Recovering Biblical Christianity: Roman Catholic and Reformed Perspectives
On Monday, March 12, 2018 and Tuesday, March 13, 2018 the Saint Benedict Institute joined with Western Theological Seminary to co-sponsor the Osterhaven Lecture Series on Recovering Biblical Christianity: Roman Catholic and Reformed Perspectives. The event consisted of two lectures and a panel discussion in Mulder Chapel at Western Theological Seminary.
Matthew Levering, Chair of Theology at Mundelein Seminary at the University of St. Mary of the Lake, gave the first lecture which was titled "What Counts as a Biblical Doctrine? Exploring the Biblically Warranted Modes of Biblical Interpretation."
Matthew Levering is widely recognized as one of the leading Roman Catholic doctrinal theologians today. He is the author or co-author of over 20 books, including Scripture and Metaphysics, Biblical Natural Law, Engaging the Doctrine of Revelation, Proofs of God, and most recently, Was the Reformation a Mistake? He serves as coeditor of the journals Nova et Vetera and the International Journal of Systematic Theology and has served as Chair of the Board of the Academy of Catholic Theology since 2007.
The second lecture was given by Kevin VanHoozer, Research Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His lecture was titled, "Mere Protestant Christianity: Sola Scriptura and the Comic Possibility of Reformation."
Kevin VanHoozer is one of the most prominent Protestant systematic theologians writing today. Much of his work focuses upon the intersection of Christian doctrine with hermeneutics. His book, Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible earned Christianity Today’s award for best biblical studies book in 2006. He also serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Systematic Theology and the Journal of Theological Interpretation.
The two lectures were followed by a panel discussion where the keynote speakers, Kevin Vanhoozer and Matthew Levering, were joined by Sue Rozeboom, Associate Professor of Liturgical Theology at Western Seminary, and Jared Ortiz, Assistant Professor of Religion at Hope College.
Sue Rozeboom teaches students how to unwrap God’s gracious gift of worship. Her reading, research, and teaching interests are in the areas of the history of Christian worship, the work of the Spirit and Christian worship, and enriched sacramental theology for refreshed sacramental practice. She is the co-author, with Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., of Discerning the Spirits: A Guide to Thinking about Christian Worship Today. She been active in official Roman Catholic - Reformed dialogues for many years.
Jared Ortiz teaches Catholic studies at Hope College, where he founded and directs the Saint Benedict Institute, the Catholic spiritual and intellectual center that serves Hope College. He teaches courses on the Incarnation, church history, Catholic Christianity, theological hermeneutics and early Christianity. He specializes in early Christian theology, especially St. Augustine, and he has scholarly interests in liturgy, Latin patristic thought and disability.