2020 Trembath Lecture

Standing Boldly: How Lutheran Epistemology Makes Genuine Academic Liberty Possible

The 2020 Trembath Lecture in Confessional Theology was held on Sunday, October 25th. Dr. Jeff Mallinson hosted a live Zoom webinar defending and explaining the following thesis: If an academically free space is possible in society, it can only exist at a Christian University. The following videos have been made available from the Lecture.

This short video presentation introduces and summarizes Mallinson’s proposal about Lutheran epistemology, what it means for students, and how it creates an important opportunity for a scholar’s empowerment and faithfulness.

This longer video provides elaboration upon and defense of the lecture’s thesis. It provides additional historical, philosophical, and theological details, drawing from a semester of research. It pays special attention to the connections between virtue ethics within Christian thought, and the relationship between William of Ockham and Martin Luther, who encouraged all thinkers to seek both honest inquiry into the world and bold faithfulness to God’s self-revelation. It explores the ways in which all of this can help students avoid manipulation. 

Dr. Jeff Mallinson's Trembath research focused on virtue formation in congregations. In this lecture, he speaks to us on the topic, Standing Boldly: How Lutheran Epistemology Makes Genuine Academic Liberty Possible. The lecture included a Q&A session.