Pro Ecclesia 2027 Conference
Save the date!
Pro Ecclesia 2027
January 11-13, 2027
Birmingham, Alabama
We're excited to announce that the date is set for our Pro Ecclesia 2027 conference: January 11-13 in Birmingham, Alabama. Our outstanding line of speakers includes:
Professor Eric Gregory of Princeton University
Professor Athanasios Papathahasiou of the University Supreme Ecclesiastical Academy of Athens
Professor Daniel Hill of Baylor University
Professor Timothy Tennent of Beeson Divinity School
Professor Fritz Bauerschmidt of Loyola University
Professor George Demacopoulos of Fordham University
Russell Moore of Christianity Today
Keep an eye out for more information and registration details, coming soon.
About the Conference
Nationalism, Globalism, Ecumenism:
The Chronic Tension between Our National and Cosmopolitan Inclinations,
Its Intensification Today, and Its Bearing on the Future of Ecumenism
Since the time of the New Testament, ethnic and national differences within the Christian church
have enriched our life together and yielded controversy as well. The apostles debated the
matter of Gentile inclusion within the family of God. Church fathers wrestled with a wide array of
issues that attended the Christianization of the ancient Roman Empire and its bearing on
relationships with Christians on its margins and concerned about the methods of imperial
Christianity. Medievals fought hard to build a Holy Roman Empire and include ever more tribal
groups within its ranks. The Orthodox have sought to spread a universal faith that respects the
autocephaly of largely national churches. Protestants like Luther appealed to German ethnicity
and national prerogatives when criticizing the methods of what they called the Roman Church.
Modern missionaries have sought to strike a balance in their work between indigenizing the faith
in newly Christianized regions and including new Christians in the holy catholic church. This list
of examples could go on for quite a while.
Our twenty-first century world has seen a surge in such tensions. Some Christians today have
embraced Christian nationalism, often in the name of Christian cultural conservatism. Others
protest that more international instincts must govern our attempts to demonstrate catholicity. As
this disagreement has festered, the ecumenical work of our churches has flagged.
What are we to make of this? How have these tensions shaped the ecumenical efforts of
believers in the past? And what can we learn from this? How should they inform our ecumenism
today? Come and join the conversation as we work on these questions in the service of the
church and seek to manifest the unity we share in Jesus Christ.
Conference Schedule
Monday, January 11, 2027
All Monday events will be held at The Cathedral of St. Paul, Birmingham (https://stpaulsbhm.org/). The welcome and Session 1 will be held in the Cathedral Life Center. Solemn Vespers will be held in the sanctuary. Registrants who need transportation will be shuttled from the conference hotel to the Cathedral.
5:30-6:15pm | Registration
6:20pm | Welcome: Dean Douglas A. Sweeney, Beeson Divinity School, Executive Director, Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology; and the Very Rev. Bryan W. Jerabek, Pastor & Rector, The Cathedral of St. Paul
6:30pm | Session 1: Professor Fritz Bauerschmidt, Loyola University Maryland
Lecture title: “Whither Catholic Integralism in the Age of Pope Leo?”
Facilitator: Very Rev. Bradley Jantz, Pastor, St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, Montevallo, AL, Vicar for Religious Education and Catholic Formation and Vicar for Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue, Diocese of Birmingham
7:40pm | Solemn Vespers: Archbishop Joseph Marino, Apostolic Nuncio and President Emeritus of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy
8:15pm | Reception
Tuesday, January 12, 2027
All regular sessions on Tuesday will be held at Beeson Divinity School (https://www.samford.edu/beeson-divinity/). Registrants who need transportation will be shuttled to The Club for the evening banquet (https://www.theclubinc.org/).
9:00am | Morning Prayer: The Rev. Dr. Gregory Edwards, Dean, Holy Trinity + Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Birmingham
9:30am | Session 2: Professor Athanasios N. Papathanasiou, Highest Ecclesiastical Academy of Athens
Lecture title: “Allure of Empire and Pagan Colonization of Life”
Facilitator: Dr. David Luy, North American Lutheran Seminary, Ambridge, PA
10:40am | Break
11:00am | Session 3: Professor Daniel Hill, Baylor University
Lecture title: "On the Occasional (and Mongrel) Nature of Theology: Du Plessis-Mornay, Theological Exegesis, and the Questions We Ponder"
Facilitator: Rev. Dr. Jason Byassee, Senior Pastor, Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, Toronto, Research Fellow, Wycliffe College, Toronto
12:30pm | Lunch
1:30pm | Session 4: Professor Timothy Tennent, Methodist Chair of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University
Lecture title: “The Global Church, National Identities, and Diaspora Missiology in the 21st Century”
Facilitator: Dr. Matthew Levering, Mundelein Seminary, Mundelein, IL
2:40pm | Break
5:00pm | Shuttle leaves the Marriott Hotel for the banquet at The Club
5:30pm | Drinks Reception: The Club, Birmingham
6:00pm | Banquet: The Club, Birmingham
Facilitator: Dr. Douglas A. Sweeney
Banquet Speaker: Dr. Russell Moore, Christianity Today
Title: "An Ethic of Hope in an Era of Panic: Recovering the Long View of Christian Confidence"
Wednesday, January 13, 2027
All Wednesday events will be held at Beeson Divinity School.
9:00am | Morning Prayer: Rev. Jill McGregor, Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, Baden, Pennsylvania
9:30am | Session 5: Professor Eric Gregory, Princeton University
Lecture title: "Augustine, Israel, and the Nations"
Facilitator: Rev. Dr. Chris Currie, Senior Pastor, St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, New Orleans
10:40am | Break
11:00am | Session 6: Professor George Demacopoulos, Fordham University
Lecture title: "Constantine, Autocephaly, and Modern Orthodoxy's Nationalist Amnesia"
Facilitator: Dr. Michael Root, Catholic University of America
11:45am | Closing Prayer Service: Nathan Smith, Glenmary Home Missioners