Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing

Faculty Resources

Home/ Library/ Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing/ Saunders Center Faculty Resources
Main Content

Faculty-Focused Events and Opportunities

Christian Scholars’ Conference Panels

Saunders Center Director, Claire Frederick is convening three conference panels at the Christian Scholars Conference June 4-6, 2025, here at ACU.

Christian Scholars' Conference

Conference Sessions

Speakers:

Headshot of Ronnie McBrayer

Ronnie McBrayer

Senior Pastor

A Simple Faith Church

Santa Rosa Beach, FL

 

 

Candace Nicolds

Senior Minister

Brookline Church of Christ

Brookline, MA

 

 

photo of Seth Bouchelle

Seth Bouchelle

Director of Equipping

Exponent Group

NYC

 

 

headshot of Jared Mayes

Jared Mayes

Preaching Minister

Southside Church

Rogers, AR

 

 

Speakers:

headshot of dwight hopkins

Dwight N. Hopkins

Laura Spelman Rockfeller Professor

University of Chicago Divinity School

Chicago, IL

 

 

Headshot of Angela D. Sims

Angela D. Sims

President

Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School

Rochester, NY

 

 

Tanya Smith Brice headshot

Tanya Smith Brice

Provost and VP of Academic Affairs

St. Martin’s University

Rochester, NY

 

 

headshot of dwayne stallworth

Dwayne Stallworth

Author, Lecturer, and Independent Scholar

 

 

 

headshot of Raymond Carr

Raymond Carr

Research Associate, Moses Mesoamerican Archive, Harvard University

Director, Codex H. Long Papers Project

President, Society for the Study of Black Religion

 

Speakers:

headshot of Amy Boone

Amy Nichols Boone

Teaching and Learning Specialist

Abilene Christian University

Abilene, TX

 

 

Rachael Milligan

Dean, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Abilene Christian University

Abilene, TX

 

 

Headshot of Steven Moore

Steven Moore

Professor of Language and Literature

Abilene Christian University

Abilene, TX

 

 

headshot of Cliff Barbarick

Cliff Barbarick

Department Chair and Associate Professor of Bible, Missions, and Ministry

Abilene Christian University

Abilene, TX

 

 

Headshot of Marsha Vaughn

Marsha Vaughn

Professor of Couple and Family Therapy

Adler University

Chicago, IL

Makarios Conference

Makarios Conference Graphic

The Makarios Conference promotes research and discussion of the relationship between Christianity and human flourishing in historical and contemporary perspective, and across the humanities and social sciences. We are supporting ACU faculty through travel grants to each person whose paper was accepted to the conference. Eight faculty will be presenting their research on the relationship between Christianity and Human Flourishing at this year’s conference in Rome, Italy from May 31-June 2, 2025.

Faculty presenting at this year’s conference includes:

  • Lisa Merchant – Family Studies
  • Ryan Richardson – Behavioral Science
  • Todd Womble – Language and Literature
  • Ben Peterson – Government and Criminal Justice
  • Kelly Barneche – Social Work
  • Katelin East – Social Work
  • Jon Camp – Communication and Sociology

Landon Saunders Lecture Series

Miroslav Volf

Scholar, author, and Yale theology professor, Miroslav Volf will speak at the Landon Saunders Lecture Series in October 2025. Professor Volf is the founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, and will speak to a campus-wide audience, to faculty cohorts, and other classes throughout his stay in Abilene.

image of the Life Worth Living book cover by Miroslav Volf  

Saunders Center Staff

Claire Davidson Frederick Photo

Director

Email Claire

Dr. Claire Davidson Frederick

Dr. Claire Davidson Frederick is the Director of the Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing at ACU. Before starting this position, she spent eight years at Lipscomb University teaching in the College of Bible and Ministry and serving as Program Director for the ENGAGE Youth Theology Initiative. Claire has degrees from Rutgers University (BA), Lipscomb University (MDiv), and McCormick Theological Seminary (DMin). Her doctoral project, entitled “Gathered with the Saints: Reimagining Worship in the Age of Coronavirus,” won the John Randall Hunt Prize for Outstanding DMin Thesis in 2021. Her writings are also featured in Finding Their Voices: Sermons by Women in the Churches of Christ (ACU Press, 2015); Women Serving God (John Mark Hicks, 2020); and LEAVEN: Journal of Christian Ministry.

Claire co-planted All Saints Church of Christ in 2016 and served as their liturgist and worship minister until her move to Abilene. Before that, she served as a family minister at the Woodmont Hills Church in Nashville and was an accomplished singer / songwriter in the country music industry for fifteen years. Claire is married to musician Kyle Frederick and has two daughters, one son-in-law, and three free-range grandkids.

Richard Beck Photo

Senior Fellow

Email Richard

Dr. Richard Beck

Dr. Richard Beck is Professor of Psychology and Senior Fellow of the Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing at Abilene Christian University. During his teaching career, Richard has been honored twice as ACU Teacher of the Year. Richard has also been recognized as Honors Teacher of the Year and has won the College of Arts and Sciences Classroom Teaching Award and Faith Integration Award.

Outside of the classroom, Richard travels the world as a sought-after speaker and an award-winning blogger and author. Richard’s most recent books are The Shape of Joy: The Transformative Power of Moving Beyond Yourself (Broadleaf Books, 2024), Hunting Magic Eels: Recovering an Enchanted Faith in a Skeptical Age (Broadleaf Books, 2021), Trains, Jesus and Murder: The Gospel According to Johnny Cash (Fortress Press, 2019) and Stranger God: Meeting Jesus in Disguise (Fortress Press, 2017).

Richard is married to Jana Beck, a high school theater teacher, and they have two sons, Brenden and Aidan. He is an elder and adult faith Bible class teacher at Highland Church of Christ and leads a weekly Bible class for fifty inmates at the maximum security French Robertson Unit in Abilene.