Reading the Bible and the World
Protestant Wisdom Foundations I
A RESIDENTIAL summer program With Dr. Joseph Minich
July 13-17, 2026
St. Cloud, FL
“I think every Christian would come away from this course with skills to help them think wisely about their faith and God’s creation.”
Coleman Rafferty
About the Program
This residential course will introduce you to the patterns of God’s self-revelation in his world and his Word, to tools and strategies employed by the church historically and today for reading this revelation well, and to wisdom in applying this discernment of God’s will to your own life and calling.
Each day will begin with Scripture study on a passage relevant to the theme of the course, with afternoons spent in lectures and Socratic discussion seminars. In addition to accessible contemporary introductions, students will grapple with key texts in the Christian tradition that shed light on the relationship of Word and world.
All Are Invited to Apply
Cost: $850
This includes all of your meals, room and board.
For Davenant Hall Students: If you are pursuing the M.Litt degree, participation in this residential program is required. It is worth 2 credits.
More Information
Readings
The Lord reveals his glory to us through what many of our fathers in the faith called his “two books”: Scripture and nature. Both lie open to us: the latter sufficient to render us without excuse, the former sufficient to make us wise unto salvation, and both together sufficient to guide our footsteps faithfully on the tortuous paths of discipleship that lie before us. However, we are fools if we imagine that the clarity of God’s communication to us excuses us from the duty of being good readers. The great calling of every Christian is to grow in our skills of learning to attentively, discerningly, humbly read and interpret God’s revelation in both Scripture and nature, standing on the shoulders and sitting at the feet of the church’s wisdom through the centuries.
Readings will include selections from:
- Pierre-Marie Emonet, The Dearest Freshness Deep Down Things
- Pierre-Marie Emonet, God Seen in the Mirror of the World
- Pierre-Marie Emonet, The Greatest Marvel of Nature
- John Hilber, Old Testament Theology and Divine Accommodation
- C.S. Lewis, Discarded Image
Together, readings and discussions will provide an intense but rewarding time of intellectual stimulation, laying a foundation for faithful Christian discipleship in the modern world, rooted in the wisdom of the past.
Travel & LODGING
Please schedule your flight into Orlando International Airport (MCO) for July 12. You may schedule your return flight on the evening of July 17 or on July 18. To learn about our group housing, please contact Julia Thiele at [email protected]
Instructor
Dr. Joseph Minich (PhD, The University of Texas at Dallas) is Faculty Chair and Professor of Philosophy at Davenant Hall. As part of his work, he also co-hosts the Pilgrim Faith podcast. The founding editor of Ad Fontes and former Editor-in-Chief of the Davenant Press, he is the author of Enduring Divine Absence (Davenant Press, 2018) and Bulwarks of Unbelief: Atheism and Divine Absence in a Secular Age (Lexham Press, 2023). His public writing can be found at The Calvinist International, Mere Orthodoxy, Modern Reformation, and Ad Fontes.
Please Join Us!
Questions about curriculum?
Contact Joe Minich at [email protected]
Questions about program logistics?
Contact: Tim Jacobs at [email protected]