Gratitude To God Conference

You are invited to a one-day FREE event on “Gratitude to God,” where we will have in-depth discussions on the meaning of gratitude by a team of researchers who have collaborated on a 3-year study funded through a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation and how our society, both secular and non-secular, express gratitude. Research topics range from nonbeliever and cosmic gratitude to gratitude shaping suffering and how it is demonstrated among society. Our goal is to provide key takeaways that will invoke gratitude in the daily missions you are on in your career, education and personal relationships.

This one-day conference will include panel discussions, interactive sessions and dynamic plenary speakers. Most importantly, what will be discussed is based on solid research by our team comprised of research psychologists and theologians/philosophers from Christian and secular universities across the country. The targeted audience includes students, pastors and other religious leaders, educators, corporate leaders, and parents so there are plenty of people, just like you, to connect with. Come and be a part of an engaging discussion on how we can better establish a culture of gratitude that you can carry back to your churches, classrooms, work places, and homes.

Conference Speakers

Dr. Pamela Ebstyne King is the Executive Director of the Thrive Center and the Peter L. Benson Professor of Applied Developmental Science in Fuller’s School of Psychology and Marriage & Family Therapy. Her research is at the intersection of human thriving, spirituality, and virtue. Her work combines theology, empirical research, and community engagement to further understand how diverse people thrive in different settings. Pam is an ordained minister in the PC(USA).

Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and the Founder and Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. He was educated in his native Croatia, the United States, and Germany, earning doctoral and post-doctoral degrees (with highest honors) from the University of Tübingen, Germany. He has written or edited more than 20 books and over 100 scholarly articles. His most significant books include Exclusion and Embrace (1996), winner of the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, and one of Christianity Today’s 100 most important religious books of the 20th century; Allah: A Christian Response (2011), on whether Muslims and Christians have a common God; A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good (2011); and Flourishing: Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World (2016). His latest book, co-authored with Matthew Croasmun, is For the Life of the World: Theology that Makes a Difference.

Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D

"We Are What We Thank: How Gratefulness Shapes Our Identity"

Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of California, Davis where he has taught since 1988. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana‑Champaign. He is the author of over 250 original publications in peer‑reviewed journals or chapters and has written or edited eight books, including Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier, Gratitude Works! A Twenty-One Day Program for Creating Emotional Prosperity and The Little Book of Gratitude. A leader in the positive psychology movement, Dr. Emmons is Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Positive Psychology. He has been Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI on $20M of grant projects. His ground-breaking work on gratitude has been featured in dozens of popular media outlets including the New York Times, USA Today, U.S. News and World Report, Newsweek, Time, NPR, PBS, Consumer Reports, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the Today Show.

Hosted by the Gratitude to God research team through Biola's Office of Academic Research and Grants.

There is no entry fee to the conference. Due to generous funding from the John Templeton Foundation, we have made the event free of charge. Please still register so we know how many lunches to purchase. 

For more information: Email gina.turner@biola.edu. 

We look forward to your attendance at this enriching opportunity.