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George Kalantzis 2024

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George Kalantzis, Ph.D., F.R.Hist.S.

Professor of Theology;
Director of The Wheaton Center for Early Christian Studies

George Kalantzis, Ph.D., F.R.Hist.S. on LinkedIn linkedin

Biography

On a leisurely walk by the river Ilisus, just outside the walls of the ancient city, Socrates responds to his persistent interlocutor, “You know, Phaedrus, writing shares a strange feature with painting. The offsprings of painting stand there as if they were alive, but if anyone asks them anything, they remain most solemnly silent. The same is true of written words” (Phaedrus 275d).

I was born and raised by the shadow of the Acropolis, a stone's throw away from the bank of the Ilisus river where Socrates took the young Phaedrus for that famous walk; and though the sounds and smells of the megalopolis have for generations replaced the bucolic descriptions of Plato, the ancient sentiments remain the same: writing and, even more, reading, is a tricky business; especially as one engages sacred Scripture and the history and theology of the Church. This endeavor, most rewarding of all, demands attention, perseverance, and a curious and open mind to really engage the multifaceted vision of the Painter, the author of the beauty that confronts us.

My research and writing interests focus on this dynamic relationship between the written documents and their interpretation in early Christianity. I pay particular attention to the development of Christological and Trinitarian thought, as well as the interplay of classical Greco-Roman and early Christian philosophical understandings, biblical hermeneutics, and ethics. Whether I study history or theology, first I seek to study the subject within its own historical, theological, and socio-political context so that I may understand it on its own terms; only then do I attempt to interpret it diachronically and explore its impact on theology and the life of the Church today. 

For almost thirty years I have had the opportunity to teach undergraduate and graduate students as they prepare to engage the world and the Church. Together, we are challenged to allow ourselves to become agents of change in a world in desperate need of God; to learn how to be, in Stanley Hauerwas' words, “a community of character.”

As I have had the opportunity to travel to post-war and post-disaster areas throughout the world and to serve as a Senior Fellow with the International Association for Refugees (IAFR) in the past decade, the urgency of developing such communities has become ever more clear.  That is why I also write, teach, and lecture nationally and internationally on ethics, human rights, and on the plight of persons seeking refuge from forced displacement.

My wife, Irene, and I share this goal and vision with our local congregation where we serve in missions, the worship arts programs, and in adult and children’s education.

Education

Northwestern University
Ph.D., Religious and Theological Studies, 1997

Garret-Evangelical Theological Seminary
M.T.S., History of Christianity (Patristics), 1994

Moody Graduate School
M.A.B.S., Biblical Studies, 1993

Northeastern Illinois University
M.S., Biology, 1993

University of Illinois at Chicago
B.S., Biology, 1990

Areas of Expertise

  • Historical Theology
  • Patristics
  • Church Fathers
  • Eastern Orthodoxy
  • Ethics in the Early Church
  • Christology and Trinity in the Early Church
  • Race & Gender in early Christianity
  • Theological Politics
  • Pacifism and Peacemaking
  • Church-State Relation
  • War and Military Service
  • Christian Martyrdom
  • Church Culture

Professional Affiliations

  • The Royal Historical Society (FRHistS): Fellow 
  • Association Internationale des Études Patristiques (AIEP): Member
  • North American Patristics Society (NAPS): Member
  • Institute for Biblical Research (IBR): Fellow
  • Center for Women in Leadership (CWL): Board Member and CFO
  • International Association for Refugees (IAFR): Senior Fellow
  • American Academy of Religion (AAR): Member

Links

Courses Taught

Courses Taught

  • Historical Theology: The Ancient & Medieval Church
  • Early Christianity: Rome to Byzantium
  • Christology and Trinity in the Early Church
  • Christian Thought
  • Theological Politics
  • Gospel, Church, and Culture

Topics of Courses

  • Color & Gender in the Early Church
  • Christianity and Culture in the Early Church (C.E. 100-565)
  • Reading through the Fathers
  • Origen's De Principiis
  • Origen: Theology & Exegesis
  • Theology of Augustine
  • Augustine: City of God
  • The First Christian Histories: Eusebius to Theodoret
  • Anthropology & Hermeneutics in the Early Church
  • Women in History and Theology
  • Church and State
  • Early Christian Attitudes on War
  • Wealth and Poverty in Early Christianity 
  • Love and Betrayal: Kinship and Exclusion in Early Christianity
  • Holy Lands: Ancient and Modern
  • Immigration, Migration, and Forced Displacement

