January 20, 2009
Dr. J. Todd Billings, Assistant Professor of Reformed Theology at Western Theological Seminary, has received a 2009 John Templeton Award for Theological Promise. Given to only 12 scholars each year, this prestigious international award recognizes, in the words of BBC News, “the most promising young theologians in the world” on the basis of their doctoral dissertations or first books related to God and spirituality.
Dr. Billings’ award includes a $10,000 prize and an additional $10,000 for travel costs to deliver public lectures at universities around the world. He will travel to Heidelberg, Germany in May to receive the Templeton Award, along with 11 other winners coming from Norway, the U.K., Germany, and the U.S.A. Remarkably, another scholar from Holland, Michigan is also a worldwide winner: Assistant Professor of Religion Alyssa Lyra H. Pitstick of Hope College. Together the winners will participate in a colloquium with senior scholars and will give presentations of their next major research projects.
Dr. Billings won the award on the basis of his book, Calvin, Participation, and the Gift: The Activity of Believers in Union with Christ, a work revised from his Harvard doctoral dissertation and published by Oxford University Press in 2007. In this book, Dr. Billings examines a significant but underappreciated theme in Calvin’s theology—that of participation in Christ by the Spirit. He argues that Calvin advocates an active role for human agency enlivened by the Spirit, who restores the primal, good nature of human creatures—a restoration that empowers spiritual practices such as prayer and the sacraments, as well as the pursuit of love and justice in the church and society. Dr. Billings is currently working on two more books, one of which extends certain themes on the Lord’s Supper in Calvin, Participation, and the Gift.
Both the academy and the church need to read this book in order to be reminded that Calvin's voice remains amazingly relevant and important, even after 500 years."
-- The Rev. Gregg A. Mast, Ph.D.
President, New Brunswick Theological Seminary
Established in 2005, The Templeton Award for Theological Promise is the largest academic prize designated for junior scholars of religion. A board of 25 international scholars from all major faith traditions ranks the submitted works to evaluate whether the works are of international significance in the field. Funding for the award comes from the John Templeton Foundation, established in 1987 by Sir John Mark Templeton as a financial catalyst for discovery in areas engaging life’s greatest questions.
“The faculty of Western Seminary is delighted to celebrate this important achievement of our colleague, Dr. Todd Billings,” says Dr. Leanne Van Dyk, Vice President for Academic Affairs. “His passion for the faith, for the church, and for our students is such a valuable contribution to our community.”