Does America have its own Wilberforce? The lesser known chapter of the slave trade's abolition was John Jay's work in abolishing the slave trade. Jay's Christian-inspired work ultimately led to President Thomas Jefferson's signature on Congressional Bill abolishing international slave trade in the US.
Among John Jay's most admired and frequently cited public papers are his charges to Grand Juries as Chief Justice of New York and later of the United States. His 1777 and 1790 charges articulate a conservative philosophy and theory of government derived from a God ordained moral order and mediated through British political and legal history. Jay's succinct and readable format will be of interest to students of the American founding. Mr. Patterson's introduction and annotations makes these important documents even more accessible to the modern reader.
Lectured presented May 11, 2006
In the inaugural lecture of the John Jay Institute for Faith, Society and Law Dr. Paul Marshall discusses the religious motivation and character of radical Islam and sharia law as well as the prospects for the emergence of democracy in the Middle East.
Lectured presented September 18, 2006
In this lecture Alan Crippen argues that the Magna Carta was of primary importance for the formation of the American Constitution and that the Christian worldview, personal character, and courageous actions of Stephen Langton are of significant consequence for the American political heritage of liberty under law.
Lectured presented September 28, 2006
Drawing upon recent examples in the war between Israel and Hezbollah Dr. Keith Pavlischek will show how the classic just war tradition can provide moral clarity in the terrorist age.
Lectured presented October 26, 2006
This lecture explores the core tradition on jihad of the sword and compares it to the just war idea.
Lectured presented November 16, 2006
In this lecture Mr. Joseph Loconte offers a historically informed critique of liberalism through the lens of Christian realism with some applications for U.S. foreign policy today.
Lectured presented December 7, 2006
In this lecture Dr. David F. Forte explores the Islamic tradition for the religious, political, and legal concepts necessary for Muslims to live in community with each other and at peace with the western world.
Lectured presented February 26, 2007
Jay and Wilberforce, both political giants in their day, were evangelical Christians who, so shaped and inspired by their religious conviction, leveraged the weight of their political prominence to better the condition of humanity. They served as prophetic witnesses in their day and examples of principle and courage in ours.
Lectured presented March 1, 2007
In this lecture Dr. Guinness will argue that Islamic terrorism is only the sharp end of a much wider problem that also touches on the America's culture wars, the European constitutional crisis, questions about the future of China, and the emergence of a global public square.
Lectured presented April 12, 2007
In this lecture Dr. Farr will argue that U.S. foreign policy must overcome its own secularist prejudices, identify Islamists who are tempted by democratic norms, and find ways to move them toward liberal democracy.
Lectured presented May 3, 2007
In this lecture Dr. Mary Habeck, professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies will provide an in-depth look at the "War on Terror" from the viewpoint of the jihadis. Why did they carry out 9/11? What did they hope to achieve?
Lectured presented September 20, 2007
In this lecture Mr. Myers offers a survey of the biblical themes integral to a theology of urban blessedness, from the earliest experience of human community in the Garden of Eden to the full flourishing of eschatological urban dynamism in the New Jerusalem, providing practical implications for contemporary Christians living in America's cities and towns.
Lectured presented October 18, 2007
This lecture will examine William Penn's vision for Philadelphia as a unique chapter in the history of early American urban development. Dr. Fea's lecture will explore the life, thought, and legacy of this important and unfortunately neglected American founder.
Lectured presented November 15, 2007
In this lecture Mr. McGilchrist will reflect on the origins of Colorado Springs as the expression of a humane and Christian civic vision. Which aspects of the city's early years offer lessons for the vastly more complex conditions of today?
Lectured presented December 6, 2007
In this lecture Mr. Daniel Lee reasons that creating cities ought to be a human act, undertaken with joy, empowered by the Holy Spirit, informed by special and natural revelation, to reveal and enjoy the glory of God.
Lectured presented January 24, 2008
In this lecture the Rev. Dr. Jacobsen will be explore various ways that churches can help redeem the civic life of their city by working in and through their own neighborhoods.
Lectured presented February 14, 2008
In this lecture Dr. Wilfred McClay will offer insight as to why and how social and religious conservatives ought to care about cities and the civic and cultural tasks associated with fostering and developing them.
Lectured presented March 13, 2008
Makoto Fujimura believes that art is both agrarian and urban and that it represents both the farm and the city. In this lecture Mr. Fujimura will address these themes by focusing on art of Andy Goldsworthy – the brilliant British artist who collaborates with nature to make his creations.
Lectured presented April 17, 2008
In this lecture, Dr. Carlson will address questions including: Are these trends friendly to children? What are the components of a family-friendly neighborhood? What failures of suburbia contribute to this migration? How can religious faith again play a role in building neighborhoods?
Lectured presented May 8, 2008
Is traditional urban form sufficient to revive the goods of traditional urbanism in a cultural context of therapeutic and consumer individualism? Or does New Urbanism become a niche market for those wealthy enough to buy a living urban environment? How can a just and generous moral order come to characterize our cities in our strange and estranging modern culture? The history of western monasticism suggests some possibilities.
Lectured presented October 9, 2008
In this lecture Dr. Stetson, author of a new book on Wilberforce, argues that Wilberforce's highly successful model of Christian cultural engagement is still relevant and waiting for application by Christians today. How did Wilberforce and ten of his friends redirect the moral and social course of a 19th Century Superpower? How can their model be effectively applied to work in American public life today? These questions and others will be addressed in the lecture.
Lectured presented October 20, 2009
In this lecture Dr. Michael Ward, Lewis scholar and author, will outline Lewis's understanding of the relationship between hierarchy, equality, and power. Drawing on a wide range of Lewis's writings, including: The Abolition of Man, its fictional counterpart That Hideous Strength, and an essay on John Milton entitled "A Preface to Paradise Lost," Dr. Ward will demonstrate that Lewis thought hierarchy and equality, tradition and liberal democracy were reconcilable ideas for using and constraining political power.