Dr. Jason Lepojärvi

Dr. Jason Lepojärvi

Honorary Fellow of Thorneloe University Religious Studies

Born to a Canadian mother and a Finnish father, Dr. Jason Lepojärvi obtained a Ph.D. in Theology and Religion at the University of Helsinki, Finland. His dissertation “God Is Love, but Love Is Not God” (2015) analyzed love in religion, with a focus on C.S. Lewis, Anders Nygren, and St. Augustine. Jason lived in Oxford for four years, where he served as the President of the Oxford University C.S. Lewis Society and Junior Research Fellow in Theology at St. Benet’s Hall. In 2018 he took up the position of Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Thorneloe University. Here taught courses on ideas of love, women and spirituality, cults and the paranormal, The Chronicles of Narnia, and J.R.R. Tolkien. His scholarship has been published in Harvard Theological Review, Religious Studies, etc., and is freely available here and here. Jason is married and has three small children.

Education

  • Ph.D. (distinction), University of Helsinki
  • M.Th. (distinction), University of Helsinki

Research Interests

  • Love in religion
  • Philosophy of religion
  • Religion and literature
  • Inklings studies (C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien et al.)
  • Theology

Courses Taught at Thorneloe University at Laurentian

  • RLST 1117 – Ideas of Love II
  • RLST 2245 – Women, Religion, and Spirituality
  • RLST 2316 – Cults/New Religious Movements
  • RLST 2326 – Dimensions of the Paranormal
  • RLST 2337 – The Chronicles of Narnia
  • RLST 3266 – J.R.R. Tolkien and the Religious Imagination

Courses Taught Elsewhere

  • Philosophy of Love (Oxford)
  • Ethics and Philosophy (Helsinki)
  • Philosophy and Tolkien (Oxford)
  • C. S. Lewis on Love (Oxford, Vancouver, Helsinki)
  • The History and Doctrine of the Reformation (Oxford)

Book

Dissertation

Refereed Articles (selection)

Refereed Chapters

  • “Companions in Shipwreck: J. R. R. Tolkien’s Female Friendships”, Apprehending Love: Theological and Philosophical Inquiries (Festschrift for Professor Risto Saarinen”, eds Olli-Pekka Vainio and Pekka Kärkkäinen (Luther-Agricola-Gesellschaf, 2019): 339–365.
  • “How Many Loves? New Light on C. S. Lewis’s The Four Loves” in The Undiscovered C. S. Lewis: New Thoughts and Directions in Lewis Studies, ed. Bruce R. Johnson (forthcoming), 22 pages
  • La Virgen María, ¿el talon de Aquiles de la teología de C. S. Lewis?”, De leonesy de hombres: Estudios sobre S. Lewis, eds Pablo Gutiérrez Carreras et al (Madrid: CEU Ediciones, 2014) 135–152. [The Virgin Mary as a stumbling block for C.  S. Lewis].

Keynote Lectures, Guest Lectures, and Public Lectures (selection)

2020

  • “Misreading C. S. Lewis on Friendship: The Charges of Sexism, Secrecy, and High Society.” Conference paper. The American Academy of Religon, Boston, USA (booked)
  • “The Inklings on Friendship.” Keynote lecture. S. Lewis and Friends Colloquium. Taylor University, USA (postponed due to COVID-19)
  • “Love and (the Winter) War: C. S. Lewis on Loving Your Enemy”. Invited lecture. The 80th Finnish Canadian Grand Festival, Cambrian College, Sudbury, Canada (due to COVID-19)
  • “A Valentine’s Day Workshop.” Invited lecture(s). St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Thunder Bay, Canada

