Past events<\/h2>\nDeveloping a Christian Mind Conference<\/strong><\/h3>\nJanuary 23-24, 2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/DCM2026-231x300.png\")
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<\/b>Are you a graduate student of faculty member looking to connect with other local Christians in the academy? Or perhaps you are interested in learning about what it means to be a Christian, or more particularly, what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ in the academy? Are there important intersections between my Christian faith and my research? If you are asking these types of questions, you might appreciate attending our Developing a Christian Mind Conference,\u00a0January 23-24\u00a0on Duke\u2019s East Campus<\/b>.<\/p>\n
All local graduate students & faculty are welcome to attend and hear from several local Christian faculty members as they address these kinds of questions and more. Early bird registration (Jan. 12) is $25\u00a0for graduate students<\/b>\u00a0& $35 for faculty<\/b>. Registration closes\u00a0Jan. 16<\/b>. Register at\u00a0https:\/\/www.dcmtriangle.org\/<\/a>.<\/p>\nIncluded in the program are dinners on Friday night (for graduate students only) hosted in the homes of local faculty. If you have questions, please contact your local InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Graduate & Faculty Ministries campus minister or contact conference co-director, Hank Tarlton (hank.tarlton@intervarsity.org<\/a>). Other local sponsors include the Center for Christianity & Scholarship at Duke and the North Carolina Study Center at UNC. We hope you will attend!<\/p>\nFaculty Theological Collaborative<\/strong><\/h3>\n“Fall and Redemption Across the Disciplines”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nThe Faculty\u00a0Theological\u00a0Collaborative\u00a0supports Christian professors at secular universities through advanced\u00a0theological training, living examples of the unity of faith and scholarship, and rich fellowship with faculty across institutions and disciplines. This three-day workshop is built around a series of dialogues between academic theologians and scholars in the natural sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s theme is fall and redemption. Whatever we study, we encounter a condition of brokenness: selfishness in human behavior, injustice in human institutions, sickness in our bodies, ignorance in our minds, suffering and waste among non-human creatures, all of creation subjected to futility and decay. Yet everywhere God is restoring what has been broken and bringing life out of death. The Bible describes the great work of Christ using metaphors that resonate with our academic disciplines: payment of debt (economics), justification (law), reconciliation (sociology), healing (medicine), and many more. Join us to explore how Jesus is at work in your field of study to redeem and restore a fallen world.<\/p>\n
Dates<\/strong><\/p>\nMonday, August 4 – Wednesday, August 6<\/p>\n
Location\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nDuke University; Durham, NC<\/p>\n
Speakers<\/strong><\/p>\n\nJoshua Swamidass<\/strong>\u00a0is an Associate Professor in the Laboratory and Genomic Medicine Division at Washington University in St Louis. His research focuses on using computational methods solve problems at the intersection of medicine, chemistry and biology.<\/p>\n\nNatalie V. Covington<\/strong> is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on understanding and accounting for heterogeneity in cognitive recovery in individuals with a history of traumatic brain injury.<\/p>\n\nPeter Arcidiacono<\/strong>\u00a0is\u00a0William Henry Glasson Distinguished Professor of Economics\u00a0at Duke University. He specializes in research involving applied microeconomics, applied economics, and labor economics, with a primary focus on education and discrimination.<\/p>\n\nCrystal Chen Lee<\/strong> is an Associate Professor of English Education in the College of Education at North Carolina State University. Her research lies at the nexus of literacy, teacher education, community engagement and marginalized youth.<\/p>\n\nJonathan R. Wilson<\/strong>\u00a0is Senior Consultant for Theological Integration with Canadian Baptist Ministries and Teaching Fellow at Regent College (Vancouver, Canada). His research interests include biblical ethics, missional and theological ethics, gospel realism for mission, and public witness of the people of God.<\/p>\nAbout the Event<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Faculty Theological Collaborative is a joint project of Regent College, a graduate school of theology focused on the education of the laity, and members of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers, including Anselm House at the University of Minnesota, the Center for Christianity and Scholarship at Duke University, and Octet Collaborative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Faculty associated with any Christian study center or center for Catholic thought are welcome to participate.<\/p>\n
Previous participants write,<\/p>\n
\n- \u201cI appreciated new ideas that stimulated my thinking and faith; new connections with fellow Christians; practical ideas to reflect Christ better in my work and relationships.\u201d<\/li>\n
- \u201cThis was such an uplifting, stimulating, and friendly conference. Enjoyable all the way around and fruitful.\u201d<\/li>\n
- \u201cMy understanding of God’s work of creation was bolstered and enriched, and I found the applications demonstrated and discussed by faculty in secular teaching environments made me feel more hopeful about my own work.\u201d<\/li>\n
