The Three Hierarchs Academic Lecture Series was established to celebrate our fathers among the saints, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian & John Chrysostom, Ecumenical Teachers of Christendom and the patron saints of Greek Letters and learning.
This earthly trinity has taught us in their writings and through their lives to worship and glorify the Holy Trinity, the One God in three Persons.
We have received a most sacred inheritance as their descendants; an inheritance shared in this Lecture Series by these pious Christian and distinguished academics.
2026 (Saturday, January 24, 6 PM)
“What You Do to the Least of These: Human Trafficking and the Body of Christ”
Rev. Dr. Fr. Peter J. Spiro (Padre) is a Greek Orthodox priest of 28 years and a longtime law enforcement chaplain, currently serving as Chief Chaplain of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), where he oversees statewide chaplaincy and contributes to the Human Trafficking Unit. His doctoral work on “Theology of Lethal Force” was used during the Iraq War and earned him the honorary title of Colonel in the U.S. Army’s 75th Division.
Father Peter directs the TBI’s PROTECT program, educating faith communities on trafficking awareness, and also leads the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese FREEDOM Ministry, training clergy nationally and internationally. He has presented at major forums including the UN, World Council of Churches, CEDAW in Geneva, and the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference, and has trained parishes across the U.S., the Bahamas, and Europe. He is the Founder and Director of the ARISTEVI Foundation, a Nashville-based nonprofit supporting over 100 trafficking survivors with education, housing, clothing, and spiritual care. He is also developing a free medical clinic for survivors. His Chapel of Saint Barbara, serving both TBI personnel and survivors, was declared the “Shrine for Human Freedom” by the Holy Eparchial Synod under Archbishop Elpidophoros. Father Peter serves on multiple anti-trafficking councils, including Tennessee’s statewide and regional task forces, and partners with the Nashville court system on high-risk cases. He has been featured on Sean Hannity, Ancient Faith Radio, PBS, and was awarded the inaugural Warrior Award from Athena’s Court in 2025.
Married with three children, he is also a skilled guitarist and has recorded with Nashville artists.
2024
“Journeying with the Psalms of Ascent and Lament”
February 2024
Carlos Colón
B.M. from Belmont University and an M.M. from Baylor University
Carlos Colón was born in Chalchuapa, El Salvador. His music has been performed at festivals in the United States and abroad. More recently, his compositions have appeared in the Calvin Worship Symposium, Venezuela National Radio, and the Festival de Música Contemporánea of El Salvador. His music has also received acclaim in England, Cuba, and other countries. Colón’s international heritage and personal experience of civil war inform his compositions’ calls to justice, peace, and beauty.
2023
February 25, 2023
Rev. Kevin Adams, D.Min
Mdiv, Calvin Theological Seminary, DMin, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Kevin J. Adams is the founding and senior pastor of Granite Springs Church in greater Sacramento, California, and a program affiliate at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Formerly the director of formation at the Newbigin House of Studies, San Francisco, he has taught at Calvin Theological Seminary, Western Theological Seminary, and William Jessup University. His books include 150: Finding Your Story in the Psalms, The Gospel in a Handshake: Framing Worship for Mission, and Living Under Water.
2022
“With the fear of God, faith and love draw near” A call for Eucharistic Participation
February 5, 2022
Jessica Rentz, M.A.R. History of Christianity
3rd Year PhD Student, the Catholic University of America
2020
Justifying Galatians
February 8, 2020
Duane Johnson, Author of “To the Galatians: A Translation and Commentary."
MA, Ohio State University, MDiv, St. Vladimir Seminary
2019
Rationality & Christian Belief
February 2, 2019
Professor Richard Otte, PhD
Professor Emeritus at the University of California at Santa Cruz
2018
Deliver us from Danger and Distress: Praying the Scriptures in the Early Church
January 31, 2018
Dr. Bruce Beck, PhD
Assistant Professor of New Testament at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology & Director of the Religious Studies Program at Hellenic College
ThD, Harvard Divinity School
2016
Inquiry Seeking Wisdom: Why Christian Higher Education Matters
January 30, 2016
Frank J. Papatheofanis, M.D., M.P.H, MLitt (Div) Ph.D. (Illinois, Johns Hopkins)
Founder and President of Saint Katherine College
2015
Recovery from Addiction: A Kenotic Theology
January 31, 2015
Rev. Dr. Timothy J Meier, SJ, PhD
Chaplain (Major) California Army National Guard
Ph.D., Stanford University
2014
Penitent Characters and the Character of Repentance: Biblical Interpretation in the Hymnography of the Early Church
February 9, 2014
Dr. George Parsenios
Associate Professor of New Testament & Chair of the Department of Biblical Studies Princeton Theological Seminary
Ph.D., Yale University
View it here: http://vimeo.com/87142803
2013
Eastern Christianity and Islam: Conflict and Cooperation in the Middle Ages
Sunday, January 27, 2012
Dr. John Thomas, Independent Scholar
Adjunct Professor, Patriarch Athenagoras Institute
Ph.D., Harvard University
2012
The Iconic Face of Christ
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Dr. Gary Vikan, Director of the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD,
Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins University, Department of Art History & Faculty, Johns Hopkins University School of Continuing Studies
Ph.D., Princeton University
2011
The New Atheism and Beyond? Reestablishing the relationship between science & religion
Dr. Daniel Buxhoeveden, Research Associate Professor of Biological Anthropology at the University of South Carolina
JD, Loyola University, Ph.D., University of Chicago
View it here: https://vimeo.com/19627773
2010
Origin of Alexandria, A Great Hellenistic Father of the Church
Dr. Kevin Starr, State Librarian Emeritus
Ph.D., Harvard University
2009
“A Journey through Greek Letters”
Dr. Theony Condos, Professor of Classics, University of California, Santa Barbara
Ph.D., University of Southern California