Christendom College Lectures

Dr. Michael Zuckert presents Lincoln's theory of democratic statesmanship and the reasoning behind his political propositions. Dr. Zuckert also discusses the waves of praise and criticism that has been raised throughout the years.  Dr. Zuckert is an accomplished author and the department chair of political science at the University of Notre Dame. A scholar of political philosophy and theory, Ameri...

Linguist Christophe Rico explains on the difficulties that often arise in translating complicated texts, and how to translate while still preserving the original meaning ad weight of the text. He discusses the different linguistic levels of the texts, and Biblical texts in particular pose a special difficulty due to the richly layered meaning behind the word choice.   Christophe Rico is a linguist...

Internationally recognized Humanae Vitae expert Dr. Janet Smith delivered a lecture at Christendom College on Monday, February 5, titled: “ Humanae Vitae , 50 Years Later: Progress or Regress?” She engaged her audience throughout the talk as she spoke on the roots of Humanae Vitae’s groundbreaking publication and why the encyclical matters now, more than ever. Smith is the author of Humanae Vitae:...

Distinguished author and professor Rev. Stephen Brock, Ph. D., delivered Christendom’s 2018 St. Thomas Aquinas Lecture on January 24. The talk was titled “The Metaphysics of Prayer.” He discussed the various types of prayer, using the writings of C. S Lewis to refute the objections to petitionary prayer.

Author and television personality Fr. Robert Spitzer delivered a lecture at Christendom College on Monday, September 18, speaking on the “Four Levels of Happiness.” The engaging talk delved into Fr. Spitzer’s summary of how to reach the greatest level of happiness in this life and the next, as he encouraged students to go out in the culture and spread the good news about true happiness to others....

Acclaimed art historian and author Elizabeth Lev delivered an exclusive lecture to the Christendom College community on March 20, 2017 titled “Taking on the Temples: The Development of Christian Sacred Space in St. John Lateran.” The talk was part of Christendom College’s Major Speakers Program. Lev, who has taught art and architecture courses for the Christendom College Junior Semester in Rome Pr...

Theology chair for the University of Saint Mary of the Lake Dr. Matthew Levering presented the annual St. Thomas Aquinas Lecture at Christendom College. Levering delivered a lecture entitled “Aquinas on Studiousness,” explaining how studiousness is significant for the Christian moral life. Levering touched upon the differences between studiousness and curiosity, stating that the studious do not se...

Nationally recognized religious freedom expert Dr. Ryan T. Anderson delivered an exclusive talk to the Christendom community on Monday, January 30, titled: “‘Marriage Equality’: Religious Freedom or a ‘License to Discriminate’?” Anderson is the William E. Simon Senior Research Fellow in American Principles and Public Policy at The Heritage Foundation, and the founder and editor of Public Discourse...

Dr. Christopher Shannon discusses the cultural and social significance of Pope John XXIII. Pope John XXIII greatly influenced twentieth century intellectual history and produced a notable change of attitude within the Church. 

Prolific author and philosopher Dr. Christopher Kaczor delivered a lecture titled “The Seven Myths about the Catholic Church” to the Christendom College community on November 14.

Bishop Athanasius Schneider addresses students with a talk entitled "The Unchangeable Truth about Marriage and Family". He discusses the evils of divorce and how throughout history nature there have been relentless attacks on the indissolubility of marriage.

Marshner, one of America’s foremost theologians, spoke on ideas of freedom. He discussed how three-place relation of freedom has often been distorted and misunderstood, as well as the distinctions of physical, political, artistic freedom.  

Marshner, one of America’s foremost theologians, spoke on new theories of church and state on Tuesday, October 11. A staunch defender of the faith since his conversion in 1967, Marshner first encountered Christendom founder Dr. Warren Carroll when they both worked at the Catholic magazine Triumph , and in 1977 he became one of the five founding faculty members of Christendom College. Transitioning...