Teaching Awards

  • Leland Ryken Award for Teaching Excellence in the Humanities, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL (2009-10)
  • Outstanding Service Certificate, Faith Passage Spiritual Leadership Development Academy, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, IL (2004)

Fellowships and Professional Honors

  • Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS)
  • Association Internationale des Études Patristiques (AIEP)
  • Senior Fellow of Theological Development, International Association for Refugees (IAFR) (2020-present)
  • Faculty Fellow, Humanitarian Disaster Institute (HDI), Wheaton College (2011–present)
  • The John R.W. Stott Faculty Fellow in Human Needs and Global Resources (2018-2019, 2024-2025, 2025-2026)
  • Series Editor, Ad Fontes: Early Christian Sources, Fortress Press
  • Series Co-editor, Classic Studies on the Apostolic Fathers
  • Member of the Electoral Body for the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens [Μέλος του Εκλεκτορικού Σώματος, Εθνικόν και Καποδιστριακόν Πανεπιστήμιον Αθηνών] (2018-present)

Research Grants

Research Grants and Awards

  • The John Stott Global Faculty Study and Research Leave (2018-2019, 2025-2026).
  • The John Stott Faculty Grant in Human Needs and Global Resources (2018-2019, 2025-2026).
  • W. Aldeen Memorial Fund Grant, Wheaton College, (2010, 2012, 2023, 2024).
  • The Henry Luce Foundation, The Council on Theological Scholarship and Research at the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), “Women in the Church: A Visual History.” Co-directors: Sandra Glahn at Dallas Theological Seminary, Lynn Cohick at Northern Seminary, and George Kalantzis at Wheaton College, 2022-2023.
  • The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) Networking Grant for Christian Scholars, “Patristic Christianity and Contemporary Immigration: An Integrative Exploration of the Tradition for the Present.” Co-directed with Myles Werntz, Abilene Christian University, 2021-2022.
  • The Faculty Global Research Grant Program. Wheaton College, 2018-2019.
  • Chatlos Foundation Grant for the Kakuma Refugee Camp Trauma Care Project (with The Humanitarian Disaster Institute [HDI])November 2016 – March 2020, in the form of five annual grants.
  • Globalization of the Curriculum Faculty Grant (with Jamie Aten and David Boan): Psychological and Spiritual First Aid, 2015-2016.
  • Alumni Association Faculty Missions Project Grant, Wheaton College (2011, 2014).
  • Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion Research Grant (2000, 2004).

Research

  • The development of early Christian (Patristic) theology, especially the doctrines of the Trinity and Christology
  • The relationship between early Christian ethics and current Christian practices (esp. peacemaking, refugee crises, war, wealth and poverty)
  • Alexandrian Theology and Hermeneutics (esp. Origen, Athanasius, Cyril of Alexandria)
  • Antiochene Theology and Hermeneutics (esp. Theodore of Mopsuestia, Nestorius, Theodoret of Cyrus)
  • The Cappadocian Fathers
  • Patristic exegesis and historiography
  • The relationship between Christianity and classical culture and the emergence of Christendom

Media

  • "The Importance of Caring for Refugees" Theology for Life Podcast (available online)

Featuring Drs. Lynn Cohick and Ed Stetzer, with guest Dr. George Kalantzis

In this episode of Theology for Life, Ed and Lynn discuss with Dr. George Kalantzis about the refugee crisis, the realities of life for refugees, and the call of the Church to care for those on the move for whatever reason.

  • "The Doctrine of Incarnation: Why It Matters" Theology for Life Podcast (available online)

Featuring Drs. Lynn Cohick and Ed Stetzer, with guest Dr. George Kalantzis

What does ‘Incarnation’ mean and why is it important historically and today? Why is the doctrine of Incarnation so important for the Church? What are some misconceptions about the Incarnation? And is there a connection between our salvation and our understanding of the Incarnation?

