2022 CONFERENCE PANEL
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
Author of the New York Times bestseller Jesus and John Wayne, Kristin Du Mez is a writer, speaker, and scholar who explores the intersection of religion, gender, and politics. Her writing is described as "urgent and sharp-elbowed," and Du Mez does not refrain from presenting the hard truths that history has to offer Americans—and especial
Author of the New York Times bestseller Jesus and John Wayne, Kristin Du Mez is a writer, speaker, and scholar who explores the intersection of religion, gender, and politics. Her writing is described as "urgent and sharp-elbowed," and Du Mez does not refrain from presenting the hard truths that history has to offer Americans—and especially American Christians. Her unflinching examination of the American church, however, is ultimately a call to confession, a call to lament, and a call to greater faithfulness. An academic by training, Du Mez holds a Ph.D. in U.S. history from the University of Notre Dame, but she writes and speaks for popular audiences in an entertaining style that is equal parts winsome and hard-hitting. Du Mez teaches at Calvin University and lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband, three kids, and a dog named Paco.
David P. Gushee
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
Rev. Prof. David P. Gushee is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University, Chair of Christian Social Ethics Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and Senior Research Fellow, IBTS. One of America’s leading Christian ethicists, he is the author or editor of more than 25 books, including Changing Our Mind, After Evang
Rev. Prof. David P. Gushee is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University, Chair of Christian Social Ethics Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and Senior Research Fellow, IBTS. One of America’s leading Christian ethicists, he is the author or editor of more than 25 books, including Changing Our Mind, After Evangelicalism, Kingdom Ethics, Still Christian, Righteous Gentiles of the Holocaust, and The Sacredness of Human Life. Gushee has led significant activist efforts on climate, torture, and LGBTQ inclusion, and is a keynote speaker at churches, forums, and universities. Gushee has also written hundreds of opinion pieces and given interviews to scores of major outlets and podcasts. He and his wife, Jeanie, live in Atlanta, Georgia.
Lisa Sharon Harper
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
Lisa Sharon Harper
A prolific speaker, author, columnist, and activist, , Lisa Sharon Harper leads trainings that increase clergy and community leaders’ capacity to organize people of faith toward a just world. Ms. Harper is the founder and president of FreedomRoad.us, a consulting group dedicated to shrinking the narrative gap in our nation by designing fo
A prolific speaker, author, columnist, and activist, , Lisa Sharon Harper leads trainings that increase clergy and community leaders’ capacity to organize people of faith toward a just world. Ms. Harper is the founder and president of FreedomRoad.us, a consulting group dedicated to shrinking the narrative gap in our nation by designing forums and experiences that bring common understanding, common commitment, and common action. Ms. Harper is the author of several books, including the critically acclaimed, The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong can be Made Right, exploring God’s intent for the wholeness of all relationships in light of today’s headlines. She writes extensively on shalom and governance, immigration reform, health care reform, poverty, racial and gender justice, climate change, and transformational civic engagement.
Bradley Jersak
Bradley Jersak
Lisa Sharon Harper
Bradley Jersak is the Dean of Theology at St. Stephen’s University in New Brunswick, Canada. He is also the editor-in-chief of Clarion Journal for Religion, Peace & Justice (clarion-journal.com). Bradley is the author or coauthor of a number of nonfiction and fiction books, including A More Christlike God, A More Christlike Way, and The Pastor: A Crisis.
Brian Zahnd
Bradley Jersak
Brian Zahnd
Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. Known for his theologically informed preaching and his embrace of the deep and long history of the church, Zahnd provides a forum for pastors to engage with leading theologians and is a frequent conference speaker. He is the author of several book
Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. Known for his theologically informed preaching and his embrace of the deep and long history of the church, Zahnd provides a forum for pastors to engage with leading theologians and is a frequent conference speaker. He is the author of several books, including Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, A Farewell to Mars, and Beauty Will Save the World.