"My Father and Your Father"
ON DIVINE FILIATION
June 11-13, 2026 | St. Louis, MO
Featuring
Gary A. Anderson, Michael Patrick Barber, & Robin Darling Young
Co-sponsored and hosted by
The Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology
"... the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace..." (Romans 1:3-5a)
​
"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, 'Abba, Father!' it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ..." (Romans 8:14-17a)
​
"See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. ... Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:1a, 2)"
​
The reality of eternal Sonship within the Godhead is part of the central mystery revealed by Jesus Christ. That finite, fallen human beings can participate in that divine Sonship as "fellow heirs with Christ" by the grace of adoption follows upon that revelation to us. For the sixth annual academic conference of The Sacra Doctrina Project, we invite scholars and graduate students in theology, philosophy, and related disciplines to explore the theme of divine filiation. Applicable topics include, but are not limited to, Trinitarian theology, the nature of familial and covenantal relations, the nature of generation, Christology, the revelation of Christ's actions, Christ's revelation of himself as Son of God and Son of Man, grace as conformation to Christ, sacramental configuration to the Messiah, providence and election, eschatological exemplarity, Biblical themes of sonship and kingship, Christ as moral exemplar, Old Testament typology and prophecy, and so on. ​An emphasis on Scriptural and Patristic themes is especially welcome and encouraged, though not required. All SDP conferences hope to attract theologians from various theological schools and sub-disciplines.
Panels and Additional Papers Requested
For paper proposals, please submit a 250- to 350-word abstract.
For panel proposals, please submit the names of the presenters,
paper titles, and a short description of the panel.
Priority consideration will be given for proposals received by December 1, 2025.
(For panels submitted by December, 1, notification of acceptance will occur by December 15.)
Final deadline for all submissions is January 1, 2026.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Gary A. Anderson
Former Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Thought
University of Notre Dame ~ South Bend, IN
Gary A. Anderson (PhD, Harvard University) was Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Thought at the University of Notre Dame. His numerous publications include: Charity: The Place of the Poor in the Biblical Tradition (Yale University Press); Christian Doctrine and the Old Testament: Theology in the Service of Biblical Exegesis (Baker Academic); The Genesis of Perfection: Adam and Eve in Jewish and Christian Imagination (WJK Press); Sacrifices and Offerings in Ancient Israel (Brill); Sin: A History (Yale University Press); and That I May Dwell Among Them: Incarnation and Atonement in the Tabernacle Narrative (Eerdmans). Professor Anderson has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Jewish Research and the American Academy of Sciences and Letters’ 2024 Barry Prize honoree.
Robin Darling Young
Ordinary Professor of Church History, Emerita
The Catholic University of America ~ Washington, DC
Robin Darling Young (PhD, University of Chicago) is Ordinary Professor of Church History, Emerita, in the School of Theology and Religious Studies at The Catholic University of America. She has edited, translated, and written several works, and has been featured in numerous journals and edited volumes, publishing and lecturing on the history of early Christianity, including the areas of scriptural interpretation, the history of asceticism and monastic thought, and the Christian cultures of ancient Syria and Armenia. Professor Darling Young was recently chief editor and translator of Evagrius of Pontus: The Gnostic Trilogy (Oxford University Press) and is completing a new translation of Origen's Contra Celsum. She is member of the International Theological Commission and of the Eastern Orthodox-Roman Catholic and the Oriental Orthodox-Roman Catholic official dialogues.
Michael Patrick Barber
Professor of Sacred Scripture and Theology
Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology ~ St. Louis, MO
Michael Patrick Barber (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is Professor of Sacred Scripture and Theology at the Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and publications, including: The Historical Jesus and the Temple: Memory, Methodology, and the Gospel of Matthew (Cambridge University Press); and Paul, A New Covenant Jew: Rethinking Pauline Theology (Eerdmans), co-written with Brant Pitre and John Kincaid. His articles have appeared in academic journals such as Journal for the Study of Biblical Literature, Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus, Journal of the Study of Paul and His Letters, and Letter & Spirit. Professor Barber has also written and spoken extensively for popular audiences.
