As part of the Asbury University Honors Program (AUHP), author and editor Jake Meador joined Asbury University President Dr. Kevin Brown for a conversation titled, “What Are Christians For?” This evening focused on how the guiding authority of Christ shapes ideals, values, and obligations in today’s polarized climate. Drawing from his recent book, Meador reflected on Christian responsibility and flourishing amid social and political tensions. As part of the Lewis House Lecture Series in Lexington, Meador also spoke on “Theology or Therapy: Why Therapy Can’t Solve All Our Problems.”
“Meador’s insights and reflections on a wide range of issues dealing with the pursuit of the good life and the fostering of an authentic Christian community resonated well with our students,” said Honors Program Director Dr. Paul Nesselroade. “The interview format led by President Brown proved to be an effective approach to both pull out a variety of penetrating observations and cover a wide array of topics.”
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 offered both challenge and encouragement to students, faculty, and members of the broader community.
His book “What Are Christians For?” lays out a proposal for Christian politics rooted in the givenness and goodness of the created world. Meador “is uninterested in the cultural wars that have so often characterized American Christianity, [offering a] political approach that is antiracist, anticapitalist, and profoundly pro-life.” According to Meador, “A truly Christian political witness must attend closely to the natural world and renounce the metallic fantasies that have poisoned common life in American life for too long.”
“We’re trying to model a kind of Christianity that’s historically rooted, intellectually engaged, and resistant to a kind of unthinking,” Meador said. “We’re seeking to honor God by being
faithful to what we think He calls us to, which is not always convenient or expedient.”
Meador continues to work on an upcoming book that “explains Christian faith through the practices of the Church.”
“For a lot of people, church feels more like a kind of lifestyle activity we do, rather than something that’s existentially vital to our lives,” Meador said. “In the upcoming book, I will try to explain why practices of the Church are significant.” 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.