- \u201cThe interaction across fields\/disciplines was incredibly rich and inspiring. It reminded me why I wanted to become a professor in the first place!\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Triangle Roundtable on Science and Religion<\/h3>\n
“Meaning and the Cosmos: Is God in the Story of Everything?”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nTriangle area faculty are invited to join colleagues\u2014and special guests\u2014from schools around the Triangle region of North Carolina for a Faculty Roundtable on Science and Religion. The night includes dinner, presentations from featured speakers, and small group discussion.<\/p>\n
On January 19th, 2023 at 6:30PM ET, join us for an evening of conversation with Daniel Scolnic<\/strong> (Duke University, Physics) and Kavin Rowe<\/strong> (Duke Divinity School) as we explore the story of everything.<\/p>\nWhen we contemplate the expanse of the universe, from its unfathomably distant origins in the Big Bang to the prospect of its eventual heat death, we may well say with Blaise Pascal, “The eternal silence of these infinite spaces frightens me.” This year’s Triangle Roundtable brings together two very different perspectives on the cosmos: astrophysics and theology.<\/p>\n
Is the story of everything a story of cosmological, evolutionary, and technological progress toward complexity unguided by any plan? Or is it a story of deliberate creation, catastrophic fall, and divine rescue? Or does it have some other structure, or none at all? Does the cosmos have something to say to us, or do we project meaning onto it with narratives of our own?<\/p>\n
Triangle Roundtable is hosted by the Center for Christianity and Scholarship, InterVarsity Faculty Ministries at Duke University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, InterVarsity Black Scholars and Professionals (BSAP), and the North Carolina Study Center.<\/p>\n
Guest Speaker<\/h3>\n
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On Wednesday March 29, 2023 from 7:00 PM 8:15 PM, come spend the evening with psychiatrist and award-winning author Curt Thompson, MD. Dr. Thompson will be speaking on themes from his two most recent acclaimed books, The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves<\/a> and The Soul of Desire: Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty, and Community<\/a>.<\/p>\nDr. Thompson suggests that underneath all our longings is the desire to be known – and what’s more, that this fundamental yearning manifests itself in our deep need to make things of beauty, revealing who we are to others. Desire and beauty go hand in hand.<\/p>\n
But both our craving to be known and our ability to create beauty have been marred by trauma and shame, collapsing our imagination for what God has for us and blinding us to the possibility that beauty could ever emerge from our ashes. Drawing on his work in interpersonal neurobiology and clinical practice, Thompson presents a powerful picture of the capacity of the believing community to reshape our imaginations, hold our desires and griefs together, and invite us into the beauty of God’s presence.<\/p>\n
Guest Speaker<\/h3>\n
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On Thursday, February 16th, 2023 distinguished UNC alumnus Mr. Matthew T. Martens<\/a> will speak on the topic of Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal<\/i>. This event is being cosponsored by the North Carolina Study Center, InterVarsity Faculty Ministries, and the UNC Christian Legal Society.<\/p>\nDrawing from his 25-year experience as a federal prosecutor and defense attorney, Martens contends that by bettering our understanding of how our current system operates and considering how love of neighbor relates to issues of crime and justice, we will be better equipped to seek true Christian reform of the justice system. <\/span><\/p>\nSpeaker Bio<\/b>: Matthew T. Martens graduated first in his class from the UNC School of Law (J.D., \u201896), followed by two years serving as a law clerk for a federal court of appeals judge and then to Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist at the US Supreme Court. He\u2019s worked as a federal prosecutor (9 years), a criminal defense attorney (11 years), and is currently a partner in the Washington, DC office of WilmerHale, one of the world’s largest law firms. He holds a Master’s in Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary (’10) and is the author of the forthcoming book Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal<\/i>\u00a0(Crossway, 2023).<\/p>\nGuest Speaker<\/h3>\n
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On Tuesday, October 4th 2022 at 5:30 PM the North Carolina Study Center will host a session with special guest Dr. Perry L. Glanzer<\/a>: What is the University For? Truth-Seeking, Student Formation, and the Scholar’s Vocation<\/strong>.<\/p>\nRegional InterVarsity Faculty Conference<\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nYou\u2019re invited to join us Jun 25-28, 2020. All faculty are welcome. Spouses and children are also invited to attend.\u00a0 Sessions will cover the following topics:<\/p>\n
\n- Bringing faith into work<\/li>\n
- Bringing academic work outside the university<\/li>\n
