Forming A Christian Mind, November 2019

You are warmly invited to a Forming a Christian Mind (FACM) day conference which will take place on 9 November, 2019 at the Old Divinity School, St John's College, Cambridge. The theme of this conference is ‘Christ, the Academy and the (Post-) Modern World’. This conference is intended for anyone doing postgraduate study or postdoctoral research.

Speakers:

• Dr David McIlroy (Queen Mary University of London)
• Dr Daniel Hill (University of Liverpool)
• Dr Anna Nickerson (University of Cambridge)
• Dr Richard Gunton (University of Winchester)

Theme

Harry Blamires famously claimed that the 20th Century was a time of historic rupture between Christianity and the major intellectual institutions of Western Culture. As a result, the present generation of scholars and educators have inherited a world in which Christianity is considered either peripheral to the life of the university or antithetical to the pursuit of scholarship.

Our series of conferences this year will explore this supposed rift between Christianity and the life of the mind. What are the occasions of these frictions – and their causes? What distinctive challenges does the modern world provide for Christian scholarship? And what new opportunities? How might Christian vocation and mission be carried out in such an environment? Who are the most important intellectual voices with whom Christian academics should engage today? Join us for a series of conferences where Christian scholars reflect on these questions – helping you situate yourself and your academic vocation in relation to these issues.

Morning plenaries

Our morning plenaries will be delivered by Dr David McIlroy (Visiting Professor in Law). He will speak on 'The Narratives of Modernity and the Christian Story' and 'Christianity and the Modern Conception of Rights'. In those talks, he will give an introduction to the impact of (post-)modernity on the academy and on the field of jurisprudence in particular, and show how a Christian worldview can open the door to a different approach.

Tracks for Subject-Groups

After lunch, we will gather in one of two major subject groups: Arts & Humanities and Science. These will be led by Dr Anna Nickerson and Dr Richard Gunton. Anna will speak on ’The Secular Imagination: Insights from the 1930s', and Richard on 'Science and the Modern Worldview'. These subject groups are an excellent opportunity to hear from academics who have sought to apply the Christian worldview to their discipline.

Afternoon Plenary

For our final session, we have the privilege of hearing from Dr Daniel Hill (Senior Lecturer in Philosophy) on the topic of 'Serving in Academia as a Christian'.

You are warmly invited to join us. Please register to secure your place, and we look forward to seeing you.

Forming a Christian Mind (FACM) equips Christians in the academic world for their double calling: to study excellently from the basis of a biblical worldview, and to use what they study for cultural apologetics and mission.

The conference explores how the Christian faith interacts with personal and academic development. It aims to help postgraduates and post-docs to develop their capacity to think biblically about their discipline and address the tensions between secular and Christian perspectives on their subject, both in the university and in wider society. It is open to academics across the sciences, arts and humanities, demonstrating how Christian worldview is vital to every area of study.

FACM is a movement in Cambridge constituting a partnership between the Jubilee Centre, KLICE, Christian Heritage and UCCF:Research, with support from churches and other local ministries including the Christian Graduate Society.

The event is primarily for postgraduates, post-docs and junior academics; however anyone who is pursuing an academic career in other ways is welcome.

For more information, see formingachristianmind.org