2019

  • “J.R.R. Tolkien’s Female Friendships”. Conference paper. The 50th Annual Conference of the Tolksien Society, Birmingham, UK
  • “J.R.R. Tolkien and Women’s Higher Education at Oxford”. Keynote lecture. The 25th Anniversary of Women’s History Week in Canada. Laurentian University, Sudbury, Canada
  • “Is Abortion a Religious Issue?” Invited lecture. Saint Anne-de-Pins, Sudbury, Canada
  • “C. S. Lewis’s Ideas of Love”. Invited lectures (3). Mackenzie University, Brasília, Brazil
  • “New Light on C. S. Lewis’s The Four Loves”. Invited lectures (2). Seminário Servo di Cristo, São Paulo, Brazil
  • “The Love Lectures”. Invited lecture. Lakehead University, Orillia, Ontario, Canada

2018

  • “Tolkien and Women”. Invited lecture. The Inklings Institute of Canada, Trinity Western University, Vancouver, Canada
  • “C. S. Lewis’s Curious Definition of Love”. Keynote lecture. Life of the Mind, George Fox University, Oregon, USA

2017

  • “On Hypocrisy”. Guest lecture. FoCUS, UC Berkeley, USA
  • “How Many Loves?” Guest lecture. Graduate & Faculty Christian Forum, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
  • “C. S. Lewis on Love”. Guest lecture. Philosophers Cafe, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada
  • “The Female Friendships of C. S. Lewis & J. R. R. Tolkien”. Public lecture. Linlathen Lectures, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

2016

  • “Love in a Pluralistic World”. Guest lecture. Annual Conference of The Finnish Bible Institute, Kauniainen, Finland
  • “Christian Love”. Keynote lecture. Summit, Abilene Christian University, Texas, USA

2015

  • “Can We Love in Excess?” Guest lecture. Annual Alumni Lecture Series, Seattle Pacific University, Washington, USA
  • “Aslan’s Mother: C. S. Lewis’s Blind Spot?” Guest lecture. Regent College, Vancouver, Canada
  • “Religion and the Body”. Keynote lecture. A Study Day on Love, Kansanlahetysopisto, Ryttyla, Finland
  • “The Theology of the Body”. Keynote lecture. A Study Day on Love, Kansanlähetysopisto, Ryttylä, Finland
  • “C. S. Lewis’s Famous Disagreement with St Augustine”. Invited lecture. Life of the Mind Lecture Series, George Fox University, Oregon, USA
  • “Agape versus Eros: The Meaning of Love”. Invited lecture. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

2014

  • “Worship, Veneration, or Idolatry?” Keynote lecture. Annual Conference of the Danish C. S. Lewis Society, Odense, Denmark
  • “The Virgin Mary and C. S. Lewis”. Keynote lecture. International Congress on J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, CEO San Pablo University, Madrid, Spain

2013

  • “Can We Love Too Much?” Keynote lecture. A Study Day: Love and Desire in the Church, St. Benet’s Hall, Oxford University, UK
  • “C. S. Lewis on Love and Religion”. Keynote lecture. The 25th Anniversary Lecture of The Theological Institute of Finland, University of Helsinki, Finland

2012

  • “Does Erotic Love Aim at Happiness?” Guest lecture. The Oxford University C. S. Lewis Society, Oxford, UK
  • “Pagan Hangover? C. S. Lewis and St. Augustine in Debate”. Guest lecture. The New York C. S. Lewis Society, New York, USA
  • “What is the Difference between Worship, Veneration, and Idolatry?” Guest lecture. The Marion E. Wade Center, Wheaton College, Illinois, USA

2011

  • “A Friend’s Death: Augustine and Lewis in Dialogue”. Guest lecture. The Oxford University C. S. Lewis Society, Oxford, UK

Most Recent

General

  • Printed media (100+ interviews in English, Finnish, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Spanish, etc.)
  • Social media (30+ interviews)
  • Radio (30+ interviews)
  • Television (Academic Host for “Married at First Sight” Finland, 2016 and 2017)

Connect with Thorneloe

Spring 2024 Course Offerings

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2023-24 Course Offerings

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Theology Courses Spring 2023

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Academic Time-table, 2022-2023

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