- Spiritual practices for faculty in the busy workplace<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Christianity in Conversation<\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nThis academic year,\u00a0InterVarsity Christian Fellowship\u2019s Faculty Ministry<\/b>\u00a0is partnering with the\u00a0North Carolina Study Center<\/b> to host a few lunchtime lectures on campus primarily for faculty. We expect interested graduate students to attend as well as interested undergrads who might be more academically inclined. We have two lectures scheduled for this semester in Dey Hall\u2019s Toy Lounge. We will be providing lunch and you are welcome to invite colleagues. The lecture series is entitled Christianity in Conversation and Dr. Chris Clemens will be our first speaker on Thursday 9\/26\/2019 from 12:30-1:45 in Dey Hall, Toy Lounge. There is a free catered lunch provided; RSVP to matt@ncstudycenter.org.<\/div>\nRegional InterVarsity Faculty Conference<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>You\u2019re invited to join us June 27 – June 30, 2019 for the Third Annual\u00a0Blue Ridge Faculty Conference<\/a>\u00a0with the theme of Reality, Truth, and Beauty: Faith and the Pursuit of Authenticity<\/strong>.<\/p>\nThe 2019 faculty retreat aims to focus us on the centrality and commonalities of human quests, cutting across academic, artistic, and spiritual pursuits, with the hope that we can all be more authentically centered in what we do as believers called to His purposes in the world.<\/p>\n
Our guest speaker is Dr. Ehsan Samei, a Persian-American medical physicist and a tenured Professor of Radiology, Medical Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Physics, and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University. He is an imaging scientist with an active interest in bridging the gap between scientific scholarship and clinical practice.<\/p>\n
The Lives and Legacy of Billy and Ruth Graham<\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n<\/h2>\nA Common Call<\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nA regional faculty conference<\/a> Honoring Christ in our Teaching, Research, and Service.\u00a0 Sponsored by Faculty Commons (a Cru ministry) and the NCSU Christian Faculty\/Staff Network.\u00a0 In Raleigh, Feb 22-23, 2019.<\/p>\nRegional InterVarsity Faculty Conference<\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nYou\u2019re invited to InterVarsity\u2019s Blue Ridge Faculty Conference June 28-July 1, 2018. Join other university faculty from across the region for this opportunity to:<\/p>\n
\n- Learn from Christian scholars as they explore living out their faith in the midst of the their academic life.Engage with Francis Su about being salt and light in the academy<\/li>\n
- Network with fellow Christians across institutional lines.<\/li>\n
- Step away from the busyness of campus life and enjoy time in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, and families can join in the fun!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Dr. Francis Su<\/a>, Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, will be the keynote speaker at the 2018 conference. He is past President of the Mathematical Association of America and was part of InterVarsity\u2019s grad student ministry during his doctoral studies at Harvard. Dr. Su is an engaging speaker who takes seriously what it means for Christian academics to offer the hope of the Gospel in his own collegial relationships, to his students, and through his research. He has taken his faith and scholarship public through social media and as a frequent Veritas Forum speaker. He also enjoys hanging out with people, being outdoors, and having fun.<\/p>\nKen Myers lecture<\/h3>\n
Public intellectual and Christian thought leader Ken Myers will be visiting UNC and giving a\u00a0lecture on Monday, Feb. 19th<\/a>\u00a0at 7 pm in the Graham Memorial Lounge on “Christ, the University, and the Common Good.”\u00a0 Ken will be exploring what difference the Christian faith makes to the pursuit of education and teaching at a major research university. No RSVP required.<\/p>\nRegional InterVarsity Faculty Conference<\/h3>\n![](\"http:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/BR-Fac-Conf-Masthead-02_0.jpg\")
<\/div>\nFrom June 29-July 2, 2017, InterVarsity will be hosting the first-ever Blue Ridge Faculty Conference. They are also offering a day-ahead arrival (June 28) for a small, extra fee. This is a great opportunity to enjoy additional unstructured time before the conference officially begins.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nYou (and your family) can enjoy a retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina with other Christian faculty members from universities across the southeast. We will explore together the unique opportunities and challenges of following Christ in the university. Step away from the daily work of the academy and enjoy time with family, friends, and new acquaintances in the beautiful mountain confines of the Ridge Haven Conference and Retreat Center<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe keynote speaker, Dr. John Inazu<\/a>, will share how we can survive and thrive through deep differences. A Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis, John is the author of the book Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving through Deep Difference<\/em>. Dr. Inazu will speak from the content of this book with particular attention to how it relates to the college and university context.<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
Ratio Christi Annual Symposium<\/h3>\n
