2026 Canon & Creed Conference: 𝑼𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎𝒔

In a time of cultural upheaval and post-Covid uncertainty, many Christians feel disoriented—frustrated by government overreach, alienated by secular ideologies, and burdened by the sense that their faith is increasingly out of step with public life. From pandemic mandates to political polarisation, the church is grappling with how to live faithfully in a world that often seems indifferent or hostile to its convictions. The questions weigh heavily: How should Christians relate to governing authorities? Can believers participate in public life without compromising their faith? What does it mean to live as citizens of heaven while residing in earthly societies?The 2026 Canon & Creed Conference takes up these pressing concerns under the theme: 𝑼𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎𝒔: 𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕’𝒔 𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝑪𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆. In an age of confusion and cultural drift, the conference does not offer simplistic answers or reactionary slogans. Instead, it turns to the deep wells of Reformed and Confessional theology—a tradition richly equipped to speak to questions of authority, citizenship, and faithful presence.𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬:𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝗩𝗮𝗻𝗗𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗻: Dr David VanDrunen is the Robert B. Strimple Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics at Westminster Seminary California, where he has taught since 2001. A minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, he previously pastored Grace OPC in Illinois and has served on the denomination’s Committee on Christian Education since 2005.𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆: Nick Clevely is the pastor of Covenant Grace Baptist Church in New Zealand. He is also a co-host of the Two-Age Sojourner podcast; and adjunct faculty at Trinity Theological Institute in New Zealand.𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀: Dr Benjamin Saunders is an associate professor at Deakin University’s law school. He holds a PhD from the University of Queensland and researches in constitutional law, and Christianity and law. His publications include Recovering Natural Law: A Guide for Protestants (Lexham Press, 2025); a critical modern edition of John Ponet’s Short Treatise of Political Power (Davenant Institute, 1556) with Theodora Saunders; The Crisis of Civil Law: What the Bible Teaches about Law and What It Means Today (Lexham Press, 2024) and Responsible Government and the Australian Constitution: A Government for a Sovereign People (Hart, 2023).