“American Independence and Identity at 250: Examining Democracy in the United States and Globally”
Hosted by Gordon College
June 11-13, 2026
This conference, hosted at Gordon College, will provide Christian political scientists, historians, and sociologists with a unique forum to gather to explore the state of democracy in the US (and globally). The conference will feature stellar keynote addresses, paper panels, workshops, and roundtables. In addition, in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the conference also includes an optional Sunday afternoon excursion into nearby Boston to visit revolutionary sites. Gordon College, in Wenham, MA, is a short drive from historic Boston, and is located near beautiful beaches and woodlands.
Keynote Speakers
Tracy McKenzie
Plenary Address (Open to Public) "The Founders and the Future of American Democracy"
Arthur Holmes Chair of Faith and Learning & Professor of History, Wheaton College. Author, We the Fallen People: The Founders and the Future of American Democracy, and former Chair of American History, University of Washington
Nicole Bibbins Sedaca
Plenary Address (Open to Public) "Freedom in a Changing Global Landscape"
Kelly and David Pfeil Fellow, George W. Bush Presidential Center. Formerly Interim President, Freedom House; Professor of International Affairs, Georgetown University; and Senior Director, Democracy Bureau, US State Department
Allen Hertzke
Plenary Address (Open to Public) "Why Religious Freedom Matters: Human Rights and Human Flourishing"
Professor emeritus, Political Science, University of OK. Author, Why Religious Freedom Matters: Human Rights and Human Flourishing, Freeing God’s Children, and The Future of Religious Freedom; and ten-year member, Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican.
Plenary Panelists
"Possibilities for Covenantal Pluralism in the West"
Dennis R. Hoover
Editor in Chief, The Review of Faith & International Affairs (RFIA). Senior Fellow, Institute for Global Engagement (IGE). Senior Fellow, Love Your Neighbor Community (LYNC). Co-editor of The Routledge Handbook of Religious Literacy, Pluralism, and Global Engagement.
Laura Olson
Herman Brown Chair of Political Science at Texas Christian University. Two-time U.S. Fulbright Scholar to Italy. Former editor-in-chief, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Author, Religion and Politics in America: Faith, Culture, and Strategic Choices.
Judd Birdsall
Asst Professor of the Practice, Dept of Theology and Religious Studies, Georgetown University. Senior Fellow, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. Senior Editor, RFIA. Formerly at US State Dept and U.S. Institute of Peace.
Robert Joustra
Professor of Politics and Spoelhof Chair at Calvin University. Author, Christ and Covenant in Global Politics: A Christian Introduction to International Relations, Co-Editor, Power Politics and Moral Order: Three Generations of Christian Realism. Senior Editor, RFIA.
Stephanie Summers
Plenary Panel (Open to Public) "Countering Political Polarization with Respectful Civic Engagement: Lessons from Civitas"
CEO, Center for Public Justice. Co-author with Michael Gerson and Katie Thompson, Unleashing Opportunity: Why Escaping Poverty Requires a Shared Vision of Justice. Recipient, Duke Divinity Reflective Leadership Award. Former Vice President, Coalition for Christian Outreach.
Michael Hammond
President of Gordon College; former Provost and Executive VP, and former history professor, Taylor University; widely published scholar in American Christianity, including the evangelical movement, the Civil Rights movement, and the intersection of race and religion in 20th century United States history
Ruth Melkonian-Hoover
Professor and Director, Political Science and International Affairs; Co-author, Evangelicals and Immigration: Fault Lines Among the Faithful. Board member, the Center for Public Justice and Neighborly Faith.
Conference Description
This special anniversary year is a fitting time and Gordon College a fitting place to consider American independence and identity, and how the United States has developed as a nation and as the world’s first constitutional liberal democracy. In a time of increased political violence and division, we think it crucial to bring together Christian social scientists and historians to explore these important questions. It has been some time since we have met in this setting, although the need is ever more pressing to gather to consider questions of democracy, unity, pluralism, the imago Dei, the love of neighbor, and the common good. This conference will consider, among other things: means by which Christian political and social thought support a renewal of American democracy; lessons from America’s democratic neighbors and allies; linkages between economic stability and democracy; the impact of security on democratic status; and the impacts of culture and religion on capacities for civic unity—and disunity.
Our conference is funded in part by the Lilly Network and co-sponsored by Christians in Political Science, Gordon’s Center for Faith and Inquiry, the Center for Public Justice, and The Review of Faith & International Affairs. The planning team includes the faculty of Gordon’s political science and international affairs program: Dr. Ruth Melkonian-Hoover (conference director), Dr. Paul Brink, and Dr. Chan Shin. Of note: we will also have a session devoted to considerations of the purpose and continuation of the organization of Christians in Political Science (CPS).
The Lilly Network Grant is helping facilitate the inclusion of three top notch democracy scholars and analysts as keynote speakers (details forthcoming). Come to Gordon this June for a conference that promises to be not only intellectually rich and rewarding, but also much more intimate (and economical) than many academic conventions, enabling more opportunities to further relationships with colleagues, old and new. We also have additional space if you’d like to pay for extra rooms for a spouse and family members (we have quads and double suites in the lovely Chase Hall).
