to 1989, and then became Principal of the College for 18 years, recently moving into his new position in which he is mainly occupied with supervising postgraduate students and coordinating research projects of the College. The University of Oxford has granted him a title of distinction as ‘Professor of Systematic Theology’, and he gained the degree of Doctor of Divinity (DD) of the University of Oxford for his published work in 2005. Professor Fiddes is an ordained minister of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, and serves as the chair of the Doctrine Commission of the Baptist World Alliance. He is very active in ecumenical conversations, and is at present the co-chair of the international conversations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Baptist World Alliance, as well as an ecumenical representative on the Synod of the Church of England. This mixture of academic and church life has been focused on a double concern: to connect Christian faith with the culture of the modern world, and to connect the local church with the riches of faith and tradition in the Church Universal.

Research and teaching interests

Modern systematic theology, in particular the doctrines of the Trinity and Atonement; theology and literature; postmodernism; the impact of modern continental philosophy on literary theory and theology; theology of culture; ecclesiology.

Publications

The Creative Suffering of God (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988);
Past Event and Present Salvation: the Christian Idea of Atonement (London: Darton, Longman and Todd/ Westminster Press 1989);
Freedom and Limit: A Dialogue between Literature and Christian Doctrine (Basingstoke: Macmillan Press, 1991/ Macon GA: Mercer University Press, 1999);
The Promised End. Eschatology in Theology and Literature (Oxford: Blackwell, August 2000);
Participating in God. A Pastoral Doctrine of the Trinity (London: Darton, Longman and Todd, October 2000);
Tracks and Traces. Baptist Identity in Church and Theology (Carlisle: Paternoster Press, 2003);
Edited: Reflections on the Water. Understanding God and the World through the Baptism of Believers (Macon GA: Smyth & Helwys Press, 1996).
Edited: The Novel, Spirituality and Modern Culture. Eight Novelists Write about their Craft and their Context (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2000).
Edited: Faith in the Centre. Christianity and Culture (Macon GA: Smyth & Helwys Press, 2001).
Edited (with Anthony J. Clarke): Flickering Images. Theology and Film in Dialogue (Macon GA: Smyth & Helwys Press, 2005).
Edited: Under the Rule of Christ: Dimensions of Baptist Spirituality (Macon GA: Smyth & Helwys Press, 2008).

Perry L. Glanzer, Baylor University

Associate Professor, Curriculum & Instruction, Faculty Assistant Director for the Honors Program, Faculty Associate in the Institute for Church-State Studies, and Institute for the Studies of Religion Fellow

Education:
Ph.D., University of Southern California
M.A., Baylor University
B.A., Rice University

Research Interests:
Prof. Glanzer currently specializes in the study of the following areas in both higher education and K-12 education:
•moral education
•religion and education
•educational policy and human rights in democratic societies
•comparative educational trends in all three of these areas in both North America and Europe

Books:
Todd C. Ream & Perry L. Glanzer. Christian Faith and Scholarship: An Exploration of Contemporary Developments. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, 2007.

Andrew J. Milson, Chara Haeussler Bohan, Perry L. Glanzer and J. Wesley Null, eds. Readings in American Educational Thought: From Puritanism to Progressivism. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing, 2004.

Perry L. Glanzer, The Quest for Russia’s Soul: Evangelicals and Moral Education in Post-Communist Russia. Baylor University Press: Waco, TX, 2002.

Edited Books
Don King, editor, Perry L. Glanzer, D.A. Hoekema, Jerry Pattengale, Todd C. Ream, and Todd Steen, co-editors. Taking Captive Every Thought: Forty Years of Christian Scholar’s Review. Abilene, TX: Abilene Christian University Press, 2011.

Andrew J. Milson, Chara Haeussler Bohan, Perry L. Glanzer and J. Wesley Null, eds. Readings in American Educational Thought: From Puritanism to Progressivism. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing, 2004. Revised Edition 2010.

Keith Graber Miller, Goshen College

Professor of Bible, Religion & Philosophy
Sabbatical Department Chair

Education

BA, Franklin College In, 1981
M DIV, Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, 1988
PHD, Emory University, 1994

Books

Prophetic Peacemaking: Selected Writings of J.R. Burkholder (Herald Press, 2010).
Teaching to Transform: Perspective on Mennonite Higher Education (Pinchpenny Press, 2000).
Wise as Serpents, Innocent as Doves: American Mennonites Engage Washington (University of Tennessee Press, 1996).

Christopher A. Hall, Eastern University

Chancellor

Dr. Hall is the Dr. Hall has served in the pastorate overseas (France, 5 years) and in Canada (British Columbia, 2 years). He also served as Director of Pastoral Care at a New Jersey psychiatric hospital. He has ministered in Asia, Africa, South America, Europe, the Middle-East, Canada, and the United States.

In addition, he is an associate editor with Thomas C. Oden of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture series (IVP), and has published articles and reviews in Christianity Today, Catalyst, Christian History, inMinistry, Books and Culture, Christian Scholars Review, Modern Theology, and Crux.

