Research Professor of Theology
Trinity Anglican Seminary
Thursday, October 30, 2025
7:00 p.m.
The Trophimus Center
899 Maplewood Ave
Ambridge, PA 15003
The lecture is free, but registration is required. A dessert and coffee reception will follow.
At the heart of Anglicanism is its devotion to what C.S. Lewis called “mere Christianity.” Lewis was not advocating for doctrinal minimalism when he used that phrase but a commitment to orthodoxy as defined by the creeds of the church fathers. In the twenty-first century, however, that conviction is not easy to stand by when the waves of modernism have been so fierce. Modern theology is marked by a radical redefinition of God, even a departure from the creeds of Christianity, and it has penetrated every corner of Christendom. Anglicanism is no exception. Dr. Matthew Barrett is convinced that if there is any tradition equipped to bring about a renewal of mere Christianity it is Anglicanism. The year 2025 marks the seventeen hundredth anniversary of the council of Nicaea. In this John Rodgers lecture, Dr. Barrett will put forward a vision for the future, one in which Anglicanism radiates as a leading light, exemplifying what creedal fidelity looks like in a secular age. Some might ask, “What hath Nicaea to do with Ambridge?” to which Dr. Barrett will reply, “Everything!” In a day when many do not know what it means to be Anglican, here is a lecture that gives a clear answer.
Dr. Matthew Barrett is Research Professor of Theology at Trinity Anglican Seminary. He is the author of Simply Trinity and editor of On Classical Trinitarianism. He is currently writing a Systematic Theology for Baker Academic. He is director of The Center for Classical Theology and the host of the Credo Podcast.
In 1976, John Rodgers became a founding member of what was then known as Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry. In addition to his role as a professor of theology, John served as Dean President from 1978 to 1990 and returned as interim Dean President for a year, beginning in 2007. Under his leadership, Trinity grew to become the most important evangelical voice among seminaries in The Episcopal Church.
Bp. Rodgers was known throughout the Anglican Communion as one of its foremost evangelical theologians. During his career, he worked alongside other orthodox, evangelical Anglicans to commend traditional Christian teaching as essential for the healing of a fractured world. It is often said that Bp. John’s career was guided by two great loves: Trinity Anglican Seminary and the Thirty Nine Articles of Religion.
For this reason, Trinity Anglican Seminary has established the John H. Rodgers Lecture Series to honor and memorialize Bp. John and to continue his legacy of commending the Anglican way of reformed, apostolic Catholicism. The John H. Rodgers Lecture Series explores theological distinctives of the English Reformation, including distinctives found in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. The lectures are held annually near Reformation Day and launched in 2023.
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