Professor David M. VanDrunen of Westminster Seminary California is the winner of the 2004 Novak Award and its associated $10,000 prize.

Holder of the Robert B. Strimple Chair and Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics, Professor VanDrunen is also a minister of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and a licensed attorney in the state of Illinois. He began teaching at Westminster Seminary California in 2001. Professor VanDrunen has published recently on topics such as the theology of Thomas Aquinas and the relationship of theology and law. As well as being author of Law and Custom: The Thought of Thomas Aquinas and the Future of the Common Law , he has published in journals such as Calvin Theological Journal , Journal of Church and State , Journal of Markets & Morality , and University of British Columbia Law Review .

Named after the theologian and social philosopher, Michael Novak, the Novak Award acknowledges and rewards those who, relatively early in their academic career, have made significant contributions to the study of the relationship between religion and those conditions that favor economic liberty, and who are deemed likely to make further important contributions. Recipients of the Novak Award make a formal presentation on such questions at an annual public forum known as the Calihan Lecture. The Novak award forms part of a range of scholarships and awards available from the Acton Institute. Details of these scholarships may be found at www.acton.org/programs/students/ .