—Systemic change begins with personal change—
Eric Metaxas is the New York Times #1 bestselling author of Martin Luther, If You Can Keep It, Bonhoeffer, Miracles, Seven Women, Seven Men, and Amazing Grace. He has written more than thirty children’s books, including the bestsellers Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving and It’s Time to Sleep, My Love, illustrated by Nancy Tillman. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages.
He is the host of the Eric Metaxas Radio Show, a nationally syndicated radio program heard in more than 120 cities around the U.S., featuring in-depth interviews with a wide variety of guests, such as Tony Hale, Joseph Fiennes, Adam McKay, Dick Cavett, David Gregory, Kirsten Powers, David Brooks, Peggy Noonan, Steve Forbes, Nia Vardalos, LeCrae, Abigail Disney, Marja Mills, Mary Karr, Jason Gay, Patricia Heaton, Paul Williams, and Alexandra Wentworth Stephanopoulos. Metaxas speaks to thousands around the U.S. and internationally each year. He was the keynote speaker at the 2012 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC, an event attended by the President and First Lady, the Vice President, members of Congress, and other U.S. and world leaders. Previous keynote speakers have included Mother Theresa, Bono, and Tony Blair. That speech and Eric’s essay on the experience were put into a book, No Pressure, Mr. President: The Power of True Belief in a Time of Crisis.
ABC News has called Metaxas a “photogenic, witty ambassador for faith in public life,†and The Indianapolis Star described him as “a Protestant version of William F. Buckley.â€
He is the founder and host of Socrates in the City: Conversations on the Examined Life, an event series of “entertaining and thought-provoking discussions on ‘life, God, and other small topics'†featuring such guests as Malcolm Gladwell, Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel, Dr. Francis Collins, Sir John Polkinghorne, Baroness Caroline Cox, N.T. Wright, Os Guinness, Peter Kreeft, and Dick Cavett.
In 2011, Metaxas was the 17th recipient of the Canterbury Medal awarded by the Becket Fund for Religious Freedom. Previous medalists include Mitt Romney, Chuck Colson, and Elie Wiesel. He has testified before Congress about the rise of anti-Semitism in the U.S. and abroad, and spoke at CPAC2013 on the issue of Religious Freedom. In September 2013, Eric and his wife Susanne were jointly awarded the Human Life Review’s “Great Defender of Life Award.†Metaxas has been awarded honorary Doctorates from Hillsdale College, Liberty University and Sewanee: The University of the South.
See more at Eric's About page.
A few months ago I hadn't heard the names William Wilberforce or Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Now they rank among my greatest influences. Eric Metaxas's biographies of these two men were among the main reasons. Once I read them, I had to meet Eric and bring his view here. Read the books, learn about the men, what they did, and the environments in which they did it. Few who spend time with me would expect me to find inspiration from a man whom I heard describe himself as a "Jesus freak" or strongly promote President Trump, whose policies I haven't seen increasing Earth's ability to sustain life and society, but those who know me well know my intense curiosity for people with unfamiliar views. Those who know me very well will find deep values of mine that resonate with Eric's beyond taking inspiration from Wilberforce and Bonhoeffer. I recorded a longer introduction than usual to recount my discovering Eric's work so you can hear more background there. Recording shortly before the election limited our recording time, meaning we covered only a fraction of what we could have. I hope this episode was the first of many.