A white chapel with a bell tower stands in the background, while the foreground features portraits of speakers and event details for the James Didier Symposium 2026.

Judson University A Baptist Institution

LXCL:Herrick Chapel | 10:00 AM | 11:00 PM | 2:45 PM Join us for special presentations featuring keynote speaker, Dr. Andrew Walker, Judson University Architecture Department Chair, Professor Philip Bess, and invited speaker Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro.

Lecture Registration

LXCL:Registration for luncheon on campus in the Reed Room of Lindner Tower between lectures.Registration must be received no later than Friday, September 25.

Luncheon Registration

The James Didier Symposium 2026 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. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Andrew Walker&nbsp;Dr. Andrew Walker is an American academic, author, and professor of Christian ethics and public theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also serves as Associate Dean.&nbsp; Invited Speaker: Mr. Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro is a Guatemalan architect and the principal of RBM Architecture &amp; Design. His practice includes projects across Central America and the United States, and he also pursues his vocation by teaching at The Catholic University of America and the Institute of Classical Architecture &amp; Art (ICAA), He is a member of the Next-Gen Leaders cohort at the White House Historical Association, and in 2022 received the ICAA&#39;s Award for Emerging Excellence in the Classical Tradition. Chair&#39;s Presentation: Professor Philip BessPhilip Bess is the Chair of the Architecture Department at Judson University and emeritus professor of architecture at the University of Notre Dame. Born in Elmhurst, Illinois to Wheaton College parents and raised in 1960s Peak California, he has a special interest in Baptists, metropolitan Chicago, Savannah, Georgia, and urban baseball parks. His academic and professional work focuses upon the intersection of biblical faith and classical humanist traditions of architecture and urban design in contemporary North America, an interest manifest most recently in multiple graduate urban design studios under the umbrella-title After Burnham: The Notre Dame Plan of Chicago 2019.&nbsp; Hosted by Judson University&#39;s Architecture Department,&nbsp;this event reflects our mission to unite Christian faith, rigorous scholarship, and professional practice. Your registration helps foster thoughtful dialogue on design, worship, and daily life within God&rsquo;s world!&nbsp;

Hi <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip" fr-original-style="" style="color: rgb(42, 42, 196); overflow-wrap: anywhere; user-select: none; background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; margin: 0px; padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; box-sizing: inherit;">First name, Thank you for registering for the James Didier Symposium: On Christ &amp; Architecture. We look forward to welcoming you to campus for this engaging event on Friday, October 2, 2026 at 10:00 AM in Herrick Chapel. With gratitude, Judson University Architecture Department

The James Didier Symposium 2026 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. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Andrew Walker Dr. Andrew Walker is an American academic, author, and professor of Christian ethics and public theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also serves as Associate Dean.  Invited Speaker: Mr. Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro is a Guatemalan architect and the principal of RBM Architecture &amp; Design. His practice includes projects across Central America and the United States, and he also pursues his vocation by teaching at The Catholic University of America and the Institute of Classical Architecture &amp; Art (ICAA), He is a member of the Next-Gen Leaders cohort at the White House Historical Association, and in 2022 received the ICAA's Award for Emerging Excellence in the Classical Tradition. Chair's Presentation: Professor Philip BessPhilip Bess is the Chair of the Architecture Department at Judson University and emeritus professor of architecture at the University of Notre Dame. Born in Elmhurst, Illinois to Wheaton College parents and raised in 1960s Peak California, he has a special interest in Baptists, metropolitan Chicago, Savannah, Georgia, and urban baseball parks. His academic and professional work focuses upon the intersection of biblical faith and classical humanist traditions of architecture and urban design in contemporary North America, an interest manifest most recently in multiple graduate urban design studios under the umbrella-title After Burnham: The Notre Dame Plan of Chicago 2019.  Hosted by Judson University's Architecture Department, this event reflects our mission to unite Christian faith, rigorous scholarship, and professional practice. Your registration helps foster thoughtful dialogue on design, worship, and daily life within God’s world!

Judson University A Baptist Institution

The James Didier Symposium 2026: On Christ & Architecture

1151 N State St

Lecture Registration

Free

Luncheon Registration

Free

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