Politics, Polarization, & Peacemaking

Political polarzization and extremism have divided churches and families in America. How can pastors heal the wounds of our divided nation in their churches and communities? Join us and fellow pastors as we delve deep into this topic and share strategies and resources to aid your efforts as an agent of reconciliation.

A light breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Confirmed Speakers

Elizabeth Neumann

Elizabeth Neumann is a national security expert, violence prevention advocate, and author of the new book Kingdom of Rage: The Rise of Christian Extremism and the Path Back to Peace. She served on White House Homeland Security Council in the George W. Bush Administration, and as the Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism at the Department of Homeland Security during the Trump Administration. She is currently the Chief Strategy Officer for Moonshot — a tech-enabled company supporting governments and community  partners to understand and prevent violence. She is also a national security contributor for ABC News. 

Caleb Campbell

Pastor Caleb Campbell has served as a pastor a Pastor at Desert Springs Bible Church in Phoenix, AZ since 2006. He is the founder and director of Disarming Leviathan Ministries (DisarmingLeviathan.com), which equips people to reach Christian Nationalists as a mission field. His book, Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor, is due out with InterVarsity Press on the 4th of July.  

Phil Herndon

Phil Herndon completed graduate school in 1992 with a Master of Arts degree in Counseling and a Master of Arts degree in Religious Education. He served as a pastor in Texas for 15 years until joining the Center for Professional Excellence in 2005 where he served as Clinical Director until 2020. Phil became the Clinical Director and co-owner of (what is now) River Tree in 2020 and joined the Tin Man team as Clinical Director and Faculty Coach in 2022.

Troy Jackson

Troy Jackson is co-founder and Chief Strategies Officer of Undivided, a racial solidarity, healing, and justice movement that has moved thousands from passivity and isolation to community and action to address racism. Jackson also leads Evangelical Strategies for Faith in Action (formerly PICO National Network), and has worked for the organization since March 2018. He is co-author with Chuck Mingo of Living Undivided: Loving Courageously for Racial Healing and Justice (2024), a book by and for practitioners who want to lead well on race.

Daniel Bennett 

Daniel Bennett is an associate professor of political science at John Brown University. He has published research on the politicization of religious freedom, group attitudes and constitutional rights, Christian legal advocacy, and more. He has written for popular outlets such as Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Religion and Politics, and The Monkey Cage, and he has been interviewed for articles in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, among others. His most recent book is Uneasy Citizenship: Embracing the Tension in Faith and Politics.

A more detailed agenda with the speaker lineup will be added soon.

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