New York Times Bestselling Author Eric Metaxas Speaks at DBU

Dallas, TX - Eric Metaxas, New York Times bestselling author, recently spoke on the DBU campus as a part of the inaugural Institute for Global Engagement Leadership Lecture Series. The event, which took place on October 20 and 21, marked the beginning of a new series sponsored by DBU's Institute for Global Engagement.

"When we began looking toward what the IGE could mean and these types of lectures could accomplish, we wanted to begin with somebody who would capture and would model as an example all that the IGE intends to be," said Dr. Jim Denison, founder and president of the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture and senior fellow for the IGE. "So we began with Eric Metaxas. He was not only our first choice, he was our only choice."

Metaxas biographies of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and William Wilberforce have garnered national recognition and remained on the New York Times bestseller lists for several weeks, with the Bonhoeffer work reaching #1 in the non-fiction category. His book on Wilberforce was made into the movie, Amazing Grace. He recently began a daily radio show that highlights his practical engagement of Christian truth with the culture, and he is a frequent speaker around the world, providing the keynote address at the 2012 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D. C.

The Leadership Lecture Series began on Tuesday evening in Pilgrim Chapel on the DBU campus. Metaxas spoke to a group of more than 800 individuals, representing a wide-range of professionals from across the Metroplex in the fields of medicine, business, religion, and education, as well as many DBU students, faculty, and staff.

He focused his talk on the need for Christians to be authentic and engaging within the culture God has placed them and be willing to lead first with their caring and love that will in turn provide a doorway to sharing the Gospel.

"We have to live our faith in a real way. That's the number one thing we can do. If we demonstrate our love for others, that communicates something that is very, very important," Metaxas stated.

"I think that it is important for us to understand that even though the Bible is logical and our faith is logical, at the end of the day, it isn't about logic, it's about the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we have to understand that for someone to even listen to the logic or to whatever we have to share, it is going to take an act of love and an attitude of humility. Being sensitive is a form of love. You are not going to change the truth, but you are going to change how you communicate if you really love them and want to reach them."

The following day, Metaxas spoke to the DBU student body in chapel and shared with them his testimony.

Metaxas discussed that although attending church was a part of his family's life growing up, he was not truly challenged in his faith until his time at Yale. During his studies, Metaxas said that the Lord spoke to him clearly through a dream, and his life has been changed since. He went on to encourage students that God cares deeply about them and has a desire to have a relationship with each of them in a personal way.

"The Lord wants to speak to each of us," Metaxas explained, "and He does so in a variety of ways."

Following the chapel service, Metaxas held a book signing for his latest work, Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change Your Life, and had the opportunity to speak with students and staff.

"It was our privilege to have such an influential servant of the Lord on the DBU campus," said Dr. Adam Wright, vice president and dean of the Gary Cook School of Leadership. "Eric Metaxas is the type of voice we want to bring to campus for these events, a voice that helps to bring the power of the Gospel to bear on the daily work of our lives."

Established in the summer of 2014, the Institute for Global Engagement is a joint-effort between DBU's Gary Cook School of Leadership and the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture. The IGE seeks to be a catalyst for moral and spiritual renewal by engaging, equipping and influencing leaders. In order to accomplish this goal, the IGE provides programs and events that bridge the gap between academics and professionals, attempting to provide thoughtful and practical Christian engagement in the public sphere.