Christendom College Announces Major Speakers Program for 2016-17 Academic Year

Christendom College will welcome Rusty Reno, editor of First Things magazine, Fr. Robert Spitzer, retired president of Gonzaga University, Ryan T. Anderson, fellow at the Heritage Foundation, and Elizabeth Lev, famed art historian, to campus during the 2016-17 academic year, as part of its Major Speakers Program.

The Major Speaker Program, an important aspect of the academic life at the college, will kick off on October 3 with Rusty Reno. Reno, a convert to the Catholic faith, is a former professor of theology and ethics at Creighton University and the author of several books, including Fighting the Noonday Devil — and other Essays Personal and Theological, In the Ruins of the Church, and Redemptive Change: Atonement and the Cure of the Soul. He is currently the editor of First Things magazine, one of the most popular intellectual journals in the United States.

On November 14, Christendom will welcome Fr. Robert Spitzer to campus. Fr. Spitzer is the founder and president of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing educational materials on the complementarity of science, philosophy, and faith. He formerly taught at Seattle University and Georgetown University, before serving as the 25^th president of Gonzaga University from 1998 to 2009. Fr. Spitzer, a Jesuit priest, is also the author of numerous books and articles, including Evidence for God from Contemporary Physics: Extending the Legacy of Monsignor Georges Lemaitre, Healing the Culture: A Commonsense Philosophy of Happiness, and his 2016 work God So Loved the World: Clues to our Transcendent Destiny from the Revelation of Jesus.

In the spring, the college will welcome popular political commentator Ryan T. Anderson back to campus. Anderson, who spoke at Christendom in 2015, is one of the foremost speakers and writers on marriage and religious liberty in the modern era. Author of Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom and co-author of What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense, Anderson is a frequent guest on ABC, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News Channel, with his work appearing in major publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and National Review. His work was cited by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in his dissenting opinion on the federal Defense of Marriage Act case in 2013, and by Justice Clarence Thomas in his dissenting opinion in the 2015 Supreme Court marriage case.

To conclude the Major Speakers Program, Christendom will welcome famed art historian Elizabeth Lev to campus. Lev, who teaches art and architecture classes to Christendom students during their junior semester in Rome, is one of the foremost English-speaking tour guides in the Eternal City, giving tours to former First Lady Laura Bush among others. Lev, who has given TED talks and appeared on ABC and the History Channel, is also the co-author of numerous works, including Roman Pilgrimage: The Station Churches, with famed theologian and author George Weigel.

Christendom College’s Major Speaker Program offers the students and community an opportunity for cultural, intellectual, and spiritual enrichment beyond the classroom. The program offers students the opportunity to gain greater insights and depth of understanding of important issues, and to interact personally with a wide range of men and women who are shapers and critics of our society.