SPEAKERS

KRISTA TIPPETT

Krista Tippett is a Peabody Award-winning broadcaster and New York Times best-selling author. In 2014, she received the National Humanities Medal at the White House for “thoughtfully delving into the mysteries of human existence. On the air and in print, Ms. Tippett avoids easy answers, embracing complexity and inviting people of ​every background to join her conversation about faith, ethics, and moral wisdom.”

Krista grew up in Oklahoma, the granddaughter of a Southern Baptist preacher. She studied history at Brown University and went to Bonn, West Germany in 1983 on a Fulbright Scholarship to study politics in Cold War Europe. In her 20s, she ended up in divided Berlin for most of the 1980s, first as The New York Times stringer and a freelance correspondent for Newsweek, The International Herald Tribune, the BBC, and Die Zeit. She later became a special assistant to the U.S. Ambassador to West Germany.

Krista left Berlin in 1988, the year before the Wall fell. She lived in Spain, England, and Scotland for a time, then pursued a M.Div. from Yale. When she graduated in 1994, she saw a black hole where intelligent coverage of religion should be. As she conducted a far-flung oral history project for the Benedictines of St. John’s Abbey (pdf) in Collegeville, Minnesota, she began to imagine radio conversations about the spiritual and intellectual content of faith that could open imaginations and enrich public life.

In 2007, Krista published her first book, Speaking of Faith. It is a memoir of religion in our time, including her move from geopolitical engagement to theology and the cumulative wisdom of her interviews these past years. In 2010, she published Einstein’s God, drawn from her interviews at the intersection of science, medicine, and spiritual inquiry. And now, Krista’s New York Times best-seller Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living opens into the questions and challenges of this century. Maria Popova calls it “a tremendously vitalizing read — a wellspring of nuance and dimension amid our Flatland of artificial polarities, touching on every significant aspect of human life with great gentleness and a firm grasp of human goodness.”

Krista’s two children are at the center of her life. She also loves cooking for her children and their friends, radio plays, beautiful writing, great science fiction, cross country skiing, and hot yoga.

 

MIKE McHARGUE

Mike McHargue (better known as Science Mike) is an author, podcaster, and speaker who travels the world helping people understand the science of life’s most profound experiences. His bestselling debut book, Finding God in the Waves, has helped thousands understand faith in the 21st century.

Mike hosts Ask Science Mike, a weekly question and answer podcast helping hundreds of thousands explore the questions they’ve always been afraid to ask. He cohosts The Liturgists Podcast with his friend Michael Gungor. With over a million downloads per month, The Liturgists Podcast is reshaping how the spiritually homeless and frustrated relate to God.

Mike frequently appears before sold-out audiences in New York, Chicago, and London. He’s a favorite for churches, colleges, and conferences exploring the intersection of science and faith, with recent stops at The University of Georgia, Mars Hill Church (Grand Rapids), The Wild Goose Conference, and Google. Mike is a frequent contributor to RELEVANT magazine, Storyline, BioLogos, and The Washington Post. He’s also a frequent guest on radio program and podcasts worldwide, including recent interviews on SiriusXM and NPR.

Mike McHargue is one of those rare voices that can speak knowledgeably and authentically about both science and faith. He’s a for anyone looking to dig deeper into doubt, atheism, and how God rewires our brains. Mike’s mix of honesty, humor, and affability allow him to connect with remarkably diverse audiences.

Mike lives in Tallahassee, FL with his wife Jenny and two daughters.

Eventbrite - Jesus Rode a Dinosaur: Faithful Youth Ministry in a Scientific Age

PAUL DOUGLAS

Paul Douglas (www.pauldouglasweather.com) is a respected meteorologist with 35 years of TV and radio experience. A successful entrepreneur, he speaks to community groups and corporations about severe weather and climate trends, and appears regularly on national media outlets. Paul and his wife live in Minnesota.

 

DANIEL HARRELL

Daniel M. Harrell is Senior Minister of The Colonial Church, Edina, Minnesota. For 23 years he served as a minister at Park Street Church in Boston, Massachusetts. He is author of the forthcoming How To Be Perfect: One Church’s Audacious Experiment in Living the Old Testament Book of Leviticus (FaithWords, 2011) and of Nature’s Witness: How Evolution Can Inspire Faith (Abingdon, 2008). His articles have appeared in Christianity Today, The Christian Century as well as online at patheos.com, biologos.com and beliefnet.com. He lives in Minnesota with his wife and daughter.

Tony Jones - Science for Youth MinistryTONY JONES

Tony served as a pastor and non-profit executive for two decades before earning his Ph.D. in practical theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. He also holds degrees from Dartmouth College (A.B.) and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.). His work has been awarded grants from the Lilly Endowment and the Templeton Foundation. Tony is married, has three children, and lives in Edina, Minnesota. In his spare time, he trains his yellow lab, Albert, and takes Albert hunting for ducks, grouse, and pheasants.

 

JANET RAY

Janet Ray, Ph.D. teaches biology to non-science majors at the University of North Texas. Janet is an enthusiastic explainer of science. Natural history museums are her favorite travel destinations, especially ones with pterosaurs. She is married to Mark, a dermatologist, and they have two adult kids.  Janet blogs about science, faith, and culture at JanetKRay.com.

 

ANDREW ROOT

Andrew Root (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary) is the Olson Baalson associate professor of youth and family ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A former Young Life staff worker, he has served in churches and social service agencies as a youth outreach associate and a gang prevention counselor.

 

PAUL WALLACE

Paul Wallace teaches in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia and is ordained in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. His background in science (PhD, Duke) and theology (MDiv, Emory) and his informal approach make him a popular speaker at churches, conferences, colleges, and retreats. His publications range from the scientific to the popular. He blogs at psnt.net and his first book is Stars Beneath Us: Finding God in the Evolving Cosmos. Paul lives in Atlanta with his wife and three children. He a major fan of Johnny Cash and the planet Saturn. Also, birds.

ROZELLA HAYDEE WHITE

Rozella Haydee White is a life and leadership coach accompanying people as they figure out how to live their most meaningful life. As a writer, teacher, preacher, and public theologian, Rozella is a known presence on social media, boldly engaging issues of faith, justice, mental illness, and the radical and transformative love of God as embodied in the person of Jesus. She is committed to the pursuit of justice and is a co-founder of #ResistHouston, a community of connection, empowerment, and support for resistance against injustice. Rozella is desperately seeking justice, mercy, humility, and love. She believes that everyone is gifted and has the power to transform themselves, their communities, and the world when they tap into their most authentic self.

DAVID WOOD

David began serving as the Senior Minister of Glencoe Union Church in July, 2009. Prior to GUC, he served congregations in Maine, Paris (France), Kentucky, and Connecticut.  He studied theology and ministry at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminar and Yale Divinity School and is ordained in the American Baptist Churches, USA. David also serves as a consultant to the John Templeton Foundation–assisting in the development of programs that stimulate a more intelligent and interesting engagement between science and faith in the life of congregations in North American and around the world. He is married to Jennifer, his partner in life and ministry. They have three children–all post-college and gainfully employed.

Eventbrite - Jesus Rode a Dinosaur: Faithful Youth Ministry in a Scientific Age