First Things magazine editor Dr. Rusty Reno delivered a lecture titled “Christianity in Public Life” to the Christendom College community on Monday, October 3, 2016, as part of the college’s Major Speaker Program.

Dr. Robert Louis Wilken discusses the issues of faith and reason within the early Christian Church, as well as the meaning of virtue. He delves into the categories the early Christians placed different virtues, which came to be known as the cardinal virtues. 

Chesterton expert Dale Ahlquist delivered a lecture titled “The Democracy of the Dead” to the Christendom College community on Monday, February 22. Ahlquist, the president of the American Chesterton Society, focused his lecture on why G.K. Chesterton remains the great defender of both freedom and tradition in the modern world, where both are constantly under assault. Chesterton is one of the most...

Distinguished professor and author Thomas Hibbs delivered Christendom College’s annual St. Thomas Aquinas Lecture on February 5, 2016. He argued Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si confronted a metaphysical affliction of the human person isolated from God simmering behind the surface of modernity. Thomas Hibbs is currently Distinguished Professor of Ethics & Culture and Dean of the Honors Col...

On November 18, Christendom held a tribute to the late L. Brent Bozell, Jr., hosted by the college’s history department. The event marked the release of a new full-length biography on Bozell’s life by Daniel Kelly entitled Living on Fire: The Life of L. Brent Bozell, Jr. Bozell was one of the founders of the post-war American conservative movement and remains one of the most important American Cat...

Internationally recognized speaker Pam Stenzel delivered a public lecture titled “Chastity: The Foundation for Building Strong Families and a Culture of Life” at Christendom College on October 5. Tearing through society’s critical views of pregnancy and abstinence before marriage, Stenzel encouraged the student body to become the leaders who can reverse this culture of death and bring about a new...

Acclaimed author and theologian George Weigel delivered a lecture titled “Evangelical Catholicism and Catholic Higher Education” to the Christendom community on Monday, September 14, the anniversary of the founding of Christendom College. Weigel, who asserts that Christendom College is one of the best liberal arts colleges in America, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Polic...

Cuccinelli, who spoke to the Christendom community in 2012 as part of the college’s Major Speakers program, was elected Attorney General of Virginia and sworn into office on January 16, 2010. As attorney general, he rose to national fame through his fight against the unconstitutionality of the Healthcare Reform’s individual mandate, and was called “ObamaCare’s most formidable foe” at the time. In...

Tolkien expert Joseph Pearce delivered a public lecture titled “Unlocking the Catholicism of The Lord of the Rings ” at Christendom College on March 30, in which he revealed the deep, theological truths that permeate Tolkien’s masterpiece. Pearce, an internationally renowned author or editor of over twenty books, including Tolkien: Man or Myth , pulled two quotes from Tolkien together, explaining...

Renowned Byzantine priest and liturgist Fr. David E. Anderson delivered a series of lectures at Christendom College beginning on February 4, focusing on the liturgical traditions of the Eastern Churches. This is the third of Fr. Anderson’s series, titled A Walk Through the Byzantine Divine Liturgy. In this lecture, Fr. Anderson delves into an extensive discussion of the divine liturgy of St John C...

Byzantine priest and liturgist Fr. David E. Anderson delivered a series of lectures at Christendom College focusing on the liturgical traditions of the Eastern Churches. This is the second of Fr. Anderson’s series, titled The Words of Institution of the Eucharist.  Fr. Anderson reflects on the central expression of Christian life found in the words of Jesus Christ in the institution of the Euchari...

Renowned Byzantine priest and liturgist Fr. David E. Anderson focuses his series of lectures at Christendom College on the liturgical traditions of the Eastern Churches. The liturgy is an encounter and expression of the Kingdom of God. This is the first of Fr. Anderson’s series, titled An Introduction to the Eastern Churches and Their Liturgical Traditions. Fr. David E. Anderson, a priest of the U...