JBU holds public forum on intersection of religion and politics

Bestselling author Rod Dreher and former White House staffer Michael Wear to lead discussion

John Brown University will host New York Times bestselling author Rod Dreher and former White House staffer Michael Wear in a public forum at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, in the Simmons Great Hall.

At the event, titled "Reimagining Faith and Public Life," Wear and Dreher will discuss the role of Christians in shaping public policy in the U.S. and will answer questions from the audience following the discussion.

"JBU's Honors Scholars Program and Department of Political Science are excited to welcome Dreher and Wear to share their experiences and perspectives on the integration of faith and public life with our community," Trisha Posey, director of the Honors Scholars Program, said. "JBU encourages a campus environment where students of differing majors and political affiliations can come together to discuss a variety of topics, including religion and politics. This forum will challenge the university's community to consider how to authentically incorporate faith in today's political climate."

Rod Dreher, the senior editor at "The American Conservative," recently published the New York Times bestseller "The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation," in which he recounts church history as a strategy for how Christians should interact in today's culture. Other work from Dreher has been published in the New York Post, National Review, and the Washington Times, and he has appeared on NPR, CNN, Fox News and the BBC.

Michael Wear recently published "Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House about the Future of Faith in America," which details his experience leading evangelical outreach initiatives and managing the White House's engagement on values and religious issues as a young, Christian White House staffer. Wear ultimately counsels Christians on how and why they must be involved in shaping the momentum of U.S. culture.

Tuesday night's forum, funded with support from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), will be filmed and published to view online on AEI's "Values and Capitalism" website. AEI also provided funding for both authors' books to be used for faculty, staff and student book clubs in preparation for the event.

In addition, Michael Wear will address JBU students in chapel on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. in the Cathedral of the Ozarks.

General News on 09/20/2017