Dr. James (Jay) Bruce writes and lectures on philosophy, theology, politics, and economics—sometimes all at once. His first book, Rights in the Law, explores the relationship between God and morality in the thought of Francis Turretin (1623–1687). Dr. Bruce is currently writing a book on Christianity, justice, and equality. In 2014, he received JBU’s Faculty Excellence Award.
Dr. Bruce has presented papers at the American Philosophical Association, the American Academy of Religion, the Society of Christian Philosophers, the Evangelical Philosophical Society, and the Evangelical Theological Society, and he has commented on papers at both the American Philosophical Association and the Southwestern Philosophical Society.
In addition to his academic work, Dr. Bruce has written for Acton Commentary, Law and Liberty, The Gospel Coalition, WORLD magazine, and The Wall Street Journal​. Though he doesn’t own a television, he has succumbed to the lure of social media. You can follow him on Twitter @JamesEBruce. He blogs at JamesEBruce.com.
In 2010, he delivered the Logos Lecture at Dartmouth College; in 2011, the Balzer Lecture at JBU; since 2014, he has lectured each June at the Acton Institute’s Acton University. Unlike many of his regular lectures at JBU, Dr. Bruce actually wore proper dress shoes when he delivered these (so he says).
Dr. Bruce’s academic work has taken him throughout the United States and to Scotland, France, and China—greatly helped (or hindered) by his working fluency in English, his meager competency in French, and his almost total ignorance of Chinese.
Passionate about teaching, Dr. Bruce was awarded a Rookie of the Year award for the first year in which he was eligible (2009), and, for the academic year of 2010–2011, he was named the JBU Student Choice Awards Professor of the Year.
Dr. Bruce, his wife, and their four children live near downtown Siloam Springs. Ordained a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America in October 2018, Dr. Bruce and his family delight to be a part of Covenant Church (PCA) where he serves as an assistant pastor. He (sometimes) walks to work, hates television, and loves coffee.
