Charles J. Emmerich

professor of political science

on faculty since 2002

Phone: 708.239.4773
Fax: 708.597.5858
E-mail: charlie.emmerich@trnty.edu

Education

LL.M., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1981
J.D., University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, 1980
B.A., Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois, 1977

Professional and Personal Interests

Charles J. Emmerich is chair of the political science department at Trinity Christian College where he teaches courses in politics and law and serves as the pre-law director. He is also the founder and executive director of the Center for Law and Culture, an educational initiative housed at Trinity, which prepares students for public service in law, government, and politics by providing worldview training in the Judeo-Christian tradition. In particular, the Center’s programs inspire future leaders in public life to glorify God, serve their neighbors, and care for creation.
    
After earning a B.A. in theology and archeology from Wheaton College, Emmerich completed a law degree at the University of Idaho and an advanced law degree (LL.M.) in constitutional law and history at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied under federal Appeals Court Judge Arlin M. Adams. He also served as a research consultant on the Penn Project on Religious Liberty. Prior to accepting the position at Trinity, Emmerich served as national director of law student ministries of the Christian Legal Society, as pre-law director at Wheaton College and at Trinity International University, and as executive director of the Center for Church/State Studies at DePaul University College of Law. 
    
Emmerich has published numerous articles on Christian worldview formation and on the historical development of religious liberty in the Anglo-American tradition. Along with his mentor, Judge Adams, he also co-authored the book A Nation Dedicated to Religious Liberty, published by the University of Pennsylvania Press. Graced with a foreword by Warren E. Burger, former Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, this book has been praised by prominent legal scholars and cited extensively in several cases of the United States Supreme Court.
    
Emmerich, his wife, Susan, and their daughter, Lydia, live in Palos Heights, Illinois. They are members of Palos Heights Christian Reformed Church.

Courses Taught

• American Government and Politics
• American Religious Freedom
• First Amendment and American Democracy
• Law and Western Culture
• Introduction to Politics
• United States Constitutional Law

Professional Society Membership

• Affiliate Member, Idaho State Bar Association
• The Center for Law and Culture

Papers Published and/or Presented

• Arlin Adams and Charles Emmerich, A Constitutional Heritage of Religious Liberty: The Legal Foundations of Liberty of Conscience in the Anglo-American Tradition. University of Pennsylvania Press. Forthcoming.
• “The Twilight of Transcendence in Law: Reflections on the Legacy of John Witherspoon for a Decaying Culture.” Spring Arbor University. October 2006.
• Amicus Curiae. Brief submitted on behalf of the Center for Law and Culture and Administer Justice to the United States Supreme Court in McCorvey (fka Jane Roe) v. Hill. Charlie Emmerich and Bruce Strom. February 2005.
• “Law and the Death of Transcendence.” Judson College, Elgin, Illinois. April 2004.
• “Arlin M. Adams,” biographical article for the new multi-volume edition of Encyclopedia Judaica. December 2004.
• Principal author, CLS Attorney Chapter Manual, Christian Legal Society Publication. 1999-2001.
• Principal author, Law Student Ministries Student Chapter Manual, Christian Legal Society Publication. 1997-2001.
• Cases and Materials on Religious Liberty. Arlin Adams and Charles Emmerich. 1983-1997.
• A Nation Dedicated to Religious Liberty: The Constitutional Heritage of the Religion Clauses. University of Pennsylvania Press. Arlin Adams and Charles Emmerich. Foreword by Warren E. Burger. 1990