Thomas H. Lake Scholars are senior faculty members of the Department of Religious Studies at IUPUI named to this position for a three-year appointment. Lake Scholars pursue a program of research, teach a class, and produce a book related to a special topic on religion and philanthropy.

Thomas J. Davis

The current Lake Scholar is Thomas J. Davis. The working title of his proposed project is "Jimmy Carter: A Life of Faith and Good Works."

This project will result in a "philanthropic" biography of Jimmy Carter. He has aggressively pursued a life of "voluntary action for the public good." What is more, his drive to serve the public good, using his status as an ex-president as a springboard, has been driven very much by his religious outlook on life. In our current atmosphere, the place of religion in the public square--as it relates to public conversation, public policy, etc.--is a contested one. This work will not only explore the religious motivation of Carter in his quest to serve the public good, but it will also examine how one navigates the problematics of serving the public good, motivated by religious impulses, while yet recognizing the dangers inherent in thrusting religious motivations into public concerns. Carter's life of "faith and good works" seems to provide a model of balance in this arena, one where "public" and "religious" can coexist without threatening the legitimate integrity of either.

Other interests Professor Davis may pursue include an encyclopedia on Religion and Philanthropy as well as an exploration of the history of exegesis of one of the so-called counsels of perfection uttered by Jesus in Matthew 19:21: "If you would be perfect, take and sell your possessions, and give to the poor. . . ." He will also teach a course on Religion and Philanthropy at the undergraduate and graduate level every spring, and he hopes to develop a series of yearly conferences centered on "Faces of Faith and Giving" in the western religious traditions.

Thomas J. Davis, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair of Religious Studies at the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUIPUI. He graduated with a B.A. from West Georgia College in 1979, from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary with an M.Div. in 1982, and from the University of Chicago with a Ph.D. in 1992. His area of interest is the history of Christian thought, and he writes extensively on the Reformation, particularly on John Calvin and Martin Luther. He is a fellow of the International Congress for Calvin Research. He has also served, since 1989, as Managing Editor of Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation. Professor Davis is the author of seven books: three are academic (The Clearest Promises of God: The Development of Calvin's Eucharistic Teaching [1995], John Calvin [2005], This Is My Body: The Presence of Christ in Reformation Thought [2008]), two are in the death-and-dying/grief genre (By the Water's of Babylon: One Family's Journey through Illness [1995] and God in My Grief: The Music of Grace When Loss Lives On [1998]), and two are novels (The Christmas Quilt [2000] and The Aluminum Christmas Tree [2005]. An eighth book is currently under contract (tentatively titled Through the Eyes of Faith: Twenty Centuries of Christianity as Seen by Twenty Christians). He also served as editor or co-editor for 13 publications from the American Theological Library Association (indexes to multi-author works, indexes to book reviews, and subject bibliographies). In addition, he is the author of numerous scholarly articles and presentations.

William J. Jackson

The first Lake Scholar, from 2005-2008, was William J. Jackson. The title of his completed book is: The Wisdom of Generosity: An American Reader in Philanthropy, an anthology of readings representing images of giving, generosity and compassion in the historical American imagination. Click here to learn more about it.

William J. Jackson, Ph.D., is Professor of Religious Studies at the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts. He graduated with a B.A. from Lyndon State College in 1975, an M.T.S. from Harvard University in 1977, an M.A. from Harvard University in 1979, and a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1984. His academic interests include the comparative study of religion, Asian arts and literature, South Indian bhakti (devotion) in the lives and works of singer-saints; and Fractal Geometry in the Humanities - recursive patterns in music, literature, art, and architecture. Dr. Jackson was named Research Fellow, Bellagio Research Center, Italy (Rockefeller Foundation) in 2000. The same year, he was also honored to be part of the Contemplative Practice Fellowship Program, American Council of Learned Societies. His publications include Heaven's Fractal Net: Retrieving Lost Visions in the Humanities (Indiana University Press, 2004); Tyagaraja-Life and Legacy: Songs of Three Great South Indian Saints (Oxford University Press); Tyagaraja and the Renewal of Tradition: Translations and Reflections (Motilal Banarsidass); J.L. Mehta on Heidegger, Hermeneutics and Indian Tradition (E.J. Brill); and articles on poets and creative thinkers involved in the renewal of traditions.