  • "Straddling traditions, new Riverwest church connects with city, history" Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel 

"The plant is part of a decades long trend among some evangelicals to reconnect with the historical church, said George Kalantzis, associate professor of theology and director of the Center for Early Christian Studies at the evangelical Wheaton College in Illinois. Historically, evangelicals have eschewed the "smells and bells" of liturgical traditions, such as Catholicism and Anglicanism, for an emphasis on Scripture, topical sermons by the pastor and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They are often described as hopscotching from the first century to the current year and skipping over everything in between, said Larry Eskridge, associate director of Wheaton's Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals. 'People began to ask themselves what about those other 1,800 to 1,900 years, and finding...'" view more

  • "Why Don't We Find Bloodshed Repugnant Anymore?" Christianity Today 

"Recently other authors have studied early Christians' opposition to bloodshed. And it is no longer possible to deny, as Schaeffer did, that a consistent pro-life ethic runs through early Christian writings. Ethicist Ron Sider's The Early Church on Killing provides comprehensive source material, while patristics scholar George Kalantzis' Caesar and the Lamb, though focused on the church's stance on the military, includes evidence that it opposed abortion..." view more

  • Eager to Study the Early Church Christianity Today 

"When theologian George Kalantzis returned to the Wheaton College campus last fall after spending the summer in the Holy Land, he had a very pleasant surprise. While he was out of the country, two donors had approached the college administration about funding a program that would encourage interaction between Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and Protestantism over their mutual legacy from the early church..." view more

Podcasts and Media Appearances 

Books

      Edited and Co-Edited

Series Editor, Ad Fontes: Early Christian Sources (Fortress Press)

Series Co-editor, Classic Studies on the Apostolic Fathers (Pickwick Publications)

Co-author on Refugee Issues and Humanitarian Development

Select Publications

JOURNAL ARTICLES AND ESSAYS 

  • Kalantzis, George and Matthew Levering, “Theologies of Peace,” in George Kalantzis and Matthew Levering, eds. Theologies of Peace. Special issue of Modern Theology, 41, no.2 (2025), 1-29.
  • Kalantzis, G. “The Freedom ‘To Be’ – Karl Barth on Divine and Human Freedom: A Protestant View.” Θεολογία92, no. 4 (2021), 37-58.
  • Kalantzis, George and Matthew Levering, “Why Think of Divine Simplicity,” in George Kalantzis and Matthew Levering, eds., Catholics, [Orthodox,] and Evangelicals on Divine Simplicity. Special issue of Modern Theology, 35, no. 3 (July 2019), 411-417.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Passibility, Tentability, and the Divine Οὐσία in the Debate Between Cyril and Nestorius.” Studia Patristica 96, vol 22 (Leuven: Peeters, 2017), 249-256.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Y a-t-il un lecture évangélique des Pères apostoliques?” In Hokhma: Revue de réflexion théologique111 (2017), 109-120.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Whose Feet are You Washing? Raising Leaders in the Midst of Suffering.” In A Theology of Japan: Monograph Series 9, edited by Atsuyoshi Fujiwara and Brian Byrd (Saitama: Seigakuin University Press, 2016), 94-100.
  • Kalantzis, G. “The Reception of Augustine in the Orthodox East.” Frontiers of Philosophy in China (Spring 2014).
  • Kalantzis, G. “Creatio ex Terrae: Immortality and the Fall in Theodore, Chrysostom, and Theodoret.” Studia Patristica 67, vol. XV (Leuven: Peeters, 2013), 403-413.
  • Translation of portions of Epiphanius of Salamis, Fragments from Panarion on Melchizedek. In Erik M. Heen and Philip D. W. Krey, eds., Hebrews, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament 10, in ACCS complete digital version, Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2013.
  • Translation of portions of Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Isaiah. In Mark W. Elliott, ed., Isaiah 40-66, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Old Testament 11, in ACCS complete digital version, Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2013.
  • Kalantzis, G. “‘The Voice so Dear to Me’: Themes From Romans in Theodore, Chrysostom, and Theodoret,” in Daniel M. Patte and Vasil Mihoc, eds., Greek Patristic and Eastern Orthodox Interpretations of Romans. Romans Through History and Cultures Series. Vol. 9 (New York and London: T & T Clark/Continuum, 2013), 83-102.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Single Subjectivity and the Prosopic Union in Cyril of Alexandria and Theodore of Mopsuestia,” in Studia Patristica 48 (Leuven: Peeters, 2010), 59-64.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Whose Story is it Anyway? A Response to Warren Smith’s ‘Ambrose, Paul, and the Conversion of the Jews,’” in Ex Auditu 25 (2010), 199-202.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Scripture in Eastern Orthodoxy: Canon, Tradition, and Interpretation,” in Michael. F. Bird and Michael Pahl, The Sacred Text: Excavating the Texts, Exploring the Interpretations, and Engaging the Theologies of the Christian Scriptures. (Piscataway, N.J.: Gorgias Press, 2010), 163-177.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Is There Room for Two? Cyril’s Single Subjectivity and the Prosopic Union.” Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly 52, no. 1 (2008), 95-110.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Theodore of Mopsuestia’s Commentarius in Evangelium Iohannis Apostoli: Text and Transmission.” Augustinianum 43, no. 2 (2003), 473 - 493.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Duo filii and the homo assumptus in the Christology of Theodore of Mopsuestia: The Greek fragments of the Commentary on ” Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses 78 (2002), 57-78.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Ephesus: A Roman, Jewish, and Christian Metropolis in the First and Second Centuries C.E.” Jian Dao: A Journal of Bible & Theology 7 (1997), 103-119