Held in Charlotte on Oct 17-18, 2015 (immediately after the National Conference on Christian Apologetics), this event<\/a> seeks\u00a0A Renaissance of Christian Thinking in the University. <\/b>We want to re-establish a strong and reasoned presence of Christian thinking in academia. Our goal is to place apologetics clubs at all major universities. Situating Ratio Christi chapters at universities around the world is an important step in reversing the skepticism that permeates most educational institutions. We desire to partner in taking back the mind of the University for Christ. By equipping Christian students we believe many students will not only hold onto a faith that they might otherwise abandon, but they will also begin to stand up for Christianity when it comes under fire in the classroom. Furthermore, we want to train students to be conversational evangelists that can in turn train others to defend and proclaim the Gospel. Ratio Christi also provides a safe and charitable venue for atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and adherents to any religion to investigate the claims of Christianity, discuss religious beliefs, and seek truth without fearing reprisal. While this is a distinctly Christian organization, any student is able to become a member and learn, debate, and explore the connection of faith and reason.<\/i><\/p>\nUNC Veritas Forum<\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nMonday, Nov. 10 at 2pm in Gerrard Hall<\/b>. featured\u00a0Dr. N.T. Wright<\/b>, former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and current Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. Dr. Molly Worthen<\/b> of the UNC History Department will conduct a public interview with Dr. Wright. No doubt N.T. Wright is well known to many of you given his outstanding scholarship in New Testament and his important voice for Christian faith worldwide. Here is the website for this event:\u00a0 http:\/\/veritas.org\/campuses\/university-north-carolina\/<\/a> and for those of you on Facebook, here is the page:\u00a0 https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/1476511842623566\/?notif_t=plan_user_invited<\/a>.<\/p>\nThe Contemplation of Nature as a Source of Joy<\/h3>\n
On Oct. 3, 2014<\/b>\u00a0UNC IVCF GFM co-sponsored an event with the Center for Christianity and Scholarship called Night at the Planetarium<\/b>\u00a0followed by a lecture on the UNC campus by Dr. Chris Clemens<\/b>, chair of the UNC Physics Dept. Many of you know Chris and know that he is a thoughtful Christian scholar and lecturer. His lecture, “The Contemplation of Nature as a Source of Joy,”<\/b>\u00a0drew\u00a0open his experience as a Christian in astronomy.<\/p>\nCenter for Christianity and Scholarship Distinguished Christian Scholar Lecture<\/h3>\n
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014<\/strong> at 7:30 p.m. in the Schiciano Auditorium on
\nDuke University’s West Campus.\u00a0 Duke alumnus Frederick P. Brooks, Jr. is Kenan Professor in the Department of Computer Science at UNC-Chapel Hill, a department which he founded in 1964 and chaired for twenty years. Prior to coming to UNC, Dr. Brooks worked for nine years with IBM. He was an architect of the IBM Stretch and Harvest supercomputers. He then served as Corporate Project Manager for the IBM System\/360, including the development of the System\/360 computer family hardware and the Operating System\/360 software. At UNC, Dr. Brooks has conducted research in computer architecture, software engineering, and interactive 3-D computer graphics (\u201cvirtual reality\u201d). His best-known books are The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering(1975, 1995), Computer Architecture: Concepts and Evolution (with G.A. Blaauw, 1997), and The Design of Design (2010). Dr. Brooks has received the U.S. National Medal of Technology and the A.M. Turing Award of the Association for Computing Machinery, among others. Besides his career as a computer scientist, Dr. Brooks has cultivated an active Christian presence in the university community. Since 1965, he has advised Focus, the graduate chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at UNC.<\/p>\nUNC Science Expos<\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nWe\u00a0presented our posters and handed out books and materials at a table-top exhibit at the fifth\u00a0UNC Science Expo on April 11, 2015<\/strong> on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill. \u00a0This was the second busiest of the expos we\u2019ve done. \u00a0We had lots of good conversations with a visitors from a variety of backgrounds: Christians, agnostics, atheists, scientists, seekers. \u00a0For the first time, we ran out of the \u201cCan a Scientist be a Christian?\u201d handouts.<\/p>\nWe hosted\u00a0a table at the 4th UNC Science Expo on April 12, 2014<\/strong> on UNC Campus. \u00a0We presented materials from the\u00a0What is the Evidence site<\/a> on how it is possible to be a committed scientist and a committed Christian, and how \u00a0both science and Christianity seek truth based on evidence.<\/p>\nWe hosted a table at the 3rd UNC Science Expo on April 13, 2013<\/strong> on UNC Campus. \u00a0We presented materials from the\u00a0What is the Evidence site<\/a> on how it is possible to be a committed scientist and a committed Christian, and how \u00a0both science and Christianity seek truth based on evidence.<\/p>\nWhy Business Matters to God<\/h3>\n
The UNC Christian Faculty Association hosted its third annual CFA dessert lecture on March 29, 2012<\/strong> at 7PM. Dr. Jeff Van Duzer, Dean for the School of Business at Seattle Pacific University lectured on issues discussed in his book, Why Business Matters to God (and What Still Needs to be Fixed)<\/em>.\u00a0 The topic was be “God at Work in Our Business: Meaningful Work & Helping Communities Flourish”.<\/p>\nThe Cultural Consequences of Loving God and our Neighbor<\/h3>\n
