August 29, 2023
As the Jean Kvamme Distinguished Professor of Biblical Studies and Public Christianity, Dr. Dickson will present “Ancient-Future Faith: What the Church of Antiquity can teach us about Public Christianity.”
Sponsored by the Wheaton College Litfin School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership, the lecture will take place in Barrows Auditorium in Billy Graham Hall at 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Dr. Dickson, who holds a Ph.D. in ancient history, will address a series of key questions in response to rising anxieties that the U.S. is moving into a “post-Christian” era, namely: What can the church today learn from the first Christian mission to the “pre-Christian” Roman empire? Additionally, scholars agree that early Christianity enjoyed rapid expansion in the first three centuries, despite wielding little financial, social, or political power. Dr. Dickson will discuss the distinctive aspects of the rise of Christianity, the early Christians’ response to pressure and rejection as well as their principal means of persuasion, and how the contemporary church can transpose the lessons of antiquity for a new day.
In 2022, the College appointed Dr. Dickson to serve as the inaugural Jean Kvamme Distinguished Chair, creating a bridge between the academic study of Scripture and the communication of the gospel. Floyd Kvamme endowed the position in honor of his wife, who died in 2020. Jean was president/director of The Jean and E. Floyd Kvamme Foundation, which funds Christian organizations, as well as cultural, educational, and medical institutions. In his role as chair, Dr. Dickson now works closely with both Wheaton graduate and undergraduate students, equipping them to engage more deeply with the gospel and contextualizing its proclamation in global society.