CHAPTERS IN BOOKS

  • Kalantzis, G., “Prince of Peace,” in Constance M. Furey, et. al. (eds), Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception(EBR). Berlin: De Gruyter, forthcoming, Fall 2024.
  • Kalantzis, G., with Elias D’eis. “Angels of Bethlehem in Times of Fear: Holy Land Trust Bethlehem, Palestine,” in James G. Huff, Jr. and Laura S. Meitzner Yoder, eds., Practicing Proximity: Human Needs and Global Resources Partner Responses During COVID-19 (Creative Commons, 2021), 18-21.
  • Kalantzis, G. “‘The Sea Has Betrayed Me’: Broken Journeys and Restoring Survivors to the Image of God,” in M. Daniel Carroll R. and Vincent E. Bacote, eds., Global Migration and Christian Faith: Implications for Identity and Mission (Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2021), 150-165.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Patristic Ecclesiology in the Greek East,” in D. Stephen Long and Kimlyn J. Bender, eds., T&T Clark Companion to Ecclesiology (London and New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2020), 81-95.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Bodies Transgressing Boundaries in Imitatio Christi, in George Kalantzis and David Capes, eds. with Ty Kieser, 'Who do you Say I Am?': Why the Humanity of Jesus Matters (Eugene: Cascade Books, 2020), 113-122.
  • Kalantzis, G. “‘For You Have Been Planted Together With Christ’: Sacraments and the Life of the Church,” In George Kalantzis and Marc Cortez, eds. Come, Let Us Eat Together! Sacraments and the Unity of the Church(Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2018), 184-199.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Introduction.” In George Kalantzis and Marc Cortez, eds. Come, Let Us Eat Together! Sacraments and the Unity of the Church (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2018), 3-11.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Antiochene Theology,” in Treier, Daniel J., and Walter A. Elwell, eds., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Third edition. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2017), 63.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Energies, Divine,” in Treier, Daniel J., and Walter A. Elwell, eds., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Third edition. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2017), 272.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Theodore of Mopsuestia,” in Treier, Daniel J., and Walter A. Elwell, eds., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Third edition. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2017), 873-74.
  • Kalantzis, G. “A Witness to the Nations: Early Christianity and Narratives of Power,” in Kalantzis, George and Gregory W. Lee, eds. Christian Political Witness (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014), 90-111.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Introduction,” in Kalantzis, George and Gregory W. Lee, eds., Christian Political Witness (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014), 9-16.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Who Is God?” in Gary Burge and David Lauber, eds., Theology Questions Our Students Ask(Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014), 44-60.
  • Kalantzis, G. “The Radicalness of the Evangelical Faith” in Kalantzis, George and Andrew Tooley (eds.), Evangelicals and the Early Church: Recovery • Reform • Renewal (Eugene: Cascade Books, 2011), 242-252.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Introduction,” in Kalantzis, George and Andrew Tooley (eds.), Evangelicals and the Early Church: Recovery • Reform • Renewal (Eugene: Cascade Books, 2011), 1-12.
  • Kalantzis, G. “From the Porch to the Cross: Ancient Christian Approaches to Spiritual Formation,” in Jeffrey P. Greenman and George Kalantzis, eds. Life in the Spirit: Spiritual Formation in Theological Perspective. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 63-81.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Introduction,” in George Kalantzis and Thomas F. Martin (†), eds. Studies on Patristic Texts and Archaeology: If These Stones Could Speak… Essays in Honor of Dennis E. Groh. (Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2009), 1-6.
  • Kalantzis, G. “Crumbs From the Table: Lazarus, the Eucharist, and the Banquet of the Poor in the Homilies of St. John Chrysostom,” in Mark Husbands and Jeffrey P. Greenman, eds. Ancient Faith for the Church’s Future(Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008), 156-168.
  • Kalantzis, G. “The Sovereignty of God and Divine Transcendence: Two Views from the Early Church,” in George Kalantzis and D. Steven Long, The Sovereignty of God Debate (Eugene: Cascade Books, 2008), 27-41.
  • Kalantzis, G. “George Kalantzis’s Response” to Process and Open Theology, in George Kalantzis and D. Steven Long,The Sovereignty of God Debate (Eugene: Cascade Books, 2008), 190-193.

