The International John Owen Convention,
24-26 June 2024, Union Theological College, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Academic Conference: New Directions in John Owen Studies (24-25 June 2024)
General Conference: John Owen: Theology for Life and Ministry (26 June 2024)
This is a two-part convention: a two-day academic conference geared to scholars working in a variety of disciplines complemented by a one-day conference exploring the relevance of Owen studies for the contemporary church.
Academic Conference: New Directions in John Owen Studies
Noon on Monday 24 June to 5pm on Tuesday 25 June 2024
Keynote speakers:
Prof Philip Alexander FBA (Emeritus professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Manchester)
Dr Whitney Gamble (Independent scholar and author of Christ and the Law: Antinomianism at the Westminster Assembly)
Dr Ty Kieser (Assistant Professor of Theology, Criswell College and author of Theandric and Triune: John Owen and Christological Agency)
Dr Ken Minkema (Executive Editor of The Works of Jonathan Edwards and of the Jonathan Edwards Center & Online Archive at Yale University)
Conference Organisers:
Dr Martyn Cowan (Union Theological College, Belfast)
Prof Crawford Gribben (Queen’s University Belfast)
Principal Michael McClenahan (Union Theological College, Belfast)
Dr John Tweeddale (Reformation Bible College, USA)
Call for Papers:
The conference organisers warmly invite proposals for 30-minute papers that consider new developments in research on the early modern English theologian John Owen (1616–1683). Proposals are welcome from a variety of related disciplines.
Proposals should be approximately 200 words, have a suggested paper title, and include a brief biographical statement (50–100 words). Please send proposals, or any enquiries about the conference, to johnowen@union.ac.uk. The deadline for proposals is 30 November 2023.
This conference aims to draw together scholars, pastors, students, and general readers of John Owen’s writings to promote further research and reflection on Owen.
John Owen is frequently regarded as the leading puritan figure of seventeenth-century England, whose diverse writings attract a cross-section of scholarly and popular interest across theological, biblical, historical, and pastoral disciplines.
This conference will seek to assess the current state of Owen scholarship and identify new directions of exploration. We aim to draw together seasoned and emerging scholars in the field in order to encourage interdisciplinary reflections on Owen’s life, career, and writings.
Over the last decade, John Owen has become one of the most widely discussed English theologians, and perhaps the most widely read theologian of the seventeenth century. Several books have emerged that are devoted to various aspects of Owen’s life and theology, including from Ashgate (2012), Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht (2014, 2015), Oxford University Press (2016), Palgrave Macmillan (2017), Routledge (2013, 2018), Brill (2018, 2022), T&T Clark (2019, 2022), and Crossway (2020). Likewise, several colleges, universities, and seminaries have courses and seminars on Owen, and PhD students in the USA and UK continually submit dissertations on his work. Finally, Crossway is currently releasing a new 40-volume edition of his complete works, and Oxford University Press is publishing a forthcoming volume of previously unpublished sermons.
Building on these developments, this conference seeks to foster collaboration and discussion among those interested in Owen’s writings in order to encourage students, pastors, and scholars to consider the importance of Owen for both the academy and the church today.
Conference Venue:
Union Theological College
108 Botanic Avenue
Belfast BT7 1JT
Northern Ireland, UK
www.union.ac.uk
Registration:
Details to follow shortly.
Conference Sponsors:
This event is being organised in partnership with Crossway and BibleMesh.
