KATS Conference 2025
Analyzing Nicaea
Organized by Thomas McCall (Asbury Theological Seminary) and Derek King (Lewis House)
April 3rd, 2025 (Thursday) – 9 AM – 4 PM – Asbury Theological Seminary – Room BC 157 (Beeson Center)
The 4th century left an indelible impact on Christian theology. The councils and surrounding debates set the agenda for core doctrines of the faith such as Christology and the Trinity. To explore Nicaea and its lasting significance, Asbury Theological Seminary and the Kentucky Analytic Theology Seminar (KATS) at Lewis House are hosting a one-day conference. Lunch is not provided, but we will break for lunch and there are several lunch options within walking distance. All are welcome in each session, even if you can only make part of the conference.
Presenters: Jc Beall, Eleonore Stump [via Zoom], David Bradshaw, Scott Williams, and Fred Sanders (See more about each below)
Respondents: Christopher Willard-Kyle, Jordan Wessling, Beau Branson, and Joel Chopp
(Want to know more about KATS? Visit lewishouse.org/KATS)
Schedule
9:00 – 10:10 AM – Jc Beall (Notre Dame), Embracing the Contradictory God
Respondent: Christopher Willard-Kyle (University of Kentucky)
Moderator: Kevin Kinghorn (Asbury Theological Seminary)
10:20 – 11:30 AM – [Zoom] Eleonore Stump (St Louis University), The God of the Bible and the God of Philosophers
Respondent: Jordan Wessling (Lindsey Wilson College)
Moderator: Claire Peterson (Asbury University)
| 11:30 AM – 12:20 PM – Lunch |
12:20 – 1:30 PM – David Bradshaw (University of Kentucky), What do we mean by the divine ousia?
Respondent: Chris Bounds (Asbury Theological Seminary)
Moderator: Michael Austin (Eastern Kentucky University)
1:30 – 2:40 PM – Scott Williams (University of North Carolina Asheville), The Trinitarian Theology of Constantinople III and Mutual Indwelling: On the Sufficiency But Non-Necessity of the Filioque
Respondent: Beau Branson (Brescia University)
Moderator: Jordan Wessling (Lindsey Wilson College)
2:50 – 4:00 PM – Fred Sanders (Biola University), Thomas Aquinas, Eternal Generation, and the Unfolding of Nicaea
Respondent: Joel Chopp (Asbury Theological Seminary)
Moderator: Sydney Penner (Independent Scholar)
Jc Beall is the O’Neill Family Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. His many publications include The Contradictory Christ (OUP 2022) and Divine Incarnation (OUP 2023), alongside monographs, textbooks, and articles in philosophy, especially Logic.
Eleonore Stump is the Robert J. Henle, SJ, Professor of Philosophy at St. Louis University. She is the author of many books in philosophy and theology, including Aquinas (Routledge 2003), Wandering in Darkness (OUP 2010), Atonement (OUP 2018), and most recently The Image of God (OUP 2022).
David Bradshaw is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Kentucky. He focuses on Ancient and Medieval Philosophy and the Eastern Christian Tradition. His publications include Aristotle: East and West (CUP 2004) and Divine Energies and Divine Action (IOTA Publications 2023). His most distinguished role is, of course, that of regular KATS member.
Scott Williams is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina Asheville. He has published widely on Christian philosophy of theology, including his recently released Cambridge Elements contribution on The Trinity (CUP 2025).
Fred Sanders is a Professor in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University. His speciality is Systematic Theology, and he has published books on John Wesley, the Holy Spirit, and Salvation (don’t let the Oxford comma fool you), but he is most known for his work on the Trinity—especially The Triune God (Zondervan Academic 2016).