Christ Presbyterian Academy

Perspectives

The Perspectives Series is an open forum for the Nashville community featuring locally and nationally revered speakers and thought leaders on topics of parenting, education, resilience, and faith. 
 

Upcoming Sessions

The 2022-23 Perspectives Event Series has closed. New sessions for the upcoming academic year will be posted in the fall. Thank you for learning and growing alongside us! Contact Associate Head of School – Education Dr. Marcia Sutton for questions about Perspectives. 

CPA Perspectives Highlights
Academy-sponsored programming to encourage, enlighten, and inspire the Nashville community

Bob Goff · Darryl Strawberry · David Thomas-Daystar Counseling Ministries · Dr. John M. Perkins · Stephen James & Chip Dodd-Sage Hill Counseling  · Southeast Psych · Anthony Ray Hinton · TN Governor Bill Lee · Homeland Security Internet Crimes Taskforce · Metro Nashville Police Department · Lauren King- Southeast Psych · Elizabeth Clement Webb, FBI · Rev. Dr. David Filson, CPC/CPA · Kyle Cruze, LMFT · Dr. Chip Dodd · Kari Kampakis · 

An Evening with Kari Kampakis

Kari Kampakis is an author, speaker, podcaster, and newspaper columnist from Birmingham, Alabama.

Her two books for teen girls, 10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know and Liked: Whose Approval Are You Living For, and her bestselling book for moms, Love Her Well: 10 Ways to Find Joy and Connection with Your Teenage Daughter, have been used widely across the country for small group studies.

Kari offered insight into the importance of connection with kids in different ways at different developmental stages of their lives. She discussed innate differences between girls and boys, and how those difference can be honored in communication styles, relationship habits, and key issues as children head into young adulthood. At the center of it all: relationship. 

Lunch with Elizabeth Clement Webb, FBI

In March of 2021, the Academy hosted Elizabeth Clement Webb, Public Affairs and Community Engagement Officer at Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). 

Working with the FBI has given Webb expertise on the state's leading security initiatives, particularly concerning children and safety from online predators. Webb shared with parents the need for intentional boundaries and healthy habits when it comes to young children online and responsible use for digital devices. Her talk with parents with both sobering as she reviewed active cases of online child abuse, but also empowering as she gave parents tools to engage technology in safe and meaningful ways.  

An Evening with Jennifer Pharr Davis

In February of 2020, the Academy hosted speaker, author, and competitive thru hiker Jennifer Pharr Davis. 

Jennifer is an Appalachian Trail record setter. Her stories of endurance and faith are inspiring to those in every walk of life. Attendees heard her stories from the trail, as well as her personal testimony, life of her family, and role the outdoors has played in her walk of faith. She shared the mountains she has climbed and the valleys she has traversed in her ongoing effort to witness God in creation. 

An Evening with Anthony Ray Hinton at CPA, The Sun Does Shine


In September 2019, CPA students and families were honored to hear from Anthony Ray Hinton, author of the CPA Woven summer read The Sun Does Shine. Hinton shared testimony of his 28 years spent on death row for a wrongful conviction of murder. Hinton seeks to export his experience, to give body and feeling to the statistics and figures surrounding topics such as incarceration, criminal justice reform, and the death penalty. 

An Evening with TN Gov. Bill Lee

In April 2019, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee visited campus to share his personal testimony of faith and trust throughout his life and the life of his family. Lee shared on his love of Tennessee, family history, and path to state government. His stories inspired attendees to follow a gospel trajectory throughout seasons of loss and listen for God's calling in all challenges. 

An Evening with Dr. John M. Perkins at CPA, Spring 2018

In 2018, the Academy hosted Dr. John M. Perkins, a leading voice on civil rights, racial injustice, and social activism. Key takeaways from Dr. Perkins included the importance of open conversation on topics of racial inequity and a call for reconciliation between racial divides in the Church.

Dr. Perkins also shared the important vision of his family's non-profit, The Perkins Foundation, and their active role in gospel-centered healing among communities of all backgrounds.