ONLINE AND ECCLESIAL JOURNALS

  • “Η Χριστιανική Απολογητική στην Ελλάδα του 21ου Αιώνα,” [Christian Apologetics in 21st ce Greece] Ο Αστήρ της Ανατολής 167, no. 2 (2024, in Greek), 53-57.
  • “Washing Feet and Changing Lives: The Witness of the Early Church for Today,” The Better Samaritan, March 19, 2021.
  • “The Church Doesn’t ‘Have’ Love; The Church Is Love.” The Better Samaritan, March 19, 2021.
  • “‘Fear God. Honor the Emperor’: Christian Nationalism as Misplaced Worship,” The Intersection Journal 1, February 24, 2021. https://telos.toddhunter.org/journal-2021-issue-1/#kalantzis
  • “Muddy Feet at the Table.” Lead Article in Homily Service: An Ecumenical Resource for Sharing the Word, 40, no. 4 (April 2007).
  • “Welcoming the Word: Questions on the Texts for the Day—Palm/Passion Sunday, Maundy Thursday/Good Friday, Easter Vigil/Morning.” Homily Service: An Ecumenical Resource for Sharing the Word, 40, no. 4 (April 2007).
  • “‘A Christian Marriage is True Companionship’—Gregory of Nazianzus, Carmina2.1.262-275.” Kairos Journal (June 2007).
  • “The Duty of a Christian Leader is to Speak Up—Ambrose of Milan, Letter 40, Ad Theodosium." Kairos Journal (May 2007).
  • “The Duty of a Christian Citizen is to Toil for the Kingdom of God —Origen of Alexandria, Celsum 8.73, 74, 75.” Kairos Journal (June 2006).
  • “Nothing Commends the Christian Soul so Much as Mercy—Ambrose of Milan, On the Duties of the ClergyII. 38-39.” Kairos Journal (May 2006).
  • “‘Gentleness and love are the foundations of a strong marriage’—John Chrysostom, Homilies on Genesis7[22].” Kairos Journal (May 2006).
  • “A Confessor's Life Should be Exemplary - Cyprian of Carthage, De Ecclesiae Catholicae Unitate 20-21.” Kairos Journal (April 2006).
  • “Faith, hope, and love transform us into the image of Christ—Clement of Alexandria, Stromateis 5.3” Kairos Journal (March 2006).
  • “Hate sin but love the sinner! Clement of Alexandria, Stromateis 13.” Kairos Journal (March 2006).
  • “How do Christians live? Theophilus of Antioch, Ad Autolycum15.” Kairos Journal (March 2006).
  • “God and the Emperor—Theophilus of Antioch, Ad Autolycum 11.” Kairos Journal (March 2006).
  • “Totus Tuus Ego Sum: At the Grip of the Unsayable.” Aware (Summer 2005).
  • “Πλατωνισμός & Ελληνική Φιλοσοφία: Οι Αποστολικοί Πατέρες – Μετά τους Αποστόλους” [Platonism and Greek Philosophy: Apostolic Fathers—After the Apostles] Ελεύθερο Βήμα 38 (2004, in Greek).
  • “Πλατωνισμός & Ελληνική Φιλοσοφία.” [Platonism and Greek Philosophy] Ελεύθερο Βήμα 37 (2003, in Greek).
  • “Χριστιανισμός και Ιουδαϊσμός στην Έφεσο Κατά τον Πρώτο και Δεύτερο μ.Χ. Αιώνα.” [Christianity and Judaism in Ephesus in the First and Second centuries C.E.] Ελεύθερο Βήμα 36 (2003, in Greek).

