Professor Named Winner of $25,000 Prize By The Abbey’s Bradley Institute — Univ. of VA's James D. Hunter to Present Research at Institute’s Conference

BELMONT, NC —- What place does the words “morality” and “ethics” have in our society today?

One man knows.

Belmont Abbey College’s Bradley Institute for the Study of Christian Culture will honor James Davison Hunter, a professor of religion, culture and social theory, for his work and research on the topic during the Bradley Institute’s annual Weaver/Ingersoll Symposium on October 21 and 22, 2005 at Belmont Abbey College. For information on tickets and reservations, contact the Bradley Institute at (704) 829-7231 or email at events@bradleyinstitute.org.

Hunter will receive the 2005 Richard M. Weaver Prize for Scholarly Letters and a $25,000 prize during a special ceremony on October 21, 2005 at 5:00 PM at Belmont Abbey College, to be followed by a presentation by Hunter entitled, “Authority and Democracy in Contemporary America.”

The two-day event will also include presentations from a number of other speakers including, Carl Bowman, assistant professor at Bridgewater College, Robert A. Preston, a professor and president emeritus at Belmont Abbey College, Ashley Eckbert Rogers from St. Hilda’s College at Oxford University, Peter Bowman Rutledge, an assistant professor at Columbus School of Law, David Sikkink, director of The Center on Religion at the University of Notre Dame, The Rev. Ronald B. Thomas, an adjunct professor at the Memphis Theological Seminary, and Gregory Wolfe, editor and writer in residence at Seattle Pacific University.


Hunter is a LaBrosse-Levinson Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture and Social Theory, and the director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia.

Earning his doctorate at Rutgers University in 1981, he has been a member of the faculty at the University of Virginia since 1983.

Hunter is the author of eight books and a wide range of essays, articles and reviews concerning the problem of meaning and moral order in a time of political and cultural change in America. In 1988, he received the Distinguished Book Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion for Evangelicalism: The Coming Generation. In 1991, he was the recipient of the Gustavus Myers Award for the Study of Human Rights for Articles of Faith: Articles of Peace. The Los Angeles Times named him as a finalist for its 1992 Book Prize for Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America.

Over the years, he has presented his research to audiences on National Public Radio and C-Span, at the National Endowment for the Arts, and at dozens of colleges and universities, including Columbia University, Harvard, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, and Holy Cross.

In 2004, Hunter was appointed to a six-year-term on the National Council of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Bradley Institute for the Study of Christian Culture at Belmont Abbey College was founded in 1996 by its director, Dr. Robert A. Preston. Dr. Preston had served Belmont Abbey College as its 13th president for six years until his retirement in 2001.

The Bradley Institute provides opportunities for business executives, career professionals and clergy to examine relevant ethical, theological and philosophical topics within the context of their modern lives. Program topics range from business, legal and medical ethics to history and philosophy.

The Institute is named for The Reverend John P. Bradley, former president of Belmont Abbey College and former CEO and chairman of the board of Good Will Publishers of Charlotte, North Carolina. The Bradley Institute, in cooperation with the Ingersoll Foundation, presents the annual Ingersoll Prize.

Ranked one of the best comprehensive colleges in the Southeast by U.S. News and World Report and The Princeton Review, Belmont Abbey College celebrates excellence and virtue steeped in its 129-year Catholic Benedictine heritage. The liberal arts College is home to students from over 34 states and 26 countries and welcomes everyone from any background or tradition committed to this vision of excellence and virtue. The campus consists of the College, the Monastery and the Abbey Basilica, which can be found on its sprawling 650 acres of picturesque landscape.

Just minutes from Charlotte, NC, the nation’s second largest banking center, Belmont Abbey College offers students numerous internship opportunities and career placement.

The College believes in development of the whole person – mind, body and spirit. By offering a wide array of clubs and activities including Division II athletics, theatre, publications, and study abroad, Belmont Abbey College invests in the personal growth of its students.

Founded in 1876, the College celebrates its heritage and is inspired by the Benedictine monastic tradition. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the College and Abbey Basilica greet thousands of visitors each year.

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