Events

2026-2027 Lecture Schedule (subject to change)

Fall Semester

"Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea's Personality Cult"

Ben Han Memorial Lecture with guest speaker, Jonathan Cheng
October 12, 7:00-8:00pm, Bakke Auditorium, Wade Center

The Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics invites you to the Ben Han Memorial Lecture to hear Jonathan Cheng speak about his new book, Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea's Personality Cult.

For the past half century, Christianity has flourished in South Korea as it has in few other places. But a hundred years ago, no city in Asia was more Christian than Pyongyang, today the capital of nuclear-armed North Korea. In a city so thoroughly Christianized it was known as "the Jerusalem of the East," some of the very first—and most fervent—converts to the faith included the family of Kim Jong Un. Jonathan Cheng, the Wall Street Journal's China bureau chief and former Korea bureau chief, traces this remarkable history, from the central role of American Presbyterian missionaries in bringing Pyongyang to the faith to its transformation under North Korean state founder and one-time Sunday school teacher and church organist Kim Il Sung.

The event will be held on Monday, October 12 at 7 PM PM in Bakke Auditorium, Wade Center (351 E Lincoln Ave, Wheaton). The event is free and open to the public.

About the speaker

Jonathan Cheng is the China bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, overseeing coverage of the world’s second-largest economy across politics, economics, business, technology, and society. Jonathan leads a team of two dozen correspondents and researchers in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, and New York, with responsibility for the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Previously, Jonathan was the Korea bureau chief for The Journal, running coverage of North Korea and South Korean politics and business. He began his career as an intern in The Journal’s Hong Kong bureau and also worked as a markets reporter in the Journal’s New York office.

Jonathan speaks English, Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese, French, and Korean. A native of Toronto, Jonathan graduated from Princeton University with a degree in history. He lives in Beijing and has traveled to North Korea twice.

"From Generation to Generation: A Conversation with the Coats"

Senator Dan Coats, Mrs. Marsha Coats, and Alan Dowd
September 16, 3:30-4:30pm, Bakke Auditorium, Wade Center

The Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics invites you to “From Generation to Generation: A Conversation with Senator Dan Coats and Mrs. Marsha Coats.”

Join us as we hear from, Dan ’65 and Marsha ’66 Coats. From their Wheaton roots to a lifetime of distinguished public service, the Coats family has made an extraordinary impact. Senator Coats has served in the U.S. House and Senate, as U.S. Ambassador to Germany, and as Director of National Intelligence.

Senator Coats will also be presented with the 2026 Amstutz Public Affairs Award, which recognizes Wheaton College graduates for their outstanding service in public life.

The event will be held on September 16 at 3:30 PM in Bakke Auditorium, Wade Center (351 E Lincoln Ave, Wheaton). The afternoon will feature readings from the Coats’ recently published memoir, From Generation to Generation, followed by a moderated discussion. This event is free and open to the public.

2025-2026 Lecture Schedule 

Fall Semester

"The Religious Roots of Communication Revolutions"

Robert D. Woodberry, Ph.D.
October 15, 7:00-8:00pm, Blanchard Hall 339

How does religion shape the origins and consequences of technology? Printing and movable-type fonts were invented in Mesopotamia and East Asia long before they appeared in Europe. But the Protestant desire for everyone to read the Bible in their own language transformed their uses and unleashed a vernacular revolution. We cannot understand modernity without it.

Robert D. Woodberry is director of the Project on Religion and Economic Change and associate research professor at Baylor University. Most of his research analyzes the long-term social impact of missions and religious change in societies around the world. His research appears in the American Sociological Review, Annual Review of Sociology, Social Forces, American Political Science Review, and elsewhere, and has earned 15 outstanding research awards from academic associations including the Luebbert Award for the Best Article in Comparative Politics from the American Political Science Association and Best Article in Comparative and Transnational Sociology from the American Sociological Association. His research has also elicited extensive popular media coverage – including in a feature-length documentary, in two episodes in a TV series, and in articles in Christianity Today and the Economist.

2024-2025 Lectures

"Why Taiwan is Important to the United States"

Ben Han Memorial Lecture, delivered by Thomas J. Christensen, Ph.D.
September 5, 7:00-8:00pm, Bakke Auditorium, Wade Center

This talk will address why a secure, democratic, and prosperous Taiwan is in America's long-term national interest. In light of the challenges that Taiwan currently faces, especially the growing military threat from the People's Republic of China, the talk will discuss what the United States should do and should not do to support Taiwan in meeting those challenges.

Thomas J. Christensen is the James T. Shotwell Professor of International Relations and Director of the China and the World Program at Columbia University. Professor Christensen is also a Senior Advisor to the China Coordination Office at the U.S. Department of State. All opinions expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Government.

"What Is Money?"

Robert Parham, Ph.D.
November 18, 7:00-8:00pm, Blanchard Hall 339

Dr. Robert Parham, Assistant Professor of Commerce, McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, explores the story of money, from the Great Sumerian Empire to Bitcoin. What it is, how to get it, and what it has to do with depression, equity, and morality.

"Bursting from the Bubble: Lessons in Career Navigation"

Mike Bleadorn, Ph.D.
March 17, 6:30-7:30pm, Phelps Room, Lower Beamer

Mike Bleadorn, Ph.D., is an alumnus of Wheaton College and a recently retired Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry with 35 years of experience providing consulting services to a wide variety of industries including energy, manufacturing, consumer goods, retail, media, pharma, health care, technology, and private equity firms. Dr. Bleadorn will be speaking on the topic of how Wheaton College graduates can navigate in a pluralistic society and build a successful career.

2023-2024 Lectures

"Immigrant Nation: What Happened?"

Panel Discussion
April 11, 7:00-8:00pm, Bakke Auditorium, Wade Center

A discussion between experts from theology, politics, law enforcement, and the media, on the current immigration situation, examining what makes this current problem so different and pressing than previous immigration crises. Panel guests include nationally syndicated columnist, Ruben Navarrette, Former US Attorney for Arizona, Paul Charlton, and Scripture Press Ministries Professor of Biblical Studies and Pedagogy at Wheaton College, Dr. Daniel Carroll R.

"Leadership Through Liberal Arts: Why Divergent Thinkers Are Needed in a Convergent World."

Vice Adm. Ann E. Rondeau (ret.), President, Naval Postgraduate School.
November 16, 7:00-8:00pm, Bakke Auditorium, Wade Center

Divergent thinking empowers creative problem solving and is a crucial counterpart to analytic decision making. Vice Admiral Ann Rondeau, President of the Naval Postgraduate School, elaborates on the powerful role a liberal arts education plays in developing idea generating skills that equip us to navigate effectively and lead thoughtfully in an increasingly complex world.

"How Christianity Can Be a Healing Force in American Society"

Peter Wehner
September 11, 7:00-8:00pm, Amerding Concert Hall

Peter Wehner, a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum, served in the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and the George W. Bush White House. He is a contributing editor at The Atlantic Monthly and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times.

2019-2020 Lectures

"The Role of Faith in the Public Square"

Bill Haslam, Governor of Tennessee, 2011-2019, will share how his faith has impacted both his business and political practices.

"C.S. Lewis and Freedom: Christianity's Famous Apologist meets Adam Smith" - Cancelled

Ken Elzinga, Robert C. Taylor Chair in Economics, University of Virginia

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