Forthcoming Publications

Books (in Preparation)

  • Kalantzis, George and Matthew Levering, eds. Christian Martyrdom. (In preparation, expected 2026).
  • Son of the Living God: Seven Questions that Defined the Development of Early Christology. In Studies in Early Christology, Michael Bird, David Capes, and Scott Harrower, eds. Eugene, OR: Cascade. (manuscript due 2025).
  • Crumbs From the Table: The Eucharist for the Life of the Church. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. (Under contract).
  • With God on Our Side: The Transformation of Christian Attitudes to War and Military Service in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries. (In preparation; expected 2026).
  • Of God and Men: Christian Attitudes to War and Military Service in the Middle Ages. (In preparation; expected 2028).

Chapters and Essays in Peer-Reviewed Publications (in Preparation)

  • “The First Council of Nicaea: Events, Creed, and Canons,” in Michael Bird, Scott Harrower, and Jonathon Lookadoo (eds.), After Nicaea: Creedal Clarifications and Clashes towards Constantinople (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, June 2027).

Presentations

Invited and Named Lectures

  • “What is Truth?” 2024 Commencement Address, Sattler College, Boston, MA (18 May 2024).
  • Τhe Eerdmans Publishers Lecture in Early Christianity titled, “‘Crumbs from the Table: Chrysostom’s Homilies and the Refugee Crisis,” at the 14th Annual Boston Colloquy in Historical Theology (August 2019).
  • Delivered the 2017 Duke Theology and Ethics lecture titled, “‘Fear God. Honor the Emperor’: Sedition or Civil Disobedience in Early Christianity,” at Duke University, (February 3, 2017).
  • Delivered the 2012-2013 Dean’s Lecture Series at Emory University, Candler School of Theology titled, “There Will (Not) Be Blood: Early Christian Attitudes Towards War and Military Service” (Sept 19, 2012).

Keynote Lectures, Workshops, and Presentations

Internationally:

  • The inaugural lecture of the “Κέντρο απολογητικών μελετών Κώστας και Αλκμήνη Μεταλληνού” [“Center for Apologetic Studies Kostas and Alcmene Metallinou”] titled, “Η Χριστιανική Απολογητική στην Ελλάδα του21ου Αιώνα” [“The Place of Christian Apologetics in Greece in the 21st Century”], Athens, Greece (October 2023; in Greek).
  • The annual lecture in the Patristic Series of the Evangelical Center for the Study of Orthodox Christianity (ECSOC), titled: “Λόγος, τέλος, and τὸ ἐφ’ ἡµῖν: A Discussion on Human and Divine Freedom Between Origen and Barth” (February 2022).
  • “Reconciliation: How does One Love One’s Enemies?” at the 19th Annual Refugee Highway Partnership Roundtable – Europe, in Athens, Greece (February 2022).
  • “Why Does the Church Matter in the Time of a Pandemic?” at the 18th Annual Refugee Highway Partnership Roundtable – online (February 2021).
  • Keynote speaker at the joint congress of Protestant and Orthodox scholars on Gender in the Early Church and Patristic Tradition, hosted by The Faculty of Theology of the University of Sofia, Bulgaria, (October 2019). Two plenary addresses titled:
    • 'My Sister and My Teacher’: Women Transcending Their Gender?
    • The Feminine in Christology: The Legacy of Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, and Methodius of Olympus.
  • Keynote Speaker at the 17th Annual Refugee Highway Partnership Roundtable – Europe, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (4-8 February 2019). Four keynote addresses titled:
    • “Narratives, Language, and the Creation of Enemies.”
    • “From Humanitarianism to Philanthropia.”
    • “Church-State Relations: Obstacles to Removing Barriers, Embracing Strangers.”
    • “From Host to Guest and Back Again: A Theology of the Eucharist in Practice.”
  • “Waiting for Godot? Human Rights, Co-Humanity, and the Imago Dei in Evangelical Theology.” Interdisciplinary Conference on “Religions and Human Rights,” at the invitation of the School of Theology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. 14-16 February 2019.
  • “From Humanitarianism to Philanthropia: Christian Response to the Refugee Crisis.” International conference of the International Association for Refugees (IAFR), Sarajevo, Bosnia, 4-8 February 2019.
  • Workshop on “Humanitarianism and the Continuum of Response” at the invitation of the Greek Evangelical Church. The Urban Church, 5 November 2018.
  • “Community of Character,” at the invitation of the First Greek Evangelical Church of Athens, 18 November 2018.
  • “The Politics of Jesus,” at the Free Thinking Zone, Athens, Greece. 20 November 2018.
  • Four lectures at the joint congress of Protestant and Orthodox scholars co-hosted by St. Trivelius Christian Institute and the Theology Department of the University of Sofia, in Sofia, Bulgaria, 12-15 November 2019.
  • Keynote address to the joint congress of Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish, and Muslim scholars co-hosted by St. Trivelius Christian Institute and the Theology Department of the University of Sofia, in Sofia, Bulgaria, 20-30 November 2015.
  • “Y a-t-il un lecture évangélique des Pères apostoliques?” at the invitation of l’Association Francophone Européenne de Théologiens Evangéliques (AFETE), at l'Institut Biblique de Nogent, Paris, France, 31 August 2015.
  • “La théologie des sacrements chez les Pères apostoliques,” at the invitation of l’Association Francophone Européenne de Théologiens Evangéliques (AFETE), at l'Institut Biblique de Nogent, Paris, France, 1 September 2015.
  • “The Reception of Augustine in the Orthodox East,” at the invitation of the Zhejiang Workshop in Research on Augustine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, 15-16 November 2013.
  • “Evangelicals, Scholarship, and the Fathers,” at the invitation of Wycliffe Hall and the SCIO Programme at Oxford University, England, August 8-12, 2011.
  • “Creatio ex Terrae: Immortality and the Fall in Theodore, Chrysostom, and Theodoret.” At the 16th International Conference of Patristic Studies, Oxford University, England (August 8-12, 2011).
  • “Single Subjectivity and the Prosopic Union in Cyril of Alexandria and Theodore of Mopsuestia” at the 15th International Conference of Patristic Studies, Oxford University, England (6-11 August 2007).
  • Led the session Antiochene Interpretation of Scripture at the 15th International Conference of Patristic Studies, Oxford University, England (6-11 August 2007).

