Covenant Seminary is pleased to announce that Dr. Steven J. Duby will be the featured speaker for the return of the Seminary’s David C. Jones Theology Lectures in February 2024. Recognized as one of today’s leading systematic theologians, Dr. Duby is Associate Professor of Theology at Phoenix Seminary and the author of the recent acclaimed book Jesus and the God of Classical Theism: Biblical Christology in Light of the Doctrine of God (Baker Academic, 2022).

The Jones Lectures will take place Thursday, February 29, and Friday, March 1, in Founders Hall, room 342 (Preaching Chapel), on the Seminary campus. The lectures are free and open to the public.

Dr. Duby’s lectures will focus on the topic of Christology, looking specifically at the connection between the doctrine of the person of Christ and the efficacy of his saving work in the atonement.

• Lecture 1, “Hypostatic Unity and the Saving Work of Christ,” takes place Thursday, February 29, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Dr. Duby considers the connection between Christ’s person and work broadly through three key theological points and in light of recent debates about Chalcedonian Christology and its bearing on our understanding of the one hypostasis or person of Christ.

• Lecture 2, “Life-Giving Flesh: Deity, Humanity, and the Efficacy of the Atonement,” takes place Friday, March 1, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Dr. Duby zooms in more closely to examine the ways in which the life-giving power of Christ’s flesh and the efficacy of his atoning death are grounded in his deity and how the empowerment, support, and infinite worth of his redemptive death are articulated in dialogue with patristic, medieval, and early modern theologians.

In addition to Jesus and the God of Classical Theism, Dr. Duby’s publications include God in Himself: Scripture, Metaphysics, and the Task of Christian Theology (IVP, 2019) and Divine Simplicity: A Dogmatic Account (T&T Clark, 2018). He holds a PhD from the University of St Andrews (Scotland), an MDiv from Denver Seminary, and a BS from Moody Bible Institute. In his role at Phoenix Seminary, he teaches courses in systematic theology and hermeneutics. His main research interests include the doctrine of God (the divine attributes, the Trinity, and God's relationship to the world) and Christology. Dr. Duby also has a special interest in Thomas Aquinas, post-Reformation and modern Protestant theology, and integrating systematic theology and scriptural exegesis.

Dr. Robbie Griggs, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of the Master of Theology program at Covenant Seminary, noted, “We are excited to have Dr. Duby as the first speaker for the revived Jones Theology Lectures and eager to learn from him as he brings his considerable expertise to this important topic. His exemplary scholarship and profound theological insight are exactly what these lectures were designed to present and serve as a fitting tribute to the legacy of their namesake, Dr. David Jones.”

Named for the late Dr. David C. Jones, long-time Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics at Covenant Seminary, the lectures are intended to honor Dr. Jones’s teaching and influence on generations of our students and to highlight the Seminary’s Reformed theological heritage. By focusing each year on a particular area of theological study with presentations by a contemporary academic authority in that area, the lectures provide an important service to our students, faculty, and community. (See more about Dr. Jones here.)

For more information on the Jones Lectures, check the Seminary’s website again soon or contact Joel Hathaway, Director of Alumni and Career Services, at joel.hathaway@covenantseminary.edu.