The idea of KATS started with a realization: a lot of folks in the Kentucky orbit are also in the analytic theology orbit. So, why not get together occasionally and talk theology?

That’s the idea, plain and simple. KATS isn’t associated with any academic institution, but it imitates an academic seminar. In short, the goal of KATS is a space for Christian academics to present work and receive thoughtful, critical, and charitable feedback. Presenters are invitation-only, but open to nominations. Please fill out the form below if you’re interested in presenting.

Anyone is welcome to attend—academic or not, theologian or not, analytic or not. But, “analytic theology” gives you an idea of what to expect at KATS. We’ll discuss theology with a willingness to engage philosophy and with a deep concern for clarity and precision. That doesn’t mean, of course, that there won’t also be a deep concern for Scripture or the theological tradition or other branches of philosophy. There absolutely will be! So, we more than welcome you and your particular perspective, even if you don’t consider yourself an “analytic theologian.”

We also invite non-academics to participate, but with this warning: the presentations and discussions will be at an academic level. So expect some jargon or technical terms. But we’d be delighted if you joined in on the discussion,  even if you’ve not had theological training.

Since KATS is still new, we’re trying to get the word out a bit. So please do us the favor of sharing this page with anyone you think is a good fit or might be interested.

We meet once per month, usually on the first Monday or Wednesday of the month.

KATS meets at Lewis House. Lewis House is a non-denominational Christian study center on the University of Kentucky campus. The goal of Lewis House  is thoughtful Christian engagement at the intersection of faith and academia. You can read more about the ministry here.

Lewis House is also the temporary home of Christian Student Fellowship, a large campus ministry on UK’s campus (and from which Lewis House was launched). Because of that, Lewis House currently shares the space, especially in the evenings. That means that when KATS meets (on Monday evenings), there will be other CSF events happening, too. KATS will meet in the basement of Lewis House, which should be private enough. It can get a little loud upstairs sometimes, but it’s doable for a temporary solution.

Because of the other CSF events in the Spring, parking could be tricky. But we have this handy parking guide for you. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Derek at [email protected] if you have questions about this.

See below for more about the typical meeting schedule. Assuming you’re not presenting, your role at KATS is simple:

1. Read the article before the meeting
2. Show up
3. Ask questions or offer feedback during the feedback time

Easy, right? We should add: you’re welcome even if you haven’t read the article. But we encourage everyone to read the article because the presenter will not read the entire paper at the meeting.

While there will likely be exceptions, a typical meeting will follow this format:

• Opening comments and announcements from the moderator
• Presenter offers a 10-15 minute summary of the paper’s argument
• A Responder then offers a 5-10 minute prepared response to the paper
• The moderator then opens up for the feedback session (~30-45 min). In this time, the floor is open for all who wish to ask questions or offer feedback. The presenter can respond to each question or feedback if they wish.

Everything is fairly informal. We usually start at 7 PM and end around 8:15 PM. A few of us will hang around after for conversation. Light refreshments provided.

SPRING 2024 

Wednesday, January 24th | Brad Barlow (Oxford University), “Getting Beyond Scarcity: Christian Ethics and the Economic Problem” [Nicholas Grounds Responding]

Wednesday, February 7th | Scott Davison, “The Ethics of Goodbye” [Claire Peterson Responding]

Friday, February 16th KATS One-Day Conference – Individuals and Communities: Social Ontology for the Church (Featuring presentations by Joshua Cockayne, Koert Verhagen, Jonathan Rutledge, and David Bradshaw)

Wednesday, March 6th | Scott Williams (University of North Carolina), “One God” and the Filioque [Derek King Responding]

Wednesday, April 3rd | Sydney Penner (Asbury University), “Some Questions about the Imago Dei” [Kevin Kinghorn Responding]