Events

2022 Preaching Dates

January 23 — Congregational Church of Middlebury, VT
April 17 (Easter) — Putnam Presbyterian Church, Putnam Station, NY
April 24 — Hebron United Presbyterian Church, Hebron, NY
June 5, 12, 19 — Putnam Presbyterian Church, Putnam Station, NY
July 17 — Hebron United Presbyterian Church, Hebron, NY
July 24 — Grace Memorial Chapel, Sabbath Day Point, NY
August 7 — Mountain Grove Memorial Church, Huletts Landing, NY
August 21 — Putnam Presbyterian Church
September 4 — Hebron United Presbyterian Church
October 2 — Hebron United Presbyterian Church
October 9 — Congregational Church of Middlebury, VT
November 6 — Putnam Presbyterian Church
Advent (11/27, 12/4, 12/11, 12/18) — Hebron United Presbyterian Church

Other Speaking Engagements

HOPE (Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects), Middlebury, VT

September 8, 2022
• Annual donor reception — Keynote address

Rumple Memorial Presbyterian Church, Blowing Rock, NC

May 22, 2022
• Visiting Scholar Program: Conversation on Forbearance
• Sunday morning worship

First Presbyterian Church of Valatie, NY

December 2021
Advent worship services (Zoom)

Congregational Church of Middlebury

November 28, 2021
Sunday morning worship

Hebron United Presbyterian Church, NY

November 21, 2021
Sunday morning worship

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Middlebury

November 14, 2021
American Liturgy book talk

First Presbyterian Church of Valatie, NY

October 31, 2021
Sunday morning worship (Zoom)

Hebron United Presbyterian Church, NY

October 24, 2021
Sunday morning worship

HOPE Reception

HOPE (Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects), Middlebury, VT

October 21, 2021
Keynote remarks

Presbytery of Redstone

Inter-Presbytery Leadership Formation

October 9, 2021
Workshop: “American Holy Days: How to Think Theologically About Secular Culture”

Rumple Memorial Presbyterian Church

4th Annual Visiting Scholar Event

September 26–27, 2021
“Rethinking Christian America” (Zoom)

Alumni College 2021, Middlebury College

August 26–29, 2021
Course: Ethics and Health Care in the U.S.

Congregational Church of Middlebury

May 10, 17, 24, 2021
Book study: “Living Christian Faith in American Culture” (Zoom)

Nehemiah Leadership Network

American Baptist Churches of New York State
February 2, 2021
“Forbearance” discussion (Zoom)

2020 and earlier

Albany Presbytery Workshop

Saturday, October 3, 2020
“Forbearance: A Theological Ethic for a Disagreeable Church”

 

Synod of the Trinity Speaker Series, A Time for Seeking the Beloved Community

Sunday, September 27, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. – Online
Lecture and Discussion: “The Character of the Beloved Community”

Fourth Presbyterian Church Retreat: “Reforming Friendship”

Bonclarken Conference Center, Flat Rock, NC
September 14 and 15, 2019
Keynote, workshops, and sermon

 

Summer 2019 Preaching Dates

June 23 — Congregational Church of Middlebury, Middlebury VT
July 17 — Putnam Presbyterian Church, Putnam NY
July 21 — Grace Memorial Chapel at Silver Bay, NY
August 4 — St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, Groton CT
August 25 — Mountain Grove Memorial Church, Huletts Landing NY
September 15 — Fourth Presbyterian Church, Greenville SC

Civility and Its Discontents

Wednesday, May 1, 2019, 7:00 p.m.
Rutland Free Library, 10 Court Street, Rutland, Vermont

Middlebury College religion professor James Davis will discuss the importance of civility in politics in a talk at Rutland Free Library on May 1 at 7:00 pm. His talk, “Civility and Its Discontents,” is part of the Vermont Humanities Council’s First Wednesdays lecture series and is free and open to the public.

