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At our inaugural Writer's Workshop, Mere Orthodoxy editor Nadya Williams challenged us to pursue “healthy Christian advocacy in the political arena.” The world needs Christians, she said, who think at “a higher level about the kind of society we wish to pass on to future generations — and the specific roles that political institutions, policies, and norms can play in promoting such a society.”

This type of thinking requires most writers, including academics, to exert deeper analytical effort than they might expect, Williams warned. Lumen Fellows are rising to this challenge — examining the complex history of racial classifications in U.S. law; the growing political involvement of celebrity preachers; the leadership of the White House Faith Office; and the important ways public intellectuals like Christopher Lasch can strengthen Christian humanism. We are working to chart that “higher level” of ideas that influence today’s political institutions, policies, and norms, which in turn influence our society’s future.

Below are some snapshots of our ongoing work to synthesize academic expertise with the Christian intellectual tradition. I invite you to read, reflect, and pray for our efforts.

Warmly,

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Dan Hummel
Director of the Lumen Center

From Lumen Center Fellows

Cassandra Nelson, Visiting Fellow of Literature, published an article in Common Good titled, "Race Isn't Black and White: Another Way to Think about Race and Diversity."

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[H]uman beings — by virtue of both biological necessity and divine design — are always embedded in families. This acknowledgement of the centrality of families has, hauntingly, no American corollary in conversations about race... Read more

John Fea, Distinguished Fellow of History, published an article in Christianity Today titled "From Jesus Revolution to the White House," about the political evolution of celebrity evangelical pastor Greg Laurie.

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The “Jesus people” staged a Holy Spirit-led rebuke to what they saw as the stuffy traditionalism of mainstream evangelicalism... This West Coast spiritual revival had a profound impact on Laurie’s life, sending him on the path of Christian celebrity... Read more

Dan Hummel, Director of the Lumen Center, recently published an article in Comment titled, "Jimmy Carter, Christopher Lasch, and the Problem with America."

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If Carter is emblematic of a much wider tradition of Christian humanism, at least one expressed in modern America, his shortcomings might well be the shortcomings of Christian humanism as a tradition.... Read more

UPCOMING

Summer Reading Group

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Led by Gar Anderson

July 9, 2025, 4:30 - 6PM

Upper House, 365 E Campus Mall, Madison, WI

Gar Anderson, distinguished Fellow in Biblical Studies, will lead a three-session reading group at Upper House on John Barclay's significant book, Paul and the Power of Grace (Eerdman’s, 2020). Space is limited! Learn/Register here.

More Info

Our First Writers’ Workshop for Academics
Is in the Books!

Recognizing that academics tend to be well-schooled in writing for their peers but are often challenged to translate their work for general Christian readers, the Lumen Center recently hosted its first writing workshop for academics. Two experienced editors shared with attendees practical and encouraging advice about challenges and opportunities they might leverage to share their work more broadly. The attendees represented nearly a dozen academic disciplines and ranged from grad students to emeritus faculty.

An initiative of the Stephen & Laurel Brown Foundation, the Lumen Center is a community of scholars deepening the dialogue between Christian thought and the academic disciplines through scholarship and public engagement. It is made up of fellows studying the intersection of Christianity and culture, who represent diverse disciplines and Christian traditions and are united by a commitment to a faith-informed life of the mind.

365 East Campus Mall, Suite 200 | Madison, WI 53715 | 608.237.2929 | www.thelumencenter.org

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From Lumen Center Fellows

Our First Writers’ Workshop for AcademicsIs in the Books!

Our First Writers’ Workshop for Academics
Is in the Books!