David VanDrunen

ROBERT B. STRIMPLE PROFESSOR OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY AND CHRISTIAN ETHICS

Meet Dr. VanDrunen

Dr. VanDrunen, a minister of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, began teaching at Westminster Seminary California in 2001. He was formerly a pastor of Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Hanover Park, IL, and has served on the Orthodox Presbyterian Church’s Committee on Christian Education since 2005. He was the recipient of the Acton Institute’s Novak Award (2004), a visiting fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University (2009), a Henry Luce III Fellow in Theology (201617), and Research Fellow at the Protestant Theological University in The Netherlands (2022).

Dr. VanDrunen is the author or editor of fifteen books, including Politics after Christendom: Political Theology in a Fractured World (Zondervan Academic, 2020), named Book of the Year (2021) in Politics and Public Life by Christianity Today. His scholarly articles have appeared in many journals, including Journal of Reformed Theology, Journal of Law and Religion, and Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics. Dr. VanDrunen and his wife, Katherine, a WSC alum, have one son.

Education

BA Calvin College;
MDiv Westminster Seminary California;
ThM Trinity Evangelical Divinity School;
JD Northwestern University School of Law;
PhD Loyola University Chicago

Other Affiliations

Society of Christian Ethics
International Reformed Theological Institute

What I Want to Instill in My Students

“I want to instill in my students a holistic knowledge of Reformed theology and ethics. But much more than this, I want them to understand how our doctrine and practice emerge from the text of Scripture so that they, too, can defend these truths from the biblical pages. Furthermore, I hope that my teaching will help them to understand what the church is and is called to be, and that this in turn will enable them to be better equipped pastors and teachers.”

Courses you might take with Dr. VanDrunen

Theological Writing (PT502)
Christology (ST602)
Anthropology (ST605)
Soteriology and Eschatology (ST701)
Christian Ethics (ST702)
Full Academic Catalogue

More from Dr. VanDrunen

Books

  • Politics after Christendom: Political Theology in a Fractured World (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2020)
  • Divine Covenants and Moral Order: A Biblical Theology of Natural Law, Emory University Studies in Law and Religion (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014)
  • Natural Law and the Two Kingdoms: A Study in the Development of Reformed Social Thought, Emory University Studies in Law and Religion (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010)
  • Law and Custom: The Thought of Thomas Aquinas and the Future of the Common Law (New York: Peter Lang, 2003)
  • Faith in Exile: Psalm 119 and the Christian Life (Fearn, UK: Christian Focus, 2025)
  • Natural Law: A Short Companion (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2023)
  • Soli Deo Gloria (Milan: BE Edizioni, forthcoming) (Italian)
  • God’s Glory Alone: The Majestic Heart of Christian Faith and Life (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015)
  • Living in God’s Two Kingdoms: A Biblical Vision for Christianity and Culture (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010)
  • Bioethics and the Christian Life: A Guide to Making Difficult Decisions (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2009)
  • A Biblical Case for Natural Law (Grand Rapids: Acton Institute, 2006)

Edited

  • Aquinas Among the Protestants (with Manfred Svensson) (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2018)
  • Law and the Bible: Justice, Mercy and Legal Institutions (with Robert F. Cochran, Jr.) (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013)
  • The Law Is Not of Faith: Essays on Works and Grace in the Mosaic Covenant (with Bryan D. Estelle and J.V. Fesko) (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2009)
  • The Pattern of Sound Doctrine: Systematic Theology at the Westminster Seminaries: Essays in Honor of Robert B. Strimple (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2004)

Translated

  • Natural Law: A Short Companion (Korean) (Seoul: Revival and Reformation Press, 2024)
  • Politics after Christendom: Political Theology in a Fractured World (Korean) (Seoul: Revival and Reformation Press, 2020)
  • Divine Covenants and Moral Order (Korean) (Seoul: Revival and Reformation Press, 2018)
  • Natural Law and the Two Kingdoms (Korean) (Seoul: Revival and Reformation Press, 2018)
  • God’s Glory Alone (Portuguese) (São Paulo: Cultura Cristã, 2017)
  • God’s Glory Alone (Korean) (Seoul: Revival and Reformation Press, 2017)
  • Living in God’s Two Kingdoms (Korean) (Seoul: Revival and Reformation Press, 2012)

Articles

  • “The Law as Mosaic Covenant? A Review Article of T. David Gordon on Galatians and Romans,” Ordained Servant (forthcoming)
  • “In Memoriam: Robert B. Strimple,” UPDATE (Spring 2025): 18-19
  • “What Is Natural Law?” Core Christianity (July 2024)
  • “Faithful Christian Life as Sojourners and Exiles,” Reading Wheel Review (April 2024)
  • “The Epistle to Diognetus,” Reading Old Books feature in New Horizons (March 2024): 13
  • Feature Interview on Natural Law and Natural Theology, Credo 14.2 (July 2023)
  • “The Noahic Covenant’s Importance for Government,” 9Marks Journal: Church Matters 15 (2023)
  • “Christians, Churches, and Public Aid,” Ordained Servant 32 (April 2023 and May 2023): 73-83
  • “Christian Anthropology and the Moral Life,” Tabletalk (September 2022): 20-25
  • “Theonomy: A Theological Critique,” The London Lyceum (thelondonlyceum.com) (posted July 1, 2022)
  • Feature Interview on Thomas Aquinas, Credo 13.2 (2022)
  • “Neither Quietism nor Triumphalism: How Two-Kingdoms Doctrine Helps Political Discourse,” on thegospelcoalition.org (March 30, 2022)
  • “Genetic Engineering, Human Nature, and Human Destiny: A Review Article,” Ordained Servant (March 2022)
  • “Reflections on Race and Racism,” Ordained Servant 30 (2021): 47-54
  • “Should Protestants Reject Natural Law: Responding to Common Objections,” Public Discourse (August 2, 2020)
  • “The Witness of the Spirit to Our Sonship,” in Concise Theology series (TGC website, 2020)
  • “Forgiveness,” in Concise Theology series (TGC website, 2020)
  • “Divine Justice, Sinful Humanity, and Eschatological Judgment: Considering David Bentley Hart’s Argument against Hell: A Review Article,” Ordained Servant (February 2020)
  •  “Seminary Education and Christian Ministry,” UPDATE (Fall 2019): 5-7
  •  “Why Protestant Christianity Needs a Theology of Natural Law,” Ad Fontes 2.10 (June 2018):1-5
  • “Plans for the 2018 OPC Timothy Conference,” New Horizons (December 2017): 12
  • “The Reformation of Civil Government,” New Horizons (October 2017): 5-6
  • “Remaining Steadfast, When the Desert Calls,” published on OPC.ORG (June 2017)
  • “Not to Be Served, but to Serve,” published on OPC.ORG (February 2017)
  • “Sex and Marriage in Light of Human Nature and the Image of God,” New Horizons (March 2016): 3-4
  • “The Christian’s Place in Society,” New Horizons (June 2015): 5-6
  • “The First Family: Outside the Home,” Modern Reformation 24.3 (May-June 2015): 24-29
  • “Piketty’s Absent Moral Philosophy: A Moral Analysis,” The City (Summer 2014): 18-21
  • “The Call of the Christian Scholar,” UPDATE (Spring 2014): 4-6