This fall, the Asbury University Honors Program (AUHP) will host two thought-provoking events as part of its annual Honors Program Speaker Series. Both lectures are free and open to the public and will take place in the Shaw Collaborative Luce Center (CLC) Luce Auditorium. In addition, AUHP guest lecturers will present this semester at the Lewis House Lecture Series in Lexington.
On Monday, September 15 at 7 p.m., author and editor Jake Meador will join Asbury University President Dr. Kevin Brown for a conversation titled, “What Are Christians For?” The evening will focus on how the lordship of Christ shapes ideals, values, and obligations in today’s polarized climate. Drawing from his recent book, Meador will reflect on Christian responsibility and flourishing amid social and political tensions. As part of the Lewis House Lecture Series, on Tuesday, September 16 at 7 p.m. at the Lewis House, Meador will speak on “Theology or Therapy: Why Therapy Can’t Solve All Our Problems.”
Meador, editor-in-chief of Mere Orthodoxy and contributor to publications such as The Atlantic and Christianity Today, brings wide-ranging experience as a cultural critic and essayist. His discussion with President Brown promises to offer both challenge and encouragement to students, faculty, and members of the broader community.
Later in the semester, on Monday, November 10 at 7 p.m., Dr. James E. Beitler will present “The Wholehearted Reader: C.S. Lewis on How to Read for Life.” Beitler will guide audiences through Lewis’s published and unpublished writings, offering practical lessons on reading with joy, with others, and as an act of Christian discipleship. As part of the Lewis House Lecture Series, on Tuesday, November 11 at 7 p.m. at the Lewis House, Beitler will present “Virtue Not Vitriol: C.S. Lewis on How to Argue in a Time of Hate-Fueled Rhetoric.”
As Director of the Marion E. Wade Center and Professor of English at Wheaton College, Beitler is a respected scholar of rhetoric and Christian witness, as well as the author of multiple books. He also teaches courses on C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and co-hosts the Wade Center Podcast. His lecture will explore how thoughtful reading can shape faithful living in a complex world.
Together, these opportunities reflect Asbury’s commitment to nurturing intellectual and spiritual formation through dialogue with leading Christian thinkers. Whether in Wilmore or Lexington, attendees will engage ideas that challenge cultural assumptions and invite deeper reflection on faith in the modern world.
The AUHP allows students to pursue the spiritual, moral, social, and ethical dimensions of the human experience; to explore human problem solving, ethical dilemmas, identity, and self; and to relate these human questions to the areas of work, career, family, and society. For more information on upcoming events, visit asbury.edu/honors.