The UNC Christian Faculty Association hosted its second annual CFA dessert lecture on October 13, 2011<\/strong> at 7PM in the faculty lounge and seminar room in the UNC Kenan-Flagler School of Business’ BcColl building.\u00a0 Ken Myers, directory of Mars Hill Audio Journal, spoke on the topic of “The Cultural Consequences of Loving God and our Neighbor.”<\/p>\n“Is There Evidence For God?” Debate<\/h3>\n
Campus Crusade for Christ at neighboring college NCSU hosted The Great Debate: Is There Evidence For God?<\/a> on March 30, 2011<\/strong> at 7PM at the McKimmon Center on the NC State campus.\u00a0 Dr. Lawrence M. Krauss debated Dr. William Lane Craig.\u00a0 A recorded video of the event can be watched online by clicking on “Watch Live” on the page at the above link (or you can try the direct link<\/a>).<\/p>\nHow Christian Faculty might Influence the University<\/h3>\n
The UNC Christian Faculty Association hosted its first annual CFA dessert lecture on March 24, 2011<\/strong>. Dr. Sam Wells, Dean of Duke Chapel, spoke on \u201cHow Christian Faculty might Influence the University.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This page lists upcoming and recent events that may be of interest to UNC Christian Faculty. Upcoming events Past events Developing a Christian Mind Conference January 23-24, 2026 Are you a graduate student of faculty member looking to connect with other local Christians in the academy? Or perhaps you are interested in learning about what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-215","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=215"}],"version-history":[{"count":74,"href":"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":477,"href":"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/215\/revisions\/477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
January 23-24, 2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n <\/b>Are you a graduate student of faculty member looking to connect with other local Christians in the academy? Or perhaps you are interested in learning about what it means to be a Christian, or more particularly, what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ in the academy? Are there important intersections between my Christian faith and my research? If you are asking these types of questions, you might appreciate attending our Developing a Christian Mind Conference,\u00a0January 23-24\u00a0on Duke\u2019s East Campus<\/b>.<\/p>\n All local graduate students & faculty are welcome to attend and hear from several local Christian faculty members as they address these kinds of questions and more. Early bird registration (Jan. 12) is $25\u00a0for graduate students<\/b>\u00a0& $35 for faculty<\/b>. Registration closes\u00a0Jan. 16<\/b>. Register at\u00a0https:\/\/www.dcmtriangle.org\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n Included in the program are dinners on Friday night (for graduate students only) hosted in the homes of local faculty. If you have questions, please contact your local InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Graduate & Faculty Ministries campus minister or contact conference co-director, Hank Tarlton (hank.tarlton@intervarsity.org<\/a>). Other local sponsors include the Center for Christianity & Scholarship at Duke and the North Carolina Study Center at UNC. We hope you will attend!<\/p>\n “Fall and Redemption Across the Disciplines”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The Faculty\u00a0Theological\u00a0Collaborative\u00a0supports Christian professors at secular universities through advanced\u00a0theological training, living examples of the unity of faith and scholarship, and rich fellowship with faculty across institutions and disciplines. This three-day workshop is built around a series of dialogues between academic theologians and scholars in the natural sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s theme is fall and redemption. Whatever we study, we encounter a condition of brokenness: selfishness in human behavior, injustice in human institutions, sickness in our bodies, ignorance in our minds, suffering and waste among non-human creatures, all of creation subjected to futility and decay. Yet everywhere God is restoring what has been broken and bringing life out of death. The Bible describes the great work of Christ using metaphors that resonate with our academic disciplines: payment of debt (economics), justification (law), reconciliation (sociology), healing (medicine), and many more. Join us to explore how Jesus is at work in your field of study to redeem and restore a fallen world.<\/p>\n Dates<\/strong><\/p>\n Monday, August 4 – Wednesday, August 6<\/p>\n Location\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Duke University; Durham, NC<\/p>\n Speakers<\/strong><\/p>\n Joshua Swamidass<\/strong>\u00a0is an Associate Professor in the Laboratory and Genomic Medicine Division at Washington University in St Louis. His research focuses on using computational methods solve problems at the intersection of medicine, chemistry and biology.<\/p>\n Natalie V. Covington<\/strong> is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on understanding and accounting for heterogeneity in cognitive recovery in individuals with a history of traumatic brain injury.<\/p>\n Peter Arcidiacono<\/strong>\u00a0is\u00a0William Henry Glasson Distinguished Professor of Economics\u00a0at Duke University. He specializes in research involving applied microeconomics, applied economics, and labor economics, with a primary focus on education and discrimination.<\/p>\n Crystal Chen Lee<\/strong> is an Associate Professor of English Education in the College of Education at North Carolina State University. Her research lies at the nexus of literacy, teacher education, community engagement and marginalized youth.