This Constitution Day event is in partnership with the Moorman Foundation as part of the Free Society Speaker Series at HLGU. 番茄社区 University has long been an advocate of the principles of a free and virtuous society.

鈥淚 am both excited and honored to have Doug Richey speak on campus for our Constitution Day event,鈥� says Dr. Eric Turner, Chair of Arts and Humanities Division at HLGU. 鈥淒oug is a perfect fit as he embodies both a pastor鈥檚 heart and a sharp, scholarly mind with respect to the political landscape in Missouri.鈥�

was elected to his first two-year term in the Missouri House of Representatives in 2018. In addition to serving as a State Representative, he is also a law enforcement chaplain, adjunct professor, and the senior pastor at Pisgah Baptist Church. Richey earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Central Missouri and then went on to earn three master鈥檚 degrees and a doctorate from the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He spent eight years in the Missouri Army National Guard as a combat engineer and has served as president for several alumni organizations and local boards.

鈥淚 am eagerly anticipating the connections Doug will make for our students, staff, and faculty between our Christian faith and faithful stewardship of our constitutional responsibilities,鈥� Turner says.

For more information about Constitution Day at HLGU, email FreeSociety@hlg.edu. This event is free and open to the public.

番茄社区 University is a four-year Christian university fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The University prides itself in its traditional and nontraditional educational experience in a distinctively Christian environment.

This Constitution Day event is in partnership with the Moorman Foundation as part of the Free Society Speaker Series at HLGU. 番茄社区 University has long been an advocate of the principles of a free and virtuous society.

鈥淚 am both excited and honored to have Doug Richey speak on campus for our Constitution Day event,鈥� says Dr. Eric Turner, Chair of Arts and Humanities Division at HLGU. 鈥淒oug is a perfect fit as he embodies both a pastor鈥檚 heart and a sharp, scholarly mind with respect to the political landscape in Missouri.鈥�

Dr. Doug Richey was elected to his first two-year term in the Missouri House of Representatives in 2018. In addition to serving as a State Representative, he is also a law enforcement chaplain, adjunct professor, and the senior pastor at Pisgah Baptist Church. Richey earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Central Missouri and then went on to earn three master鈥檚 degrees and a doctorate from the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He spent eight years in the Missouri Army National Guard as a combat engineer and has served as president for several alumni organizations and local boards.

鈥淚 am eagerly anticipating the connections Doug will make for our students, staff, and faculty between our Christian faith and faithful stewardship of our constitutional responsibilities,鈥� Turner says.

For more information about Constitution Day at HLGU, email FreeSociety@hlg.edu. This event is free and open to the public.

番茄社区 University is a four-year Christian university fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The University prides itself in its traditional and nontraditional educational experience in a distinctively Christian environment.

These Constitution Day events are in partnership with the Moorman Foundation.

鈥淲e are pleased to once again host our Constitution Day events,鈥� says Scott Hall, Moorman Professor of Business at HLGU. 鈥湻焉缜� University has long been an advocate of the principles of a free and virtuous society. This year, we鈥檝e expanded on Constitution Day and will have two events.鈥�

Dr. Jeffery J. Ventrella serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he is the senior vice president of academic affairs and training. Alliance Defending Freedom is the world鈥檚 largest legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, and the sanctity of life.

Since joining ADF in 2000, Dr. Ventrella has designed curriculum for ADF training and professional development programs. He also helped develop ADF International鈥檚 Aret茅 Academy Europe, Asia, and Latin America, which provide training for international advocates and cultural leaders. Additionally, he is the author of 鈥淭he Cathedral Builder: Pursuing Cultural Beauty,鈥� and contributor to nine books.

Dr. Ventrella holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in music education from the University of Northern Colorado, a doctorate in church and state studies from Whitefield Theological Seminary, and a juris doctorate from the University of California Hastings College of the Law. He is a member of the state bar of Idaho and has practiced law since 1985.

鈥淲e are excited to have Dr. Ventrella with us to speak on the importance of our Constitution and its role in promoting and protecting the principles of a free and virtuous society,鈥� says Hall. 鈥淭he next week, we鈥檙e pleased to host Mr. David Roland from the Freedom Center of Missouri, who will look into the concepts that framed our Constitution and how that has worked throughout history.鈥�

David Roland is the director of litigation and co-founder of the Freedom Center of Missouri (FCMo). Roland also serves as the secretary for the Freedom Center鈥檚 board of directors. FCMo is a non-profit, non-partisan organization co-founded by Roland and his wife Jenifer in 2010. FCMo is dedicated to research and constitutional litigation in the areas of freedom of expression, economic liberty, property rights, religious liberties, and limited government.

