91抖阴

CATA Theology Conference

Spirit & Scripture

October 3, 2026

Theology Conference 2026

淪pirit and Scripture,� an invitation to theological reflection on the person and work of the Holy Spirit, the nature and interpretation of Scripture, and the relationship between the two.

The Canadian-American Theological Association (CATA) Theology Conference will be held at 91抖阴 at Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, NYon October 3rd, 2026.

This year's theme offers an invitation to theological reflection on the person and work of the Holy Spirit, the nature and interpretation of Scripture, and the relationship between the two.

CATA encourages submission of high-quality scholarly presentations of about 25 minutes, aimed at an audience of students, pastors, and faculty from across the spectrum of theological disciplines.

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Ephraim Radner is Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology at Wycliffe College, Toronto School of Theology, where he taught for nearly two decades after many years of parish ministry in the United States and Africa. He holds a PhD from Yale University and specializes in ecclesiology, scriptural hermeneutics, Anglican theology, and the theological significance of time and history. He is the author of numerous books, including A Time to Keep: Theology, Mortality, and the Shape of a Human Life (2016) and Time and the Word: The Figural Reading of Scripture (2016), and his work brings together rigorous scholarly inquiry with deep pastoral experience in service of the church.

Conference Schedule

8:00 AM � 9:00 AM

Registration & Welcome

91抖阴 at Roberts Wesleyan University & Canadian-American Theological Association
9:00 AM � 10:15 AM
Main Room � Plenary Address

"Getting Beyond History: An Evangelical Imperative"

Dr. Ephraim Radner
10:30 AM � 12:00 PM � Concurrent Session 1
Room #108

Prophetic and Cultic Critique: Trauma and Justice in the Old Testament

Chair: Josef Sykora
  • "A Priest for a Price: A Socio-Theological Examination of Micah's Cultic Critiques"
    Chris Landon (NES)
  • "An Intertextual Reading of the Shofetim in Judges..."
    Raquel Diaz (NES)
  • "Transhumanism in Conversation with Gen 6:1-4"
    Kristin Helms (Roberts Wesleyan Univ.)
Main Room

Historical Theology and the Spirit

Chair: Jeff McPherson
  • "Communion with God: Trinitarian Spirituality in Owen and Bavinck"
    Aaron Kelley (Haddon Institute)
  • "The Concept of Divine Illumination in Roman Catholic Biblical Interpretation..."
    Harold Shepherd (Anglican Diocese of Toronto)
  • "Spirit and Scripture: Jonathan Edwards and the Theology of Genuine Revival..."
    Kamil M. Halambiec (Regent Univ.)
Room #109

Formation through Struggle, Embodiment, and Limitation

Chair: Beth Gerhardt
  • "Wrestling with the Spirit: Scripture, the Conquest of Passion, and Virtue Formation"
    Austin Spiller (Southeastern Univ.)
  • "Beyond Hyper-Cognitive Discipleship..."
    Andrew Barron (Tyndale Univ.)
  • "The Spirit as Agent of Dignification..."
    Sunny Rao Gandem (NES)
12:00 PM � 1:00 PM

Lunch

Cafeteria
1:00 PM � 2:15 PM
Main Room � Plenary Address

"The Supratemporal Jesus and the Spiritual Reading of Scripture"

Dr. Ephraim Radner
2:30 PM � 4:00 PM � Concurrent Session 2
Room #108

Pentateuchal Texts and the Identity and Action of the Ruach

Chair: Chris Landon
  • "The Exodus Defines the Shema's Meaning"
    Kristian Klepes (NES)
  • "From Geography to Genealogy: The Deliberately Disrupted Structure of Numbers"
    Ambrose Thomson (McMaster Divinity)
  • "The Spirit Kills? Pneumatology and Death in the Pentateuch"
    Nate Wall-Bowering (Providence)
Main Room

Revival, Discernment, and Contextual Hermeneutics

Chair: Rick Wadholm
  • "The Spirit and the Swindler: James and Ellen Hebden's Mission in Jamaica"
    James E. Pedlar (Tyndale)
  • "Does the Spirit Only Speak through Good Exegesis?"
    Stephen Bailey (Northern Sem.)
  • "The Living Word in a Changing Intellectual Landscape..."
    Simon Karani Kariuki (McMaster)
Room #109

The Spirit's Presence and Sacred Space

Chair: Kristin Helms
  • "When the Scroll Becomes a Sanctuary: Spirit, Scripture, and Temple Space in Luke-Acts"
    Michael Blythe (Africa Nazarene Univ.)
  • "Sacred Interruption: Liturgical Narrative and the Phenomenology of Depression..."
    Bradley Strelau (Wesley House, Cambridge)
  • "More Than Power: Recovering the Holy Spirit as the Indwelling Presence of God"
    Tracy Ross (Howard Univ.)
4:15 PM � 5:45 PM � Concurrent Session 3
Room #108

Spirit-Formed Public and Social Ethics

Chair: Andy Koehl
  • "Spiritual Formation as the Pursuit of Humble Fellowship with God and Others"
    Lauren Center Willis (NES)
  • "Poverty Alleviation is Not Optional for Spiritual Formation"
    Kevin McGinn (NES)
  • "The Public Fruit of the Spirit: Exploring Galatians 5, Moral Formation..."
    Heather McDivitt (St. Bonaventure)
Main Room

New Testament Pneumatology: Salvation, Unity, and Charism

Chair: David Carr
  • "Saved by the Holy Spirit: A Neglected Passage..."
    Brian D. Johnson (Northern Sem.)
  • "Spirit Formed Communion as Public Witness..."
    Isaac Boluwatise (McMaster)
  • "The Spirit Who Speaks and the Scripture That Tests..."
    Josfin Raj (Univ. Bonn)
  • "Enlightenment Humanism and the 'Sin against the Holy Spirit'..."
    Herbert Niba (Pontifical John Paul II Inst.)
Room #109

Spirit, Scripture, and the Pressures of Modern Culture

Chair: James Pedlar
  • "Resisting the Digital Principality: A Pneumatological Subversion of Technology..."
    Jeffrey McPherson (Roberts Wesleyan Univ.)
  • "The Social Spirit"
    E. Janet Warren (Tyndale)
  • "Wesleyan Quadrilateral without Prima Scriptura"
    Fidel A. Arnecillo, Jr (CSU)
5:45 PM � 6:00 PM

Closing Remarks

Location

The Theology Conference will be held in the Golisano Community Engagement Center at 2280 Westside Drive, Rochester, NY 14624. Signage for event parking will be visible from Westside Drive. Parking will be available in Lot H behind the Community Engagement Center, Lot I in front of Beeson Apartments, and Lot J outside of Davison Hall.