<\/p>\n Jonathan R. Wilson<\/strong>\u00a0is Senior Consultant for Theological Integration with Canadian Baptist Ministries and Teaching Fellow at Regent College (Vancouver, Canada). His research interests include biblical ethics, missional and theological ethics, gospel realism for mission, and public witness of the people of God.<\/p>\n About the Event<\/strong><\/p>\n The Faculty Theological Collaborative is a joint project of Regent College, a graduate school of theology focused on the education of the laity, and members of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers, including Anselm House at the University of Minnesota, the Center for Christianity and Scholarship at Duke University, and Octet Collaborative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Faculty associated with any Christian study center or center for Catholic thought are welcome to participate.<\/p>\n Previous participants write,<\/p>\n “Meaning and the Cosmos: Is God in the Story of Everything?”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Triangle area faculty are invited to join colleagues\u2014and special guests\u2014from schools around the Triangle region of North Carolina for a Faculty Roundtable on Science and Religion. The night includes dinner, presentations from featured speakers, and small group discussion.<\/p>\n On January 19th, 2023 at 6:30PM ET, join us for an evening of conversation with Daniel Scolnic<\/strong> (Duke University, Physics) and Kavin Rowe<\/strong> (Duke Divinity School) as we explore the story of everything.<\/p>\n When we contemplate the expanse of the universe, from its unfathomably distant origins in the Big Bang to the prospect of its eventual heat death, we may well say with Blaise Pascal, “The eternal silence of these infinite spaces frightens me.” This year’s Triangle Roundtable brings together two very different perspectives on the cosmos: astrophysics and theology.<\/p>\n Is the story of everything a story of cosmological, evolutionary, and technological progress toward complexity unguided by any plan? Or is it a story of deliberate creation, catastrophic fall, and divine rescue? Or does it have some other structure, or none at all? Does the cosmos have something to say to us, or do we project meaning onto it with narratives of our own?<\/p>\n Triangle Roundtable is hosted by the Center for Christianity and Scholarship, InterVarsity Faculty Ministries at Duke University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, InterVarsity Black Scholars and Professionals (BSAP), and the North Carolina Study Center.<\/p>\n On Wednesday March 29, 2023 from 7:00 PM 8:15 PM, come spend the evening with psychiatrist and award-winning author Curt Thompson, MD. Dr. Thompson will be speaking on themes from his two most recent acclaimed books, The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves<\/a> and The Soul of Desire: Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty, and Community<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dr. Thompson suggests that underneath all our longings is the desire to be known – and what’s more, that this fundamental yearning manifests itself in our deep need to make things of beauty, revealing who we are to others. Desire and beauty go hand in hand.<\/p>\n But both our craving to be known and our ability to create beauty have been marred by trauma and shame, collapsing our imagination for what God has for us and blinding us to the possibility that beauty could ever emerge from our ashes. Drawing on his work in interpersonal neurobiology and clinical practice, Thompson presents a powerful picture of the capacity of the believing community to reshape our imaginations, hold our desires and griefs together, and invite us into the beauty of God’s presence.<\/p>\n On Thursday, February 16th, 2023 distinguished UNC alumnus Mr. Matthew T. Martens<\/a> will speak on the topic of Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal<\/i>. This event is being cosponsored by the North Carolina Study Center, InterVarsity Faculty Ministries, and the UNC Christian Legal Society.<\/p>\n Drawing from his 25-year experience as a federal prosecutor and defense attorney, Martens contends that by bettering our understanding of how our current system operates and considering how love of neighbor relates to issues of crime and justice, we will be better equipped to seek true Christian reform of the justice system. <\/span><\/p>\n Speaker Bio<\/b>: Matthew T. Martens graduated first in his class from the UNC School of Law (J.D., \u201896), followed by two years serving as a law clerk for a federal court of appeals judge and then to Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist at the US Supreme Court. He\u2019s worked as a federal prosecutor (9 years), a criminal defense attorney (11 years), and is currently a partner in the Washington, DC office of WilmerHale, one of the world’s largest law firms. He holds a Master’s in Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary (’10) and is the author of the forthcoming book Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal<\/i>\u00a0(Crossway, 2023).<\/p>\n On Tuesday, October 4th 2022 at 5:30 PM the North Carolina Study Center will host a session with special guest Dr. Perry L. Glanzer<\/a>: What is the University For? Truth-Seeking, Student Formation, and the Scholar’s Vocation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n You\u2019re invited to join us Jun 25-28, 2020. All faculty are welcome. Spouses and children are also invited to attend.