Illuminate Conference

Jeremy Begbie, PhD, is a theology professor at Duke Divinity School and founder of Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts. His books include "A Peculiar Orthodoxy: Reflections on Theology and the Arts," "Redeeming Transcendence in the Arts: Bearing Witness to the Triune God," "Theology, Music and Time," "Resounding Tr­­uth: Christian Wisdom in the World of Music," and more.

Jessica Hooten Wilson, PhD, is a literature professor at Pepperdine University. She co-hosts a podcast and is the author of several books, including: "Flannery O’Connor’s 'Why Do the Heathen Rage?': A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Work in Progress," "Reading for the Love of God: How to Read as a Spiritual Practice," "Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imagination in the Company of Literary Saints," and more.

John Hendrix, MFA, is well known for both his freelance illustration work—appearing in Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times, to name a few—and his playful sermon sketchbooks. He also writes and illustrates children's books and graphic novels, including “Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien” (Abrams 2024).

Diana Pavlac Glyer, PhD is a professor at Azusa Pacific University where she teaches literature, history, theology, and philosophy in an integrated Great Books curriculum. She is an award-winning writer whose research focuses on C.S. Lewis and the Inklings. A talented ceramicist, Glyer has also written about God’s role as the potter and what that means for us (the clay). The metaphor's implications are rich!

Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt, PhD, is an art professor at Covenant College. In 2023, Baker Academic published her book “Redeeming Vision: A Christian Guide to Looking at and Learning from Art." Weichbrodt's most recent book (2026) is "Look Like a Lady: Five Visual Tropes of Womanhood and How to See Ourselves Differently."

Junius Johnson, PhD, is a Yale-trained scholar of theology, philosophy, and literature who devotes his time to thinking and writing about whatever is good, noble, and excellent, and how to bring these things to bear to nurture meaningful lives. His most recent book is "On Teaching Fairy Stories: Cultivating Wonder in Students through Great Literature."

Mary McCampbell, PhD, is an author, professor, and speaker. In 2022, Fortress Press published her book “Imagining Our Neighbors as Ourselves: How Art Shapes Empathy.” You can find McCampbell’s writing in publications such as Image Journal, The Other Journal, Relevant Magazine, Christ and Pop Culture, and The Curator.

D.S. Martin is poet-in-residence at McMaster Divinity College. His newest collection, “The Role of the Moon” (2025), enters into dialogue with luminaries from John Donne and George Herbert to Gerard Manley Hopkins and Emily Dickinson. Martin’s “Kingdom Poets” blog, launched in 2010, explores writers across the centuries whose work engages deeply with faith in God.

Joe Kickasola, PhD, runs an internship and study program in New York aimed at giving Baylor University students the skills and life experiences necessary to thrive in the world. His professional research focuses on film theory, aesthetics, and the intersection of religion and culture. In addition to academic work, Kickasola has directed and produced projects for distribution around the world.

Rebecca K. Reynolds, MA, is associate publisher for Oasis Family Media and worked on the text for its prose rendering of Edmund Spenser’s epic 16th century poem, “The Faerie Queene” (Sky Turtle Press 2024). She also authored “Courage, Dear Heart” (NavPress 2018), a series of letters written to weary readers in a broken world.

Matt Wheeler, a Pennsylvania-based singer-songwriter and storyteller, draws inspiration from writers such as Wendell Berry, C.S. Lewis, and G.K. Chesterton to create songs which invite us to see familiar truths in a new light. His albums “Wonder of It All” and “A Hard History of Love” blend music with spoken word, creating space for thoughtful engagement.

As much as singer-songwriter Skye Peterson likes answers, her music is full of questions and doubts. Even as she wrestles and wonders, she sings about spring in December and love during lonely weeks. Raised among a close-knit community of Christian artists who don’t fit any traditional mold, Peterson learned to make music that cuts to the heart of it all: who is God, and why does it matter?