BE NOT CONFORMED: A Gathering on Nov. 3 in Washington, DC

Apply to join the first-ever NOVITATE experience—plus, a major life update from me.

We make plans, God laughs.

In February I publicly announced an event I’m hosting at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, on the centennial anniversary of René Girard’s birth, to explore and celebrate his life and work. It’s called NOVITATE, which means newness in Latin.¹

This is the first of a series of events I’m organizing which follow the three-city model—bringing together Athens, Jerusalem, and Silicon Valley. (Imagine a brilliant philosopher-theologian in conversation with a tech founder/CEO, in conversation with an academic scholar, in conversation with a front office executive of an NBA team.)

I believe that as our world grows more siloed and specialized, these interdisciplinary conversations are more important than ever. We can’t solve new problems using the same approaches that created them.

But today’s newsletter is partly about how my world got pleasantly rocked recently: just after locking in conference venues and vendor contracts, my wife Claire and I learn…