\u00a0 Sessions will cover the following topics:<\/p>\n The 2019 faculty retreat aims to focus us on the centrality and commonalities of human quests, cutting across academic, artistic, and spiritual pursuits, with the hope that we can all be more authentically centered in what we do as believers called to His purposes in the world.<\/p>\n Our guest speaker is Dr. Ehsan Samei, a Persian-American medical physicist and a tenured Professor of Radiology, Medical Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Physics, and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University. He is an imaging scientist with an active interest in bridging the gap between scientific scholarship and clinical practice.<\/p>\n A regional faculty conference<\/a> Honoring Christ in our Teaching, Research, and Service.\u00a0 Sponsored by Faculty Commons (a Cru ministry) and the NCSU Christian Faculty\/Staff Network.\u00a0 In Raleigh, Feb 22-23, 2019.<\/p>\n You\u2019re invited to InterVarsity\u2019s Blue Ridge Faculty Conference June 28-July 1, 2018. Join other university faculty from across the region for this opportunity to:<\/p>\n Dr. Francis Su<\/a>, Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, will be the keynote speaker at the 2018 conference. He is past President of the Mathematical Association of America and was part of InterVarsity\u2019s grad student ministry during his doctoral studies at Harvard. Dr. Su is an engaging speaker who takes seriously what it means for Christian academics to offer the hope of the Gospel in his own collegial relationships, to his students, and through his research. He has taken his faith and scholarship public through social media and as a frequent Veritas Forum speaker. He also enjoys hanging out with people, being outdoors, and having fun.<\/p>\n Public intellectual and Christian thought leader Ken Myers will be visiting UNC and giving a\u00a0lecture on Monday, Feb. 19th<\/a>\u00a0at 7 pm in the Graham Memorial Lounge on “Christ, the University, and the Common Good.”\u00a0 Ken will be exploring what difference the Christian faith makes to the pursuit of education and teaching at a major research university. No RSVP required.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Held in Charlotte on Oct 17-18, 2015 (immediately after the National Conference on Christian Apologetics), this event<\/a> seeks\u00a0A Renaissance of Christian Thinking in the University. <\/b>We want to re-establish a strong and reasoned presence of Christian thinking in academia. Our goal is to place apologetics clubs at all major universities. Situating Ratio Christi chapters at universities around the world is an important step in reversing the skepticism that permeates most educational institutions. We desire to partner in taking back the mind of the University for Christ. By equipping Christian students we believe many students will not only hold onto a faith that they might otherwise abandon, but they will also begin to stand up for Christianity when it comes under fire in the classroom. Furthermore, we want to train students to be conversational evangelists that can in turn train others to defend and proclaim the Gospel. Ratio Christi also provides a safe and charitable venue for atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and adherents to any religion to investigate the claims of Christianity, discuss religious beliefs, and seek truth without fearing reprisal. While this is a distinctly Christian organization, any student is able to become a member and learn, debate, and explore the connection of faith and reason.<\/i><\/p>\n Monday, Nov. 10 at 2pm in Gerrard Hall<\/b>. featured\u00a0Dr. N.T. Wright<\/b>, former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and current Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. Dr. Molly Worthen<\/b> of the UNC History Department will conduct a public interview with Dr. Wright. No doubt N.T. Wright is well known to many of you given his outstanding scholarship in New Testament and his important voice for Christian faith worldwide. Here is the website for this event:\u00a0 http:\/\/veritas.org\/campuses\/university-north-carolina\/<\/a> and for those of you on Facebook, here is the page:\u00a0 https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/1476511842623566\/?notif_t=plan_user_invited<\/a>.<\/p>\n On Oct. 3, 2014<\/b>\u00a0UNC IVCF GFM co-sponsored an event with the Center for Christianity and Scholarship called Night at the Planetarium<\/b>\u00a0followed by a lecture on the UNC campus by Dr. Chris Clemens<\/b>, chair of the UNC Physics Dept. Many of you know Chris and know that he is a thoughtful Christian scholar and lecturer. His lecture, “The Contemplation of Nature as a Source of Joy,”<\/b>\u00a0drew\u00a0open his experience as a Christian in astronomy.<\/p>\n Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014<\/strong> at 7:30 p.m. in the Schiciano Auditorium on We\u00a0presented our posters and handed out books and materials at a table-top exhibit at the fifth\u00a0UNC Science Expo on April 11, 2015<\/strong> on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill. \u00a0This was the second busiest of the expos we\u2019ve done. \u00a0We had lots of good conversations with a visitors from a variety of backgrounds: Christians, agnostics, atheists, scientists, seekers. \u00a0For the first time, we ran out of the \u201cCan a Scientist be a Christian?\u201d handouts.<\/p>\n We hosted\u00a0a table at the 4th UNC Science Expo on April 12, 2014<\/strong> on UNC Campus. \u00a0We presented materials from the\u00a0What is the Evidence site<\/a> on how it is possible to be a committed scientist and a committed Christian, and how \u00a0both science and Christianity seek truth based on evidence.