The Wheaton College Biblical and Theological Studies department will present the 21st annual Wheaton Theology Conference April 12-13. The topic of the conference is “Bonhoeffer, Christ, and Culture.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was one of the most compelling theologians of the twentieth century. Moreover, his life and writings continue to fascinate and challenge Christians worldwide. The Wheaton Theology Conference will explore Bonhoeffer’s thought and ministry, focusing particularly on his views of Jesus Christ, the Christian community, and the church’s engagement with culture. In the twenty-first century, Bonhoeffer’s legacy is as provocative and powerful as ever.

The conference is co-sponsored with InterVarsity Press.

Keynote speaker Jean Bethke Elshtain is the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics, Divinity School, The University of Chicago, and holder of the Leavey Chair in the Foundations of American Freedom, Georgetown University. Elshtain’s books include: Democracy on Trial; Augustine and the Limits of Politics; Who are We? Critical Reflections, Hopeful Possibilities; and Sovereignty: God, State, and Self. She lectures internationally on themes of democracy, ethics, religion, politics, and international relations.

Charles Marsh is Professor of Religious Studies and Director of The Project on Lived Theology at the University of Virginia. He is the author of Reclaiming Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Promise of His Theology; God’s Long Summer: Stories of Faith and Civil Rights; Wayward Christian Soldiers: Freeing the Gospel from Political Captivity; and Welcoming Justice: God’s Movement Toward Beloved Community (with John M. Perkins). Marsh is currently writing Strange Glory: A Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, to be published by Knopf (New York) and Ullstein (Berlin).

The lineup of speakers also includes
Jim Belcher (Knox Theological Seminary)
Lori Brandt Hale (Augsburg College)
Keith L. Johnson (Wheaton College)
Timothy Larsen (Wheaton College)
Joel Lawrence (Bethel Seminary)
Stephen Plant (Cambridge University)
Daniel Treier (Wheaton College)
Reggie Williams (Baylor University)
Philip Ziegler (University of Aberdeen)

The schedule, as currently planned is as follows
Thursday, April 12, 2012
8:30-9:30 Registration & coffee
9:30-9:50 Welcome & worship
9:50-10:00 Biographical introduction to Bonhoeffer
10:00-10:45 Philip Ziegler: “Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Theologian of the Word of God”
10:45-11:30 Keith Johnson: “Bonhoeffer and the End of the Christian Academy”
11:30-12:00 Q&A
12:00-1:30 Lunch
1:30-2:15 Lori Brandt Hale: “Bonhoeffer’s Christological Take on Vocation: Exploring His Ethics as Formation and Responsibility”
2:15-3:00 Joel Lawrence: “Death Together: Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Becoming the Church for Others”
3:00-3:30 Q&A
3:30-4:15 Break for relocation to Edman Chapel
4:15-5:30 Musical Performance: “Stations on the Road to Freedom” with Uwe Steinmetz (Edman Chapel)
5:30-7:00 Dinner
7:30-9:00 Plenary Lecture: Jean Bethke Elshtain: Bonhoeffer as Cultural Critic: A Defense of Tradition

Friday, April 13, 2012
8:30-9:15 Stephen Plant: “The Evangelization of Rulers: Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Political Theology”
9:15-10:00 Daniel J. Treier: “Modernity and Machines: Bonhoeffer’s Apocalyptic Proverbs and Technology Coming of Age”
10:00-10:20 Q&A
10:30-11:15 Chapel: Charles Marsh, speaker
11:30-1:00 Lunch
1:00-1:30 Performance by Wheaton College Gospel Choir
1:30-2:15 Reggie Williams: “Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the Harlem Renaissance”
2:15-2:30 Q&A
2:30-3:00 Coffee break
3:00-3:45 Timothy Larsen: “The Evangelical Reception of Bonhoeffer”
3:45-4:30 Jim Belcher: “Angels of Community: Lessons from Prison”
4:30-5:00 Q&A
5:00-7:00 Dinner
7:30-7:45 Music by Chicago New Arts Trio: “The Last Words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer”
7:45-9:00 Plenary Lecture: Charles Marsh: “Under the Constraint of Grace: The Story of Bonhoeffer’s Conversion”

For more information about the conference and speakers, or to register, visit the Theology Conference website.