Whitworth University Welcomes Four Visionary Speakers for Conversations About Christian Formation and the Common Good
“Each of these speakers embodies both intellectual courage and spiritual conviction,” says Davey Henreckson, director, Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith & Learning. “Their voices will not only challenge our assumptions, but heighten our community’s pursuit of a deeper faith, greater empathy, and more thoughtful engagement in our world. I believe their insights will spark many conversations that will stretch across disciplines and generations.”
Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Ph.D. | Oct. 22, 4 p.m., Cowles Auditorium</b>
“Live Laugh Love: White Christian Women & the World They Made”
New York Times bestselling author Kristin Kobes Du Mez is the first speaker of the series. Her presentation will take place on Oct. 22. Du Mez is a professor of history at Calvin University. Her research focuses on the intersection of gender, religion and politics. She has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, Religion News Service and Christianity Today, and has been interviewed on NPR, CBS and the BBC, among other outlets. She is the author of the bestselling book Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation. She has written a follow-up book titled Live Laugh Love, a cultural study of white Christian womanhood set for publication in September 2026.
Curt Thompson, M.D. | Nov. 13, 4 p.m., Weyerhaeuser Hall’s Robinson Teaching Theatre
“The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope”
Curt Thompson is a psychiatrist in private practice in Falls Church, Va. He is the founder of Being Known, which develops teaching programs, seminars and resource materials to help people explore the connection between interpersonal neurobiology and Christian spirituality. Thompson is the author of Anatomy of the Soul: Surprising Connections Between Neuroscience and Spiritual Practices that Can Transform Your Life and Relationships. His book demonstrates how insights from interpersonal neurobiology resonate with biblical truths about God and creation, validating the deep human need for meaningful relationships as a key to a life of hope and fulfillment. He also produced a video series called "Knowing and Being Known: The Transforming Power of Relationships."
Sabrina Little, Ph.D. | March 5, 4 p.m., Weyerhaeuser Hall’s Robinson Teaching Theatre
“Why Character Matters in Sports”
Sabrina Little serves as an assistant professor at the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society at Ohio State University. She earned her Ph.D. in philosophy from Baylor University and pursued additional graduate studies at Yale Divinity School and the College of William & Mary. Her scholarly work centers on virtue ethics, moral psychology and classical philosophy, with particular attention to moral emotions, character education and the ethics of exemplarity. Her first book, The Examined Run, was published in March 2024. Little competed as a professional distance runner for seven years. She is a former World Championships silver medalist, holds two American distance running records and was selected to represent the United States in international competition.
Christine Emba | April 8, 4 p.m., Weyerhaeuser Hall’s Robinson Teaching Theatre
“Men are Lost: A Map Out of the Wilderness”
Christine Emba is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) where her work focuses on gender and sexuality, feminism, masculinity, youth culture and social norms. She was a staff writer at The Atlantic and an opinion columnist and editorial board member at The Washington Post. She’s also the author of Rethinking Sex: A Provocation, a book that explores what the sexual revolution got wrong and what we might do better, especially after the #MeToo movement. Earlier in her career, she was the Hilton Kramer Fellow at The New Criterion and worked as a deputy editor at the Economist Intelligence Unit, where she focused on tech and innovation. She was named one of the world's top 50 thinkers by Prospect magazine in 2022 and received the National Press Club's Nell Minow Award for Cultural Criticism in 2024. Emba grew up in Virginia and studied public and international affairs at Princeton.
All the discussions are free and open to the public. For more information, click here.
About Whitworth University:
Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private, Christian liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university has an enrollment of about 2,500 students and offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Contacts:
Trisha Coder, associate director of media relations, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or tcoder@whitworth.edu