While many pundits lament the death of civility in American politics, others argue that a commitment to civility minimizes our differences in the name of public nicety. In this talk, Davis will explain why civility is essential for a well-ordered democracy.

The Practices of Privilege: A Conversation with Engaged Scholars

Tuesday, February 26, 2019, 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.
Robert A. Jones ’59 Conference Room, Middlebury College

More than an abstract concept or controversial topic, privilege is a set of practices and ideologies that pervade our lived experiences. We hope to unpack what privilege is, how it manifests, and its impact through a conversation with Professor James Davis (Middlebury College, Religion Department) and Professor Errol Henderson (Penn State University, Political Science). Both scholars have approached the topic of privilege from a number of vantage points but this discussion will focus on privilege in the academy, at Middlebury and beyond.

Atwater Dining Hall Dinner immediately following. Free and open to the public.

Sponsored by Rohatyn Center for Global and International Affairs; Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity; Center for Creativity, Innovation, and Social Entrepreneurship.

WORDS MATTER: A Civility Café
Monday, October 29, 7:00–9:00 p.m. — Charlotte Congregational Church, Vermont

Our Social Justice team, in partnership with the Charlotte Library and Rokeby Museum, welcome Middlebury College professor of ethics and Christian studies James Calvin Davis to the Charlotte Congregational Church on Monday, 10/29/2018 at 7 PM for dessert and conversation. At a time in our country when incivility in our national politics is setting an example of incivility for our local communities, and even for our own homes, we will take time to engage the question of civility for the good of us all. FREE.  This café takes place at the Charlotte Congregational Church, 403 Church Hill Road, Charlotte. Dessert and beverages available as we begin our conversation. Free

The Colossian Forum Annual Conference
September 20-22, 2018 ~ Holland, MI

Workshop: Forbearance: A Theological Ethic for a Disagreeable Church
This workshop will explore an understanding of the idea that goes beyond resigned tolerance. Together, we will consider the virtues that contribute to forbearance, as well as how forbearance reshapes other important Christian commitments, like the defense of truth, the pursuit of justice, and our public witness to the faith.

Wednesday, April 4 | 4:30 – 6pm, Franklin Environmental Center, Middlebury College

James Davis, Professor of Religion, will give this week’s Carol Rifelj Faculty Lecture:
“Is Civility Dead? Religion, Political Virtue, and Deliberative Democracy in the Age of Trump”

Since the 2016 presidential campaign, many pundits have lamented the death of anything that resembles civility in American politics. But other observers argue that the idea of civility is unproductive or even dangerous, because it demands that we minimize our differences in the name of public nicety. In this talk, we will consider what it means to talk of civility as something more than politeness, but rather as a set of moral norms for political culture that is compatible with the honest negotiation of difference—and with social protest. We also will explore the potential for religious communities to serve as “schools of civility” for the larger society.

~~Free and open to the public~~

 

Faculty on the Road: Insight and Conversation with Middlebury Professors

A lecture by James Calvin Davis sponsored by the Philadelphia Chapter of the Middlebury Alumni Association
Thursday, March 1, 2018 at 6:00 p.m.

“Is Civility Dead? Religion, Political Virtue, and
Deliberative Democracy in the Age of Trump”

A lecture with Middlebury Professor of Religion James Calvin Davis sponsored by the D.C. Chapter of the Middlebury Alumni Association

Thursday, January 25, 2018
6:00 p.m.
Middlebury in D.C. Office
1400 K Street, NW
Suite 1225
Washington, DC

Advance registration is required ~ Space is limited
RSVP to alumni@middlebury.edu

 

Book Discussion

What: Discussion of Forbearance: A Theological Ethic for a Disagreeable Church
When: Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Where: Congregational Church of Middlebury, Unity Hall

Come participate in a book signing and discussion with James Calvin Davis. Books will be available to purchase from the Vermont Book Shop, and light refreshments will be served!