We are pleased to announce the 2025 Woolman Lectures in Christian Scholarship will be delivered by Phillip Cary, Ph.D.. of Eastern University.
Schedule
Tuesday, April 1, 2o25
7:00 p.m. in the Johnson Center, Room 106 | Lecture One
Who is God? The Nicene Creed, Part I
The Nicene Creed is the most important confession of faith in the Christian world. It is also the gold standard for statements on the doctrine of the Trinity. The fact that it speaks of One God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, without ever using the word "Trinity" or even the word "three," should tell us something about what's important in the doctrine.
Wednesday, April 2
7:00 p.m. in the Johnson Center, Room 106 | Lecture Two
Who is Jesus? The Nicene Creed, Part II
Do Christians really believe that the man on the cross, who was once a baby in Mary's womb, is the eternal God, Creator of all things? Studying the Nicene Creed means learning why early Christians answered this question with an emphatic YES -- and how they could do so without confusing Jesus with God the Father.
Biography
Phillip Cary, Ph.D., (Yale University 1994) is Professor of Philosophy at Eastern University and Scholar-in-Residence at the Templeton Honors College. He has been philosophy editor of Christian Scholars Review, and is currently editor-in-chief of Pro Ecclesia: A Journal of Catholic and Evangelical Theology.
Cary’s specialty is the history of Christian thought, with particular focus on Augustine and Luther. He is perhaps best known for his book Good News for Anxious Christians, along with his lecture series published by The Great Courses, including courses on Augustine, Luther, the History of Christian Theology, and Philosophy and Religion in the West. In addition to numerous articles and reviews, he has published three books on Augustine with Oxford University Press (Augustine’s Invention of the Inner Self, 2000; Inner Grace, 2008; and Outward Signs, 2008).
Another area of interest is theological exegesis, where he has contributed a commentary on the book of Jonah (Brazos Press, 2008). His most recently published books are The Meaning of Protestant Theology: Luther, Augustine, and the Gospel that Gives Us Christ (Baker Academic, 2019), and The Nicene Creed: An Introduction (Lexham Press, 2023).
About the John Woolman Lecture Series
The Lecture Series is named for John Woolman (1720-1772), a Quaker from New Jersey who provided much of the theological, intellectual, and ethical foundation for the earliest anti-slavery activities in America.
Drawing from traditional Christian, Quaker, evangelical, quietist, and rationalist sources, Woolman published works that encouraged others to rethink the Friends’ role in addressing a range of topics including slavery, working conditions, spiritual discipline, pacifism, the use of wealth, the use of time, and relationships with Native Americans.
His antislavery writings and speaking campaigns throughout the colonies helped prompt the Friends to become the first body of Americans to actively denounce slavery and require all its members to free any person that they held in slavery. Providing some of the earliest inspiration for the major ethical shift in thinking about slavery, Woolman’s writings and actions influenced leaders in the early antislavery and abolitionist movements in America and Great Britain. Woolman Hall, a residence hall on Malone’s campus, is named in his honor.