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
10.30am 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) - ‘Owen and Judaism’
Dr Alison Searle (Associate Professor of Textual Studies at the University of Leeds) - ‘Pastoral and Literary Caregiving: Richard Baxter, “Puritan Man of Letters”’
Dr Ty Kieser (Assistant Professor of Theology, Criswell College and author of Theandric and Triune: John Owen and Christological Agency) - ‘“All Things Summed up in Christ”: Karl Barth and John Owen on Christocentrism’
Details of seminar presentations may be found here
General Conference: John Owen - Theology for Life and Ministry
Wednesday 26 June 2024
Speakers:
Dr Martyn Cowan - John Owen the preacher
Dr Lee Gatiss
Prof Crawford Gribben - John Owen’s spheres of reformation: individual, family, church, nation
Principal Michael McClenahan - The pathology of sin and pastoral care
Dr John Tweeddale - The increase of divine knowledge: John Owen on the goal of pastoral ministry
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)
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.
We are pleased to be able to offer ten scholarships to help postgraduate students living outside Northern Ireland attend the conference; the details for which can be accessed here.
Conference Venue:
Union Theological College
108 Botanic Avenue
Belfast BT7 1JT
Northern Ireland, UK
www.union.ac.uk
Registration:
Tickets can be purchased at the following links:
Academic Conference (24-25 June), £50.00 plus booking fee:
General Conference (26 June), £25.00 plus booking fee:
Gala Dinner: (25 June), £30.00 plus booking fee:
International John Owen Convention Gala Dinner Tickets, Tue 25 Jun 2024 at 19:30 | Eventbrite
Conference Sponsors:
This event is being organised in partnership with Crossway and BibleMesh.
