Speaking Engagements
I offer two primary presentations, both exploring the tensions between conviction and certainty, between standing for something and standing against someone. Both invite us to examine what becomes possible when we hold our deepest beliefs with open hands rather than clenched fists.
Book Me To Speak
Both presentations can be tailored for:
Universities and colleges
Churches and faith communities
Conferences and retreats
Corporate and professional development
Community organizations
Sessions available in 45-minute, 60-minute, or 90-minute formats, with optional Q&A.
The Art of Disagreement
What happens in the moment we become certain we're right and everyone else becomes the enemy?
This presentation traces how human diversity collapses into binary thinking—how we move from the beautiful complexity of genuine disagreement into the dangerous simplicity of warfare. How fundamentalists on all sides build their armies by first attacking those closest to them, demanding purity, eliminating the middle ground.
You'll explore:
The critical difference between holding convictions and clutching certainty
Why "the middle" might be the most courageous position—and why both sides attack it
How conviction invites engagement while certainty demands defense
The first step back from the brink (and why it has to start with you)
This isn't about "both sides are the same" or abandoning what you believe. It's about recognizing the pattern that emerges wherever humans engage with big questions—politics, religion, ethics, identity—and learning to hold deep convictions with open hands instead of clenched fists.
The question isn't whether you have strong beliefs. The question is: what would it take for you to change your mind?
If the answer is "nothing," you've found your certainty. And that's where the work begins—not with them, but with you.
What If We’re Wrong?
For Christian Audiences
The early church lived in the tensions from the beginning. Peter and James disagreed fundamentally about what it meant to follow Jesus. One emphasized faith, the other emphasized works. One opened doors to gentiles, the other held tight to tradition. Both believed deeply. Both were certain they were right.
Sound familiar?
This presentation explores what becomes possible when we hold our theology with open hands instead of clenched fists. It asks what happens when we:
Believe deeply while remaining genuinely open to correction
Embrace doubt as part of discipleship rather than its opposite
Recognize that God might be bigger than our ability to fully explain Him
Create space for others to be wrong without making them our enemy
We'll examine how the early church navigated profound disagreement, how both Peter and James were right and wrong, and what it means to practice faith in the tensions between certainty and mystery, between conviction and humility, between believing passionately and admitting we might be wrong.
This isn't about abandoning biblical truth or embracing relativism. It's about recognizing that certainty about our interpretation isn't the same as faithfulness to God. It's about learning to love people across our theological differences. It's about building communities of genuine communion that can sustain disagreement without fracturing.
The question for Christians isn't whether we have deep convictions. The question is: are we willing to follow Jesus even when we're not certain we have Him figured out?