Crossroads (with lunch) | Wisdom and courage for a world falling apart: What the world needs from people of faith

Wisdom and courage for a world falling apart: What the world needs from people of faith

Brian McLaren
Author, Speaker, Activist, Public Theologian

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AUGUST 15, 2025  |  11:45 AM – 1:00 PM
Plymouth Congregational Church, Des Moines
** in-person event **

Our world seems to be falling apart on so many levels. Brian McLaren – nationally-known author, speaker, activist, public theologian, and former college English teacher and pastor – will explore how we might come to a deeper understanding of the ways our world is being threatened and how we can tap into our faith traditions and values to inform and inspire ourselves in this new reality. Dialogue is ever more important for how people of faith and no faith can respond with courage and clarity to the challenges we all face.

We hope you will join us in-person at Plymouth Church in Des Moines for this special Crossroads presentation in partnership with St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Parish and Student Center in Des Moines. St. Catherine's is hosting Brian McLaren as part of their Dialogue Series. While Brian will join us remotely for Crossroads, we strongly believe that gathering together in community as we normally do is important for this presentation and conversation. We hope you will make your reservation and be present. A virtual option is also available.

You may make your reservation to attend in-person (with lunch) by clicking on the "Register Now" button. Four bag lunch sandwich options are available: turkey, roast beef, ham salad, and vegetarian; brown bag lunches are $15 each. Please note: You must pre-order and pay for your lunch by 12:00 PM on Wednesday, August 13. Late orders or walk-in requests for lunch will not be available.

If you have any issues registering, please email info@interfaithallianceiowa.org or call 515.279.8715.

ABOUT THE ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA DIALOGUE SERIES | The Dialogue Series is presented by St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Parish and Student Center at Drake University. “Faith in Action for the Common Good” is the foundation of the series, which invites people of all spiritual walks of life to listen, converse, and then act to improve conditions that benefit all members of society.

ABOUT OUR PRESENTER | Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good. He is Dean of Faculty for the Center for Action and Contemplation. and a podcaster with Learning How to See. He is a co-host of Southern Lights.

His newest books are  Faith After Doubt (January 2021), Do I Stay Christian? (May 2022), and Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart (2024).

Faith After Doubt makes the bold proposition that only doubt can save the world (and your faith). And Do I Stay Christian? helps struggling Christians address the questions of whether and how to stay Christian when the term can mean irreconcilable things. Life After Doom addresses how we can face and respond to what experts call our multi-crisis or poly-crisis.

Brian is primarily known as a thinker and writer. His first book, The Church on the Other Side: Doing Ministry in the Postmodern Matrix, (1998, rev. ed. 2000) has been recognized as a primary portal into the current conversation about ministry in a postmodern context. His second book, Finding Faith (1999), is a contemporary apologetic, written for thoughtful seekers and skeptics. In A New Kind of Christianity (2010), Brian articulated ten questions that are central to the emergence of a postmodern, post-colonial Christian faith.

Brian has been active in networking and mentoring Christian leaders since the mid 1980’s, and has assisted in the development of several new churches. A frequent guest on television, radio, and news media programs, he has appeared on All Things Considered, Larry King Live, Nightline, On Being, and Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. His work has also been covered in Time, The New York Times, Christianity Today, Christian Century, the Washington Post, Huffington Post, CNN.com, and many other print and online media.

Crossroads is a monthly gathering of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa in Des Moines. It's an opportunity to learn, to participate in civil dialogue, and to discuss issues at the crossroads of religion and politics.