Dr. Hall is author and editor of a number of books including Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: The Gospel of Mark, with Thomas C. Oden, (InterVarsity Press, June, 1998); Reading the Scripture with the Fathers (InterVarsity Press, September, 1998); Realized Religion: Research on Religion and Health, with Theodore Chamberlain (Templeton Foundation Press, Fall 2000); Ancient and Postmodern Christianity, with Kenneth Tanner (IVP, 2002); Studying Theology with the Church Fathers (InterVarsity Press, 2002); The Trinity, with Roger Olson (Eerdmans, 2002);Worshiping with the Church Fathers (InterVarsity Press); and Does God Have a Future: A Debate on Divine Providence, with John Sanders (Baker Academic, 2003).

He has also authored Making Room for God: Spiritual Formation for Christian Leaderswith Dr. David Fraser (The Center for Organizational Excellence, 1997), a modularized audio and print curriculum adopted by the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities.

Dr. Hall is a member of the Episcopal Church (Anglican).  He and his wife Debbie have three children, Nathan, Nathalie, and Joshua.

Steve Harmon, Gardner-Webb University

Instructor of Christian Theology

Dr. Steve Harmon is a Baptist theologian teaching in the School of Divinity at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. He has taught previously at Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama (2008-2010), Campbell University Divinity School in Buies Creek, North Carolina (1998-2008), and as Visiting Professor at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina (2007).

Dr. Harmon has made the ecumenical quest for Christian unity his life’s work. He teaches various courses on Christian theology, ethics, and ecumenism, and maintains an ecumenical blog at ecclesialtheology.blogspot.com. He is the author of Toward Baptist Catholicity: Essays on Tradition and the Baptist Vision and Ecumenism Means You, Too, an accessible introduction to the ecumenical movement.

Elizabeth Newman, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond

Professor of Theology and Ethics

B.A., Wake Forest University; M.Div., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Ph.D., Duke University

Professor Newman joined the faculty of BTSR in 2002 after serving on the faculty at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN for twelve years. She is the author ofUntamed Hospitality: Welcoming God and Other Strangers(Brazos Press, 2007), and has written numerous articles in the areas of theology and ethics. She currently serves on the editorial board of Studies in Baptist History and Thought and the steering committee for Young Scholars in the Baptist Academy. She is also a participant in the Baptist World Alliance Conversations with the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity.

Professor Newman was named a Henry Luce III Fellow in Theology for 2009, in which she began and continues to work on a book project entitled, Attending to the Wounds on Christ’s Body: The Politics of Teresa’s Ecclesial Vision.

Rick Ostrander, Cornerstone University

Provost

On July 1, 2009, Dr. Rick Ostrander began his tenure as provost of Cornerstone University. Ostrander brings distinguished academic credentials as an educator, administrator and author of three books.

Rick holds a doctorate in American history from the University of Notre Dame. He also holds a master’s degree in history from the University of Notre Dame, a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in theology from Moody Bible Institute. He has also served as a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of Wurzburg in Wurzburg, Germany.

He previously served as dean of undergraduate studies at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Ark. As academic dean, Rick led a major revision of the university’s core curriculum, developed a new First Year Seminar and Summer Reading Program, implemented a new faculty evaluation system and significantly expanded the university’s international programs.

Rick’s most recent book, Why College Matters to God: Academic Faithfulness and Christian Higher Education, was published in June 2009 by Abilene Christian University Press.  It is being used as a first-year experience text by several Christian colleges and universities.

He and his wife, Lonnie, have four children: Ryan (19), Tyler (18), Rachel (15), and Anna (13). He is an avid cyclist who logs thousands of miles a year on his road bike.

Carla D. Sanderson, Union University

Provost and Executive Vice President

Carla D. Sanderson has served as Union University’s provost since 1998 and holds leadership responsibility for ensuring learning community excellence in academic programming, student life, and learning resources. Prior to becoming provost, Dr. Sanderson served as Union’s School of Nursing dean (1990-1999) where she continues to hold faculty rank of Professor of Nursing (1982-present). She serves in leadership development across the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities and in higher education accreditation through service to the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Dr. Sanderson is married to Larry and has three sons: Clayton (Union ’06), Cody and Cullen. The Sanderson family serves at First Baptist Church, Jackson.

Corwin Smidt, Calvin College

Director of the Paul B. Henry Institute, Professor, Professor of Political Science

Educational Background

Professor Smidt earned a bachelor of arts in political science and history from Northwestern College (Iowa) in 1968. He went on to earn a master of arts (1971)and Ph.D. (1975) from the University of Iowa in political science. Professor Smidt joined the political science faculty at Calvin in 1977 after a two-year stint at Quincy College.

Academic Interests

American Politics, Media and Politics, Parties and Elections, Public Opinion and Voting, Religion and Politics

Recent Activities

Corwin Smidt has been elected to the governing council of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. He will serve a three-year term, spanning the 2009, 2010 and 2011 meetings of the organization. The society was founded in 1949 and fosters collaboration among scholars from a range of discipline, including sociology, religious studies, psychology, political science, economics and more.

