The University of Maine at Presque Isle welcomes New York Times best-selling author Frank Schaeffer as its final distinguished lecturer of the Spring 2010 semester.
Frank Schaeffer, the author of Patience with God: Faith for People Who Don’t Like Religion (Or Atheism), will speak at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14 in the Campus Center. His talk, Social Action and Religion: Hopeful Uncertainty in a Fundamentalist World, is part of the University’s Distinguished Lecturer Series and is being held in conjunction with University Day. Schaeffer will discuss his evangelical past and the lessons he has learned over the years about social action. His talk is free and open to the public.
Schaeffer will take time during his campus visit to meet with students, classes and the community.
Schaeffer has written prolifically and is the author of four works of fiction – his Calvin Becker Trilogy has been translated into nine languages – and six works of non-fiction, including AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America’s Upper Classes from Military Service, and How it Hurts our Country, the New York Times best-seller Keeping Faith: A Father-Son Story About Love and the United States Marine Corps and the widely-acclaimed memoir Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of it Back. The Los Angeles Times has described his writing as, “A rich brew of cross-cultural comedy.”
The son of evangelical theologian Francis Schaeffer, Frank Schaeffer is a survivor of polio and overcame severe dyslexia in order to become an acclaimed writer, self-taught documentary movie director and feature film director and producer.
Schaeffer has written for USA Today, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun and other publications on topics ranging from his critique of American right wing fundamentalism to his experiences as a military parent and novelist. He has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News, and has been a commentator on both NPR’s All Things Considered and for The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. He has also been a frequent guest on C-SPAN’s Book TV. A prolific blogger for the Huffington Post, he and his wife, Genie, live in Massachusetts and have three children.
The University’s Distinguished Lecture Series was established in 1999. Each year, the UDLS Committee sponsors five to six speakers who come from Maine and beyond, representing a range of disciplines and viewpoints. The speakers typically spend two days at the University meeting with classes and presenting a community lecture.
Schaeffer’s lecture at UMPI is free and the public is invited to be a part of this special evening. For more information about Schaeffer’s presentation, please contact the Media Relations Office at 768-9452.
