About the Conference | From Fear Toward Hope
Courageous Faith in a Time of Fear is a two-day public conference exploring what it means to lead, speak, and act faithfully amid political polarization and deep divisions within churches.
Presented by Knox College's Ministry Forum and the Institute for Christian Studies' Free to Be Faithful initiative, the conference is open to clergy and lay leaders alike and includes a dedicated pastoral leadership track.
Through roundtables, workshops, and a closing panel, participants will explore sustaining big-tent communities, organizing for faithful action, and building the capacity of faith communities to move from fear to hope.
Faith & public life in polarized contexts
Pastoral leadership under fear & fatigue
Truth-telling, reconciliation & moral imagination
Cultivating resilient, hopeful communities
Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez
New York Times bestselling author and Professor of History at Calvin University. Currently a Senior Democracy Fellow with the Public Religion Research Institute, her research focuses on the intersection of gender, religion, and politics. Author of Jesus and John Wayne.
Rev. Joash P. Thomas
Author of The Justice of Jesus (Brazos Press) and Instructor in Public Theology, Peace & Justice at St. Stephen's University. Drawing from his St. Thomas Christian roots and a decolonized, Jesus-centered understanding of Scripture, Fr. Joash helps audiences reimagine a faith that unites rather than divides.
Conference Schedule
Wednesday, May 13
Knox Presbyterian Church 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Keynote Lecture & Opening Dialogue
Kristin Kobes Du Mez & Joash Thomas
Thursday, May 14
Knox College 9:00 – 10:00 AM
Plenary Lecture
Joash Thomas
10:15 – 10:30 AM
Coffee Break
10:30 – 12:00 PM
Roundtable Discussions
Concurrent pastoral & community tracks
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Lunch
1:00 – 2:15 PM
Workshops — Session I
Concurrent pastoral & community tracks
2:15 – 2:30 PM
Coffee Break
2:30 – 3:45 PM
Workshops — Session II
Concurrent pastoral & community tracks
3:45 – 4:00 PM
Coffee Break
4:00 – 5:00 PM
Closing Panel
Capacity for Courage: Building Faith Communities for the Long Haul