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The James Didier Symposium

On Christ and Architecture

Friday, October 2, 2026 · Judson University · Elgin, Illinois

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The invitation

A day given to one question

What does it mean to pursue Christ in Architecture? The James Didier Symposium On Christ and Architecture brings together architects, designers, academics, and students to explore the intersection of architecture, the city, and its inhabitants with Christian faith and worldview. The symposium seeks perspectives that make visible the nexus between architecture as a making discipline and the theologically derived worldviews held by Judson University and its community.

This year the conversation follows a single thread: natural law and the built environment, approached from theology, from urbanism, and from practice. Three lectures and a midday dialogue take up the same question from different vantage points, and the day is built to leave room for the argument to develop.

Schedule

Friday, October 2

  1. 10:00 a.m.

    Opening lecture, Andrew T. Walker

    Herrick Chapel

  2. 12:00 p.m.

    Lunch and a dialogue between Walker and Philip Bess

    Reed Room

  3. 1:30 p.m.

    Second lecture, Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro

    Herrick Chapel

  4. 3:00 p.m.

    Closing lecture, Philip Bess

    Herrick Chapel

Lecture titles will be posted as they are set.

This year's speakers

Three voices, one question

Portrait of Andrew T. Walker outdoors on a campus lawn

Andrew T. Walker

Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Public Theology; Dean, School of Theology; Director, Carl F.H. Henry Institute for Evangelical Engagement

Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Public Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he serves as Dean of the School of Theology and directs the Carl F.H. Henry Institute for Evangelical Engagement. His research addresses natural law theory, human dignity, and the theology of law.

Portrait of Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro standing at a drawing table in a library

Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro

Founding principal, RBM Architecture and Design

Architect and urbanist working on custom residential design, community urban planning, and the continuing adaptation of traditional values in architecture and urbanism. Winner of the 2022 Award for Emerging Excellence in the Classical Tradition.

Portrait of Philip Bess in front of a brick wall

Philip Bess

Interim Chair of Architecture, Judson University

Philip Bess is an architect and urbanist who argues that the moral order of human life bears directly on the physical order of towns and cities. He is Professor Emeritus of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame and the author of Till We Have Built Jerusalem: Architecture, Urbanism, and the Sacred. He serves as Interim Chair of Architecture at Judson University.

Let us rise up and build.

So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

Nehemiah 2:18

Past speakers

The gatherings behind this one

2022

September 16, Herrick Chapel.

  • Rady Roldan-Figueroa, Boston University, keynote
  • Paul Harding, FAIA, with Dominic LoGalbo, AIA
  • Humphrey Kabwe
  • Victor Rivera-Andino, AIA

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Registration is free and open to the public.

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