Nationally:

  • “Telling Stories in Technicolor: White Marble and Lost Identities,” at the annual Center for Women in Ministry and Leadership conference, “See Her Story: Reading Visual Theology,” Lanier Theological Library, Houston, TX (March 11-12, 2024).
  • “‘The Body Never Lies’– Story, Memory, and the Telos of History,” at the inaugural “The Forgotten Faces of the Church: Women in Ministry and Leadership” conference. Wheaton College (April 20-21, 2023).
  • “Why Do Christians Care for the Poor? A Detour Into the Fourth Century,” at the “Therefore Go: Christians and Cities” conference, Sattler College, Boston, MA (March 24, 2023).
  • “Instruments of Peace: Christian Peace-making and inter-religious conflict in East Africa,” at the Chicago Theological Initiative conference on Theologies of Peace, Wheaton College (March 2023).
  • “Atonement and the Death of Christ: A Conversation.” Panel discussion with Jeannine Brown, William Lane Craig, George Kalantzis, and Roger E. Olson. Lanier Theological Library, Houston, TX (March 4, 2022).
  • “Crumbs from the Table: Chrysostom’s Homilies and the Refugee Crisis,” at the 14th Annual Boston College Colloquy in Historical Theology, Boston College (August 1-3, 2019).
  • Rethinking the Resources of the Christian Theological Tradition: Retrieval, Renewal, Reunion? An International Ecumenical Conference. St. Paul School of Divinity, University of St. Thomas, July 11-14, 2017.
  • “Whose Table is it Anyway? Sacraments and the Life of the Church: A Modest Proposal,” at the 26th annual Wheaton Theology Conference Come, Let Us Eat Together! Sacraments and the Unity of the Church. 7 April 2017.
  • “‘Alone in the desert, whose feet are you washing?’ Christian spirituality and the ethics of engagement,” at The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (16 June 2015).
  • “Caesar and the Lamb: Early Christian Attitudes on War and Military Service,” at the invitation of the Moody Student Theological Society at the Moody Bible Institute (Nov. 7, 2013).
  • “Peace in our Countries,” with Dr. Stephen Fowl, at the Ekklesia Project: Practicing the Peace of Christ in Church, Neighborhood, and Country (13 July 2013).
  • “Evangelicals and the Early Church,” at the invitation of the Candler Evangelical Society at Emory University, Candler School of Theology (Sept 18, 2012).
  • “Universalism and Evangelical Theology” (by invitation). Panel discussion at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS), San Francisco (November 2011).
  •  “Did God Plant a Garden in the Manner of a Farmer? Divine/Human Relationship in Origen,” at the invitation of the Christian Theology and the Bible Group on Patristic Readings of Genesis 1-3 at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), Atlanta, GA (November 2010).
  • “The Reception of Paul’s Letter to the Romans,” co-convened with J. Patout Burns the session at the 2010 General Meeting of the North American Patristic Society (May 2010).
  • “Shall the Twain Ever Meet?” and participated in a panel discussion on Teaching Eastern Orthodoxy in the Academy (by invitation). Annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). New Orleans (November 2009).
  • “Whose Story is it Anyway? Response to Warren Smith’s ‘Ambrose, Paul, and the conversion of the Jews,’” at the invitation of the North Park Symposium on the Theological Interpretation of Scripture (September 24-26, 2009).
  • Convened and chaired the session on “Texts and Context: Reading Material and Textual Cultures” at the 2009 General Meeting of the North American Patristic Society (May 2009).
  • “The Doctrine of the Trinity” at the invitation of the University of Chicago Faculty Speaker Series (February 2009).
