Taking its cue from the Nicene Creed’s affirmation of the extraordinary union of God and humankind in Jesus of Nazareth, DITA2025 seeks to foster surprising and generative encounters between those who might not normally meet.
The Nicene Creed takes its cue from a supremely surprising encounter—between God and humanity in Jesus Christ. Nicaea’s central claim is that in Jesus of Nazareth, the living God, the creator of “all things visible and invisible,” has come to meet us as a fully human being (“of one being with the Father”). DITA2025 will explore the potential impact of this extraordinary encounter for the arts, thus carrying forward DITA’s primary work: to explore the limitless potential of the Christian theological tradition as it engages the arts for the good of the church, the academy, and beyond.
The symposium will itself take the form of unusual encounters. By pairing theologians with poets, clergy with novelists, dancers with liturgists, musicians with scholars, the symposium will generate a series of meetings rarely offered in academic and artistic settings. Early-bird registration now open. Get your spot today!
Programming
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Keynotes
Presentations interlaced with improvisation; musical performances framing in-depth conversations; discussions about contemporary literature, faith, and the sacred. Interactive and dynamic, evening keynotes will cap each day with energy, variety, and music.
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Plenaries
What are the implications of the Creed for academics, clergy, and artists today? These conference-wide lectures will begin each day, following chapel, with in-depth theological explorations of key topics from the Nicene Creed and their impact on theology and art.
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Seminars
Inspired by additional themes from the Creed, these lecture-and-panel presentations will reflect on art’s capacity to help us engage theologically with contemporary issues. Seminars will be offered each day by a variety of speakers on a range of key topics.
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Worship
Daily chapel services will open each full day of programming, including prayer, worship, and the Word. The conference will conclude with a full worship service in Duke Chapel on Sunday morning, with Lord Rowan Williams preaching on a key topic from the Creed.
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Workshops
Applied, hands-on workshops offer a chance to integrate the themes and material presented in the plenaries and seminars. Workshop faculty includes a range of practicing artists—such as documentary producers, creative writers, dancers, and church musicians.
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Orchestra Concert
Composed of musicians from the top musical groups in the country and conducted by DITA Director Dr. Jeremy Begbie, the New Caritas Orchestra will present a full-length concert on Saturday evening. Tickets included with registration.
Schedule
Although subject to change, the rubric below presents an indication of the type and range of activities included in each day and an overview of the conference structure.
Thursday, September 4
4:00 PM: check-in
7:30 PM: opening keynote, followed by reception
Friday, September 5
8:15 AM: morning worship
9:00 AM: morning plenary
10:30 AM: coffee break + mingle
11:00 AM: seminars
1:30 PM: seminars
3:30 PM: coffee break + mingle
4:00 PM: workshops
7:00 PM: evening keynote
Saturday, September 6
8:15 AM: morning worship
9:00 AM: morning plenary
10:30 AM: coffee break + mingle
11:00 AM: seminars
1:30 PM: seminars
3:30 PM: coffee break + mingle
4:00 PM: workshops
7:00 PM: evening keynote
Sunday, September 7
11 AM: morning worship in Duke University Chapel
Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts (DITA) promotes a vibrant interplay between Christian theology and the arts by encouraging transformative leadership and enriching theological discussion in the church, academy, and society.
The initiative was established in 2009 at Duke Divinity School by its current director, Dr. Jeremy Begbie, a leading voice in the conversation between faith and the arts. Since then, DITA has established graduate-level courses in theology and the arts, a bi-annual distinguished lecture series, an artist-in-residence program, concerts and exhibitions, and a major trans-Atlantic collaboration with the University of Cambridge. In addition, the initiative supports the work of doctoral students and oversees a co-curricular Certificate in Theology and the Arts for master’s students at Duke Divinity School.
Through these programs, DITA promotes and encourages rigorous scholarly work and effective, imaginative teaching that fosters the biblical vision of a new creation in Jesus Christ. DITA shows how the arts can be powerful media of theological truth.