Losing Hope in Politics? Let's Talk About How Christianity and Faith Traditions Can Help Us Disagree Better

2026 Veritas Forum

Join Micheal Wear, a Former White House Staffer and current President and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, and Alex Tuckness, Chair of the ISU Department of Political Science, to talk about hope for politics versus hope in politics. They will also address the role of religion in politics and public service in a society that doesn't agree on any of it. Wear will share resources from the Christian tradition that can contribute to building spaces for more hospitable civic dialogue. Questions from the audience are encouraged.

Michael Wear is the Founder, President and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, a nonpartisan Washington-based institution dedicated to advancing the credibility of Christian resources in public life for the public good. A former White House and presidential campaign staffer, he has spent over a decade advising civic leaders on faith and public life and is a leading voice on building healthy civic pluralism in America, arguing that individuals' spiritual health is closely tied to the state of public affairs. He previously founded Public Square Strategies, a consulting firm helping religious and political organizations navigate the American religious and political landscape, and is the author of The Spirit of Our Politics and Reclaiming Hope, as well as a contributor to books like Compassion and Conviction. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Christianity Today, among other outlets. Michael and his wife, Melissa, are natives of Buffalo, New York, now living in Maryland with their two daughters.

Alex Tuckness has chaired the Department of Political Science at Iowa State University since 2002 and has been a member of the faculty there since 1999, alongside a courtesy appointment in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies. He holds a Ph.D. in Politics from Princeton University, a Master's in Political Thought and Intellectual History from Cambridge University, and a bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Chicago. His teaching and research focus on political theory, exploring the interconnections between historical ideas and contemporary political debates, with work spanning toleration, mercy, punishment, humanitarian intervention, ethics and public service, and revolutions. His most recent book, published by Cambridge University Press, examines the history of act- and rule-based approaches to ethics and politics, and he is currently researching the factors that decrease Christian nationalism.

This lecture recording can be found on the Available Recordings page approximately two business days after the event and will remain accessible for three weeks.