Littleton, Colo. – Amidst the ongoing spotlight on gun violence in political discussions, school safety conversations, and community forums, the Church has frequently remained on the sidelines of conversations. On Fri., April 19, the Gospel Initiative at Denver Seminary will take a proactive stance hosting the “Compelling and Credible Witness: The Church and Gun Violence” conference.

Renowned gun violence expert and MacArthur Fellow Dr. Jennifer Carlson will lead discussions aimed at fostering meaningful engagement with this issue.

Registration for the conference is at DenverSeminary.edu/TGI. The event is free and open to the public and runs from 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Attendees can participate in person at the Seminary or online. Registration is required.

The Church must be willing to engage in conversations around this topic, said Dr. Patty Pell, executive director of The Gospel Initiative.

“In a society plagued by the escalating toll of gun violence, silence is not an option for the Church. As Christians, we must confront the moral and political complexities surrounding guns, to find solutions that honor both legal rights and moral imperatives,” said pell.

Dr. Carlson’s acclaimed research delves into the intricacy of guns in American society, examining various facets including the experiences of gun violence survivors, the role of law enforcement in enforcing gun laws, and the dynamics within the gun retail industry. Carlson is the author of Citizen-Protectors: The Everyday Politics of Guns in an Age of Decline, Policing the Second Amendment: Guns, Public Law Enforcement and the Politics of Race, and Merchants of the Right: Gun Sellers and the Crisis of Democracy. She has contributed to the public conversation on guns in a variety of platforms, from NPR and PBS to the Aspen Ideas Festival, and she has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, among others. 

Joining Dr. Jennifer Carlson as a keynote presenter is Professor of Philosophy at Eastern Kentucky University and author Dr. Michael Austin. Austin is a Bonhoeffer senior fellow of the Miller Center for Interreligious Learning and Leadership at Hebrew College, and current president of the Evangelical Philosophical Society. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Colorado, Boulder and an M.A. in philosophy from Talbot School of Theology. Austin has published 15 books, including God and Guns in America. His next book, due out later this year, is American Christian Nationalism: Neither American nor Christian.

Participants can register to attend the conference in-person at Denver Seminary, 6399 S. Santa Fe Dr., Littleton, Colo., 80120, or via livestream, for no charge at DenverSeminary.edu/TGI.

For more information, contact TGI Director of Public Engagement Jason Woodman.