Additional Information

Professor Smidt is the author of 13 books, 59 book chapters, 33 scholarly essays and 27 other publications. Published in November 2008 Professor Smidt co-wrote the book Pews, Prayers, and Participation: Religion and Civic Responsibility (with James Penning, Stephen Monsma, Douglas Koopman, and Kevin Den Dulk). He also recently co-published the book Church, State and Public Justice: Five Views (InterVarsity Press, 2007) in which he speaks on the mission of the church and the purpose of the government in solving social injustices from a reformed perspective. In March 2008 Professor Smidt received a $96,800 grant from the Bradley Foundation for the research project “Religion, Civic Responsibility, and Renewing the American Experiment: Stage Two.” He continues to serve, as he has since 1997, as the director of the Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics.

Philip E. Thompson, Sioux Falls Seminary

Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Heritage

Selected Published Works:

• “Baptists, Sacraments, and Religious Liberty,” Anthony R. Cross and Philip Thompson, eds. Baptist Sacramentalism, Studies in Baptist History and Thought. (Carlisle: Paternoster Press 2002.)
• “Calvinism Revisited: To be or not to be a Calvinist is not the question.” The Biblical Recorder 165 (December 25, 1999): 3, 10.

Research and Writing Topics:

• Memory – Theological and Philosophical Dimensions
• Worship
• Contemporary Evangelical Theology

Hobbies and Interests:

• Reading
• Music
• Playing with his three sons

Other:

• Enjoys music of the medieval and renaissance periods
• Favorite authors are Flannery O’Conner and Clyde Edgerton
• Enjoys the poetry of George Herbert and W. H. Auden
• Marched in a competitive band and bugle corps in college (The Crossmen; West Chester, Pennsylvania)

Roger Ward, Georgetown College

Chair of Philosophy, Director of Center for Christian Discernment and Academic Leadership

Roger Ward began teaching at Georgetown in 1996 following his PhD from Penn State. His wife Elaine is a physical therapist, and they have two daughters, Rachel, graduating high school in 2007, and Kara. They are involved with their church, Faith Baptist, teaching Sunday school, serving on committees, and Roger and Elaine are ordained deacons.

Roger enjoys bicycling and talks about it rather too much. He also likes reading novels, especially children’s or fantasy literature. Among his favorite authors are Chaim Potok, C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Rowling, and Percy, just to name a few. Roger is learning Spanish and hopes to return to South America and Chile where he and his family lived for four months in 2003.

The Wards have two cats, Fred and Ginger, and Champ, a collie-mix who has served as an example in innumerable philosophy classes. He is the wonder dog.

Nicholas Wolterstorff, Yale University

Noah Porter Professor of Philosophical Theology Emeritus

Education:

PhD 1957, Harvard University

Areas of Interests:

Philosophy of Religion, Aesthetics, Metaphysics, Epistemology

Nicholas Wolterstorff received his BA from Calvin College in 1953 and his PhD in philosophy from Harvard University in 1956. Before taking up his current position as Noah Porter Professor of Philosophical Theology, he taught for two years at Yale, and then for thirty years at his alma mater, Calvin College.

After concentrating on metaphysics at the beginning of his career (ON UNIVERSALS), he spent a good many years working primarily on aesthetics and philosophy of art (WORKS AND WORLDS OF ART, and ART IN ACTION). In more recent years, he has been concentrating on epistemology (JOHN LOCKE AND THE ETHICS OF BELIEF, and the just published, THOMAS REID AND THE STORY OF EPISTEMOLOGY), on philosophy of religion (DIVINE DISCOURSE, and, with Alvin Plantinga, FAITH AND RATIONALITY), and political philosophy (UNTIL JUSTICE AND PEACE EMBRACE, and, with Robert Audi, RELIGION IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE).

In the fall of 1993 he gave the Wilde Lectures at Oxford University (published as DIVINE DISCOURSE), and in the spring of 1995 he gave the Gifford Lectures at St Andrews University (part of which is now published as THOMAS REID AND THE STORY OF EPISTEMOLOGY). He has been president of the American Philosophical Association (Central Division), and of the Society of Christian Philosophers.

He regularly teaches lecture courses in philosophy of religion and aesthetics, and seminars in epistemology, hermeneutics, and philosophy of religion.

Selected Publications:

• On Universals (Chicago, 1970)
• Reason within the Bounds of Religion (Eerdmans, 1976, second ed. 1984)
• Works and Worlds of Art (Oxford, 1980)
• Art in Action (Eerdmans, 1980, second ed. 1995)
• Until Justice and Peace Embrace (Eerdmans, 1983, second. ed 1994)
• Faith and Rationality (co–edited with Alvin Plantinga, Notre Dame, 1984)
• Divine Discourse (Cambridge, 1995)
• John Locke and Ethics of Belief, (Cambridge, 1996)
• Religion in the Public Square, with R. Audi (Rowman and Littlefield, 1997)
• Thomas Reid and the Story of Epistemology (Cambridge, 2001)