Book Launch
September 18, 2025 | 6:30 - 8:00 pm
Upper House 

High callings come with high demands, and being a leader while following Christ can feel like a confusing balancing act. How can Christian leaders hold on to hope in a world of distraction and distress?

Join us at Upper House for a conversation with Jason Jensen, author of the new book "Formed to Lead: Humility, Character, Integrity, and Discernment". In an interview format with Tiffany Malloy, Jason will discuss the model of leadership laid out by the gospel writer at the beginning of Luke. Q&A will follow. 

The event is free. 

Dallas A. Willard series
October 3, 2025 | 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Upper House 

What is charisma? Sometimes the word indicates someone who is simply charming, while other times it can imply manipulation. We often use it to describe that undefinable quality of a leader. The role of charismatic figures in American history stretches from early religious revivals to contemporary political movements. Across every era, Americans have turned to those who promise to restore order and meaning by channeling both sacred and secular power. When traditional religious institutions struggle to provide purpose, charismatic figures—both sacred and secular—step into the void, offering followers a sense of divine calling and cosmic significance. 

Drawing from her acclaimed book Spellbound, historian Molly Worthen will explore how charisma in secular politics remains more connected to spiritual charisma, as witnessed in the New Testament sense, than we might think—and theological concepts like transcendence and idolatry are more relevant than ever. This lecture, the second in the Dallas A. Willard series presented by the Lumen Center, calls the university community to pay more attention to the spiritual dimensions that underlie much of American history and contemporary culture. 

The Dallas A. Willard Lecture is generously supported by Fieldstead and Co.