Roland earned undergraduate degrees in political science and biblical studies before earning his law degree and master鈥檚 in theology at Vanderbilt University.

Before co-founding the Freedom Center of Missouri, Roland spent several years in Washington D.C. as an attorney with the Institute for Justice. He also worked for the Show Me Institute in Missouri which is dedicated to promoting free markets and individual liberty.

Major media outlets like the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Fox News, and MSNCB have discussed Roland鈥檚 work. Since moving to Missouri in 2007, he has been featured in a variety of news broadcasts, radio shows, and newspapers. Roland travels across the state of Missouri speaking to elected officials, student and community groups, and Federalist Society chapters.

For more information about the Constitution Day speaker series, email FreeSociety@hlg.edu.

番茄社区 University is a four-year Christian university fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The University prides itself in its traditional and nontraditional educational experience in a distinctively Christian environment.

Mr. Scott Hall, chair of the business department and assistant professor of business, is leading the way for these types of events on campus. He says, 鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited to host Dr. John Wilsey as our first speaker for our fall speaker series on the nature of a free society. Dr. Wilsey is a nationally known author with particular insight on the impact religion has on liberty, particularly Christianity. Events like this help students and the community toward a greater understanding of what a free society is and how we can maintain one. These talks are a lot of fun; always interesting and entertaining!鈥�

On Friday morning, September 18, the honors community hosted Dr. Wilsey for a talk on the topic of 鈥淐onservativism: What is it? Does it have a future?鈥� He outlined the basic tenets of conservatism, which he identified as an approach to life, which includes an appreciation of the wisdom of the past and a cautious approach to change. He also identified several strands of American conservative thought, including Black Conservatism.

Dr. Miles Mullin, director of the honors program, commented, 鈥淚t is always a privilege to have someone of John鈥檚 intellectual stature on campus to address our academic community. His talk was well-delivered and stirred discussion regarding many issues, which is really the point of our efforts.鈥�

Dr. Wilsey is associate professor of church history and philosophy at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He was 2017-2018 William E. Simon Visiting Fellow in Religion and Public Life with the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, where he conducted research for his forthcoming religious biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower鈥檚 secretary of state, John Foster Dulles. That book will be released under the title God鈥檚 Cold Warrior: The Life and Faith of John Foster Dulles by Eerdmans this February 9. Dr. Wilsey edited an abridged edition of Alexis de Tocqueville鈥檚 Democracy in America for Lexham Press in 2016, and is the author of One Nation Under God: An Evangelical Critique of Christian America and American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion: Reassessing the History of an Idea.

The event will feature speaker Dr. John Wilsey, who will address the important contribution of religion in bolstering democracy and liberty in America.

聽Dr. Wilsey is an associate professor of church history and philosophy at The Southern Theological Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he鈥檚 been teaching since 2018.聽

Prior to earning his PhD at Southeastern in 2010, he taught elementary, middle, and high school students in history and Bible for nearly twenty years. He also has experience working in youth and adult discipleship through his eight years of pastoring a Baptist church in Charlottesville, Virginia. For a period of time, he also taught at Southwestern Seminary alongside Dr. Miles Mullin, professor of Christian studies and church history at HLGU.聽

Additionally, he was the 2017-2018 William E. Simon Vising Fellow in Religion and Public Life with the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, where he conducted research for his forthcoming religious biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower鈥檚 secretary of state, John Foster Dulles. That book will be released under the title God鈥檚 Cold Warrior: The Life and Faith of John Foster Dulles by Eerdmans on February 9.聽

Wilsey also edited an abridged edition of Alexis de Tocqueville鈥檚 Democracy in America for Lexham Press in 2016 and is the author of One Nation Under God: An Evangelical Critique of Christian America and American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion: Reassessing the History of an Idea, published in 2011.聽

He and his wife, Mandy, have been married for 23 years and together they have two daughters.聽

The event is held in-partnership with the Moorman Foundation and co-sponsored by HLGU鈥檚 Business Department and the Center for Christian Worldview.聽

For more information on this event, contact the HLGU Academic Administration Office at 573.629.3092.

By Alex Shipley