User:Nhitchen/John Jay Institute for Faith, Society & Law

The John Jay Institute for Faith, Society and Law is a para-academic center for college graduates interested in studying the nexus of philosophy, religion, and law in Western European and American history. Each term twelve students are admitted and awarded a fully funded fellowship. The Institute is named in the honor of John Jay, the first United States Supreme Court Chief Justice, Governor of New York, and diplomat, who was also President of the American Bible Society and a practicing Christian. The year long fellowship is divided between a tuition-free residential program in Colorado Springs, Colorado and a stipend-supported internship in a state capital, Washington, D.C., or abroad. The president of the John Jay Institute is Fr. Alan R. Crippen II, previously the founding rector of the Witherspoon Fellowship, a leading civic and cultural leadership development program for college-age students based in Washington, D.C.

The Institute is designed for Christians of Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox traditions to receive a rigorous education in classical moral philosophy and Christian political theology. The curriculum is a graduate-level course-load in five modules: theology, Christian political thought from Irenaeus to Hugo Grotius, modern political theory, American constitutional law, and natural law. Daily papers responding to the readings are demanded of fellows and debated in a seminar format.

The class environment is supplemented by the fellowship's residency component: John Jay fellows live in community housing close to the Institute's campus. Weekly field trips and corporate daily prayer are regular aspects of John Jay fellows' community living, and hospitality towards neighbors and Colorado Springs residents is strongly encouraged.

The John Jay Institute's vision is to equip Christians professionally, intellectually, and spiritually to pursue careers of public service in society, government, or the church.