*** THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED. STAY TUNED FOR MORE DETAILS***

In Word and Image: Passing on the Faith through Preaching and Art

at

Duke Divinity School

November 10-11, 2023

featuring

Robin Jensen, J. Patout Burns, Curtis Freeman, and Timothy Kimbrough

—

About the conference

How do Christians pass on the faith to the next generation? What does it mean to hand down “the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). These are some of the most basic questions that all Christian leaders face, but they are especially pressing today.

This two-day conference will focus on the dynamics of passing on the faith—or catechesis—in both the visual and spoken word. We will explore how the early church drew on the visual arts and the preached word to convey the central message of faith in Jesus Christ. Passing on the faith is not only about learning certain content but also about being drawn into a new way of seeing and living in the world. 

Ideally suited for pastors, catechists, lay educators, teachers, and seminarians, this event will provide a rich opportunity to learn from leading experts, enjoy the fellowship of like-hearted pastors and teachers, and gain a greater imagination for how the renewal of catechesis can inspire the renewal of the church today. 

Register Today!

• Early Bird Registration (by October 31):

  • $125 (Student/Clergy Rate: $95)

• After Oct 31:

  • $165 (Student/Clergy Rate: $125)

Co-sponsored by:

Conference Schedule

About the speakers

Robin Jensen is Patrick O’Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. Her research focuses on the relationship between early Christian art and literature and examines the ways that visual images and architectural spaces should be regarded as modes of theological expression. Her published essays and books contend that, in addition to interpreting sacred texts, visual images enhance liturgical settings, reflect the nature and content of devotional piety, and explicate ritual practices. She teaches courses on the character of late antique Christian and Jewish art, the history and evolution of Christian architecture, the iconography of the cross and crucifix, depictions of Christ and the Virgin Mary, and the place and controversies over images and idols in ancient and early medieval Christianity. Her books include: The Routledge Compantion to Early Christian Art (Routledge, 2018); The Cross: History, Art, and Controversy (Harvard University Press, 2017); Christianity in Roman Africa: The Development of its Practices and Beliefs (co-edited by J. Patout Burns (Eerdmans, 2014); Living Water: Images, Symbols, and Settings of Early Christian Baptism (Brill, 2011); Understanding Early Christian Art. (Routledge Press, 2000).

J. Patout Burns is Edward A. Malloy Professor of Catholic Studies Emeritus at Vanderbilt University and is currently guest professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame. Burns’ research and publication have focused on the development of Christian thought and practice in the Western part of the Roman Empire, especially in North Africa. His books include The Development of Augustine's Doctrine of Operative Grace (1980), Cyprian the Bishop (Routledge, 2002), Romans: Interpreted by Early Christian Commentators (Eerdmans, 2012), Augustine’s Preached Theology: Living as the Body of Christ (Eerdmans, 2022), and Theological Anthropology (Fortress Press, 1981, revised, 2023).

Dr. Curtis W. Freeman is Research Professor of Theology and Baptist Studies and Director of the Baptist House of Studies at Duke Divinity School in Durham, NC, and a Research Fellow with the Catechesis Institute. The author of numerous books and articles on Free Church Theology, his most recent book is Pilgrim Letters: Instruction in the Basic Teachings of Christ (Fortress, 2021), a work of catechetical instruction written as a series of letters providing instruction in the basic teaching of Christ (read our review here). Its sequel, Pilgrim Journey: Instruction in the Mystery of the Gospel (Fortress, 2023), is available September 2023. Freeman is an ordained Baptist minister and serves as editor of the American Baptist Quarterly and serves on the Baptist World Alliance Commission on Doctrine and Christian Unity.

Rev. Timothy Kimbrough is the director of the Anglican Episcopal House of Studies and the Jack and Barbara Bovender Professor of the Practice of Anglican Studies at Duke Divinity School. He was previously dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Nashville, Tenn., in the Diocese of Tennessee (The Episcopal Church). Born in Birmingham, Ala., he grew up living in North Carolina, New Jersey, and West Germany, and he holds B.A. and M.Div. degrees from Duke University. He is an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church and has served congregations in North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee, South Africa, and the Philippines. At Duke, Kimbrough teaches courses in Anglican studies with a special emphasis on the Book of Common Prayer and Canon Law.

Questions?

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