  • “‘The Voice so Dear to Me’: The Epistle to the Romans in the Antiochene Tradition,” and participated in a panel presentation on the reception of Romans in the Greek East at the invitation of the Romans Through History and Cultures Annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). Boston (November 2008).
  • "Spirituality and the Mimetic Impulse: Porch, Desert, and Other Unlikely Destinations in the Late Antique Search for the Spirit," during the 18th Annual Wheaton Theology Conference, Life in the Spirit: Spiritual Formation in Theological Perspective (April 2009).
  •  “Crumbs From the Table: Lazarus, the Eucharist, and the Banquet of the Poor in the Homilies of St. John Chrysostom” at the invitation of the 2007 Wheaton Theology Conference on Ancient Faith for the Church’s Future (April 2007).
  • “Is There Room for Two? Cyril’s Single-Subjectivity and the Prosopic Union” at the invitation of the Center for the Study of Early Christianity, at The Catholic University of America (March, 16 2006).
  • “Church History and the Visual Generation,” in the Church History Online Workshop at the invitation of the Association of Theological Schools Commission on Accrediting (October 2, 2006).
  • “The Body/Soul Analogy and the Communicatio Idiomatum in Theodore and Cyril” at the 2006 General Meeting of the North American Patristic Society (25 May 2006).
  • Chaired the session “The Antiochene Tradition II” at the 2006 General Meeting of the North American Patristic Society (25 May 2006).
  • Chaired the session on “Cyril of Alexandria” at the 2006 General Meeting of the North American Patristic Society (26 May 2006).
  • Chaired the special session on “The Making of Clerical Authority” at the 2006 General Meeting of the North American Patristic Society (26 May 2006).
  • “And the Word Became What!? The Hypostatic Union and the Logic of the Incarnation.” Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (26 April 2006).
  • “If the Dead do not Rise…: Memory and the Heroic in Greek and Christian Martyrology.” Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (5 November 2003).
  • Participant in the workshop on Antiochene Exegesis at the 14th International Patristic Conference, Oxford University, England (August 18-23, 2003).
  • “Theodore of Mopsuestia’s Commentarius in Evangelium Ioannis Apostoli: Text and Transmission” at the 2001 General Meeting of the North American Patristic Society.
  • Chaired the special session “Nicene and non-Nicene Theology of the Fourth Century” at the 2001 General Meeting of the North American Patristic Society.
  • “Duo Filii and the homo assumptus: The Christology of Theodore of Mopsuestia and his Commentary on John” at the 2000 General Meeting of the North American Patristic Society.
  • “Scripture and Christology in the Greek Fathers and the Significance for Today.” Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Forum on Theology, sponsored by The Department of Systematic Theology (November, 1999).
  • “A Comparison of the Architectural Elements of the Fifth and Sixth Century Byzantine Churches in the Negev and Constantinople” as part of the Special Archaeology Session titled: “The Negev: A Byzantine Christian Region” at the 1996 General Meeting of the North American Patristic Society.

Videos

 kalantzis-vdeo-screenshot

Defending Constantine? (Dr. Kalantzis' remarks begin at 48:00.)
Nov. 16, 2011

TowerTalk

What is Christian Community?

In this TowerTalk, George Kalantzis, Ph.D., explores the nature of true Christian community. As it turns out, to learn to live like Christians—that is, little-Christs—takes time, patience, and above all, commitment.

 

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