Hello John,

I am pleased to announce the first of two winners of an inaugural Richard D. McLellan Free Speech Writing Fellowship: Dr. Samuel Goldman. Sam is a professor of political science at George Washington University. He is also the Executive Director of the John L. Loeb Jr. Institute for Religious Freedom and the Politics and Values Program at George Washington University. His two books–God’s Country: Christian Zionism in America and After Nationalism—have been highly praised in reviews and cited widely.

The Richard D. McLellan Prizes Flyer

Below is our McLellan Prizes Flyer, with a contemporary look and highlighting some of the luminaries who will be present and part of the program. Don’t miss the Inaugural McLellan Prizes event on December 5! 

Book Gallery Webinar on Free Speech, the Indispensable Right, with Jonathan Turley

Justifications for free speech generally dwell on its importance to democracy or the exercise of other rights to religion, press, and association. These functionalist defenses fail to recognize the essential nature of this freedom. Law professor Jonathan Turley argues that, “Free speech is a human right. It is the free expression of thought that is the essence of being human.” Expression of thought between human beings is an essentially and uniquely human act. Free speech protects that act. 

Nonetheless, the history of the struggle for free speech has been long and arduous, playing a central role in British and American history. What were the major struggles to establish free speech as a central right in American history? What is the nature of free speech and how does it relate to the political struggles of our own age? Why is it so important that we retain a culture of free speech?  

On Tuesday, November 19 at 7 pm, join University Bookman editor Luke Sheahan as he discusses the history and basis of freedom of speech with Jonathan Turley, J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University Law School, and author of The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage. 

Third Annual Russello Lecture in NYC and Advance Publication Party for The Selected Essays of Gerald Russello
 

On November 13, the University Bookman and friends will hold a memorial lecture in honor of Gerald Russello, longtime editor of the University Bookman. Rusty Reno, editor of First Things, will speak on "The Conservative Paradox: Mourning and Gratitude.” 

The event will be held at Fordham University’s Law School at the Lincoln Center campus in Manhattan, beginning with a reception at 6:00 p.m. and the lecture to follow. The address is: Fordham University Law School, Lincoln Center, Tiered Lecture Hall 4-02, 150 West 62nd Street.

Christianity and Culture Lecture Series
 

On November 21, Dr. Joseph Stuart will speak on “The Medium of Culture in the Thought of Christopher Dawson” in Troy, Michigan. Christopher Dawson was a twentieth-century British historian best known for his work explaining the significance of religion as a driving force in the history of culture. 

Dr. Stuart discovered Dawson’s writings while studying at the Kirk Center as a Wilbur Fellow. He went on to earn his doctoral degree from the University of Edinburgh and is now professor of History at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND. His most recent book is Christopher Dawson: A Cultural Mind in the Age of the Great War (CUA Press, 2022). He will be an excellent and lively guide to how Dawson’s contributions can inform our understanding of culture and the prospects for renewing it today.

This series is a joint initiative of the Kirk Center and the Chesterton Academy of our Lady of Guadalupe. More information about location details and registration may be found here. 

I hope to see you in New York, Detroit, Grand Rapids–or at each of these Kirk Center events!

Yours in Ordered Liberty,

Jeff Nelson