How to Stay Solidly Evangelical in the Faddish World of Academic Theology - Leonardo De Chirico

Evangelicalism's strength (and weakness) is that it is entrepreneurial. Evangelical leaders can quickly respond to needs and create strategic organizations or creative intellectual projects. In short, Evangelicalism has been influenced by charismatic and creative leaders... and thinkers. Because evangelicalism isn't institutional but is shaped by these strong leaders it also is vulnerable to leaders who are not well-grounded evangelicals. We've seen this over the last few decades as academic theology has been profoundly shaped by fads like Liberation Theology, Process Theology, Openness Theology, Post-Modern [Emergent] Theology, Barthian Theology, and New Perspective Theology. Historical perspective and robust biblical theology allow us to understand and critique these movements. This talk evaluates how evangelical theologians can become wiser and better equipped to evaluate the next academic fad.

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Leonardo De Chirico is the pastor of Breccia di Roma, a church that he helped plant in Rome in 2009, and Chair of the Theological Commission of the Italian Evangelical Alliance. Previously, Leonardo planted and pastored an evangelical church in Ferrara, Italy from 1997 to 2009. He earned degrees in history (University of Bologna), theology (ETCW, Bridgend, Wales) and bioethics (University of Padova). His PhD is from King's College (London); it was published as Evangelical Theological Perspectives on Post-Vatican II Roman Catholicism. His recent books are A Christian Pocket Guide to Papacy (Christian Focus, 2015); A Christian Pocket Guide to Mary (Christian Focus, 2017), Same Words, Different Worlds. Do Roman Catholics and evangelicals believe the same gospel? (IVP, 2021) and Engaging with Thomas Aquinas. An evangelical approach (IVP, 2024). He is a lecturer of historical theology at Istituto di Formazione Evangelica e Documentazione in Padova, Italy. Additionally, Leonardo is the director of the Reformanda Initiative, which aims to equip evangelical leaders to understand better and engage with Roman Catholicism, and the leader of the Rome Scholars and Leaders Network (RSLN).

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