STEUBENVILLE, OH—The past few decades have not been kind to Catholics and fellow Christians concerned about the moral principles once valued by society as a whole. From abortion to same sex “marriage” to euthanasia, the dignity of the human person has been increasingly under attack and a secular worldview is a rising influence in the culture.

Seeking to address this growing crisis, the Veritas Center for Ethics and Public Life at Franciscan University of Steubenville will sponsor a conference titled “Challenging the Secular Culture: A Call to Christians,” April 10-11, 2015. The conference will bring together prominent thinkers to offer their insights on renewing the culture in its many domains, with a special emphasis on practical actions.

“Catholic academics do a lot of analyses and critiques of the different areas of the secular culture, whether it be politics or law or education,” says Dr. Stephen M. Krason, professor of political science and legal studies, associate director of the Veritas Center, and co-founder and president of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists at Franciscan University. “With this conference, we deliberately decided to avoid cursing the darkness and come up with some ideas about how we can address the problems of culture to get us on a path of redirecting culture away from secularism toward traditional understanding about faith and morality.”

The conference speakers will offer ideas both big and modest for reclaiming sound, moral culture that fosters human dignity to the fullest in areas such as family life, sexual morality, education, politics, law, art and architecture, economic life, the media, and the situation of young people and minority groups.

Speakers and topics include:

• “The Challenge Goes Deep,” presented by James Kalb, lawyer, independent scholar, and author;
• “Let Them be Born in Wonder: Recovering the True Core of a Human Education,” presented by Dr. Anthony Esolen, author and professor of English at Providence College;
• “The New Gnosticism of the Homosexual Movement and How to Restore Reality,” presented by Robert R. Reilly, diplomat, director of Voice of America, and author;
• “Media Matter: Shaping Public Opinion for the Gospel,” presented by Sheila Liaugminas, Emmy Award-winning journalist, author, and host of A Closer Look on Relevant Radio;
• “Disestablishing Secularism Through Reestablishing the University,” presented by Dr. Benjamin Wiker, associate professor of political science and human life studies, and senior fellow of the Veritas Center for Ethics in Public Life, at Franciscan University;
• “A New Renaissance in Art and Architecture,” presented by Duncan Stroik, professor of architecture at University of Notre Dame and founder of the Institute for Sacred Architecture;
• “Restoring American Law,” presented by Dr. Lawrence M. Stratton, director of the Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership at Waynesburg University;
• “The Natural Family in the Post-Modern (and Much More Real) World,” presented by Dr. Allan C. Carlson, president of The Howard Center, editor of Family in America, and international secretary of the World Congress on Families;
• “Christ in Civil Society: The Intersection of Higher Education and Social Concerns in the Evangelization of Culture,” presented by Dr. Jonathan Reyes, executive director of the Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development of the USCCB;
• “Restoring Sound Culture and American Principles: The Different Dimensions of a Social and Political Response,” presented by Dr. Stephen M. Krason.

Following the event, the Veritas Center will compile each of the speakers’ papers written for this conference into a book published by the new Franciscan University Press.

The conference will take place on Friday, April 10, through Saturday, April 11, 2015, in the St. Joseph Center at Franciscan University. Registration fee is $50. To register and for more information, visit franciscan.edu/veritas or call 740-284-5262.