<\/p>\n We hosted a table at the 3rd UNC Science Expo on April 13, 2013<\/strong> on UNC Campus. \u00a0We presented materials from the\u00a0What is the Evidence site<\/a> on how it is possible to be a committed scientist and a committed Christian, and how \u00a0both science and Christianity seek truth based on evidence.<\/p>\n The UNC Christian Faculty Association hosted its third annual CFA dessert lecture on March 29, 2012<\/strong> at 7PM. Dr. Jeff Van Duzer, Dean for the School of Business at Seattle Pacific University lectured on issues discussed in his book, Why Business Matters to God (and What Still Needs to be Fixed)<\/em>.\u00a0 The topic was be “God at Work in Our Business: Meaningful Work & Helping Communities Flourish”.<\/p>\n The UNC Christian Faculty Association hosted its second annual CFA dessert lecture on October 13, 2011<\/strong> at 7PM in the faculty lounge and seminar room in the UNC Kenan-Flagler School of Business’ BcColl building.\u00a0 Ken Myers, directory of Mars Hill Audio Journal, spoke on the topic of “The Cultural Consequences of Loving God and our Neighbor.”<\/p>\n Campus Crusade for Christ at neighboring college NCSU hosted The Great Debate: Is There Evidence For God?<\/a> on March 30, 2011<\/strong> at 7PM at the McKimmon Center on the NC State campus.\u00a0 Dr. Lawrence M. Krauss debated Dr. William Lane Craig.\u00a0 A recorded video of the event can be watched online by clicking on “Watch Live” on the page at the above link (or you can try the direct link<\/a>).<\/p>\n The UNC Christian Faculty Association hosted its first annual CFA dessert lecture on March 24, 2011<\/strong>. Dr. Sam Wells, Dean of Duke Chapel, spoke on \u201cHow Christian Faculty might Influence the University.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This page lists upcoming and recent events that may be of interest to UNC Christian Faculty. Upcoming events Past events Developing a Christian Mind Conference January 23-24, 2026 Are you a graduate student of faculty member looking to connect with other local Christians in the academy? Or perhaps you are interested in learning about what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-215","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=215"}],"version-history":[{"count":74,"href":"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":477,"href":"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/215\/revisions\/477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/beaconsonthehill.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\nFaculty Theological Collaborative<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
Triangle Roundtable on Science and Religion<\/h3>\n
Guest Speaker<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nGuest Speaker<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nGuest Speaker<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nRegional InterVarsity Faculty Conference<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\n
Christianity in Conversation<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nRegional InterVarsity Faculty Conference<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>You\u2019re invited to join us June 27 – June 30, 2019 for the Third Annual\u00a0Blue Ridge Faculty Conference<\/a>\u00a0with the theme of Reality, Truth, and Beauty: Faith and the Pursuit of Authenticity<\/strong>.<\/p>\nThe Lives and Legacy of Billy and Ruth Graham<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n
A Common Call<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nRegional InterVarsity Faculty Conference<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\n
Ken Myers lecture<\/h3>\n
Regional InterVarsity Faculty Conference<\/h3>\n
<\/div>\nRatio Christi Annual Symposium<\/h3>\n
UNC Veritas Forum<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Contemplation of Nature as a Source of Joy<\/h3>\n
Center for Christianity and Scholarship Distinguished Christian Scholar Lecture<\/h3>\n
\nDuke University’s West Campus.\u00a0 Duke alumnus Frederick P. Brooks, Jr. is Kenan Professor in the Department of Computer Science at UNC-Chapel Hill, a department which he founded in 1964 and chaired for twenty years. Prior to coming to UNC, Dr. Brooks worked for nine years with IBM. He was an architect of the IBM Stretch and Harvest supercomputers. He then served as Corporate Project Manager for the IBM System\/360, including the development of the System\/360 computer family hardware and the Operating System\/360 software. At UNC, Dr. Brooks has conducted research in computer architecture, software engineering, and interactive 3-D computer graphics (\u201cvirtual reality\u201d). His best-known books are The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering(1975, 1995), Computer Architecture: Concepts and Evolution (with G.A. Blaauw, 1997), and The Design of Design (2010). Dr. Brooks has received the U.S. National Medal of Technology and the A.M. Turing Award of the Association for Computing Machinery, among others. Besides his career as a computer scientist, Dr. Brooks has cultivated an active Christian presence in the university community. Since 1965, he has advised Focus, the graduate chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at UNC.<\/p>\nUNC Science Expos<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nWhy Business Matters to God<\/h3>\n
The Cultural Consequences of Loving God and our Neighbor<\/h3>\n
“Is There Evidence For God?” Debate<\/h3>\n
How Christian Faculty might Influence the University<\/h3>\n