Christendom Lectures: Victor Lee Austin, Jason Staples, & Jeff Meyers

Join us for the Christendom Lectures on January 5-7, 2026, when we will hear from four speakers about how living in the church is to be “Surprised by God,” including talks about Trinitarian theology in everyday life, a re-examination of Romans 9-11 and more.

Our speakers include the Rev. Canon Victor Lee Austin, PhD.; Jason Staples, PhD.; and Pastor Jeff Meyers, PhD.The Christendom Lectures will engage in theological and practical topics that will equip both pastors and laity to think clearly about current theological and social issues that face the Church.

The Christendom Lectures will begin Monday evening, January 5, and feature a Matins service on Tuesday and Wednesday as well as book store vendors and mission organization presentations during breaks.

There also will be a family folk dance Wednesday evening.The deadline for early registration is December 1.

The lectures will take place at Church of the Redeemer, 715 Cypress St., West Monroe, Louisiana.

For more information or for media inquiries, you may reach Jackie Peacock at Church of the Redeemer's offices at amxucGVhY29jayB8IHJlZGVlbWVydHdpbmNpdGllcyAhIG9yZw== or by calling (318) 323-3061.

SCHEDULE:

Monday:

There will be two evening talks, one at 7 p.m. and the second at 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday:

Following a Matins service at 8:30 a.m., there will be two additional talks at 9:15 and 10:45 a.m.

11:30 a.m. Q & A Session

There will be a break for lunch (Lunch on Your Own).

There also will be two evening talks, There will be two evening talks, one at 7 p.m. and the second at 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday:

Following a Matins service at 8:30 a.m., there will be two additional talks at 9:15 and 10:45 a.m.

11:30 a.m. Q & A Session

SPEAKERS:

Rev. Canon Victor Lee Austin

The Rev. Canon Victor Lee Austin, Ph.D. is Theologian-in-residence of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas.

Through his years in the ordained ministry he has served congregations small and large, while also having a foot in the academic world. He has written books, articles, and several blog posts that explore what theological truth means in everyday life.

Among his books are Up with Authority, which tries to show how authority is necessary and can be good for human flourishing; Losing Susan, a theological memoir of his wife, her brain cancer, and their 34-year marriage; and books on friendship, basic Christian teaching, and a "guide" to Christian ethics.

He has two grown children and nine grandchildren.

Dr. Jason Staples

Jason A. Staples (Ph.D., UNC-Chapel Hill) is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at NC State University, where he teaches courses on biblical literature, early Judaism, Christian origins, ethics, globalism, conflict, and various theoretical perspectives in the study of religion and society.

He is the author of Paul and the Resurrection of Israel: Jews, Former Gentiles, Israelites (Cambridge University Press, 2024), which reviewers have called “enormously important and theologically productive,” “an astonishing contribution,” “the cutting edge of Pauline scholarship by a master of his trade,” “arguably the most consequential contribution to Pauline studies since John Barclay’s Paul and the Gift [2017],” and “potentially as ‘epoch-defining’ as Paul and Palestinian Judaism by E. P. Sanders in 1977.”

He is also the author of The Idea of Israel in Second Temple Judaism: A New Theory of People, Exile, and Israelite Identity (Cambridge University Press, 2021), which reviewers have called “a constructive, cogent, and compelling book, the “best academic book I read this year,” and concluded “should accomplish nothing less than a paradigm shift.”

Outside the scholarly world, Jason has also worked in sports media for over fifteen years, providing analysis and digital content for a variety of outlets, including The Wilson Times, InsideCarolina.com (247Sports/CBS Sports), Scout.com, Fox Sports, and the Unconquered Podcast.

Pastor Jeff Meyers

Pastor Jeff Meyers grew up in St. Louis and graduated from the University of Missouri at Columbia ('79). After serving as an officer in the U.S. Army for four years, Pastor Meyers attended Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, but took three years off to teach at a Christian school in Texas. Upon graduation from Covenant Seminary ('88), he served three years as an Associate Pastor in Huntsville, Alabama, and then three years as Pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Houston, Texas.

Since coming to Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church in 1994, Pastor Meyers has earned his Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M) and finished his Ph.D studies (ABD) in Systematic Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary. He is on the Board for Theopolis Institute and serves as an instructor there. Pastor Meyers and his wife Chris give thanks for 46 years of marriage, 4 children and 6 grandchildren. In his spare time, Pastor Meyers enjoys walking, competitive handgun shooting, hunting, photography, science fiction, and cooking.

Pastor Meyers is the author of The Lord's Service: The Grace of Covenant Renewal Worship, as well as two popular commentaries. One on Ecclesiastes, A Table in the Mist, and another recently published commentary on the Epistle of James, Wisdom for Christian Dissidents.

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