Author, Social Critic Os Guinness to Visit Taylor

Acclaimed author and social critic Os Guinness will present the 7^th annual Halbrook Freedom Lecture at chapel at 10 am on Friday, April 21 in Rediger Chapel/Auditorium. Described as a “quiet voice on behalf of faith, freedom, truth, reason, and civility,” Guinness has written or edited over 30 books, including his latest book The Great Quest: Invitation to the Examined Life and a Sure Path to Meaning, published in 2022.

In addition to chapel, Guinness will host a Q&A session at 4 pm on April 21 in Euler 109, which is open to the public.

“We are delighted to welcome internationally renowned Dr. Os Guinness to Taylor University,” said Dr. Tom Jones, Halbrook Distinguished Chair of American Government and Professor Emeritus of History. “He is respected as an author whose books thoughtfully and respectfully address important topics such as freedom of conscience and cultural engagement as a follower of Jesus Christ.”

The great-great-great grandson of Arthur Guinness, the Dublin brewer, he was born in China during World War II where his parents were medical missionaries. Guinness’ family was expelled in 1951 after the Chinese revolution, along with many other foreigners. They returned to England, where Guinness completed his undergraduate degree at the University of London and DPhil in the social sciences from Oriel College, Oxford. He was the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Taylor University in 2017.

Guinness’ works include The Call, Time for Truth, Unspeakable, A Free People’s Suicide, The Global Public Square, Last Call for Liberty, Carpe Diem Redeemed, and The Magna Carta of Humanity.

“Dr. Guinness is an incredible writer and thinker who has helped hundreds of thousands of Christians engage thoughtfully with the world around them,” said Taylor’s President Dr. D. Michael Lindsay. “I’m excited for the opportunity for our community to hear from and respond to his time on campus.”

Since moving to the United States in 1984, Guinness has been a Guest Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies, a Guest Scholar and Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Senior Fellow at the Trinity Forum and the East West Institute in New York. He was the lead drafter of the Williamsburg Charter in 1988, a celebration of the bicentennial of the US Constitution, and later of “The Global Charter of Conscience,” which was published at the European Union Parliament in 2012.

Guinness has spoken at many of the world’s major universities and political and business conferences across the globe. He lives with his wife, Jenny, in the Washington, DC area.

About the Halbrook Freedom Lecture Series

The Halbrook Freedom Lecture Series seeks to bring nationally recognized speakers to campus to engage students in the most important conversations facing our nation. Named for 1967 alumnus John A. Halbrook, the series is intended to advance understanding and appreciation of free market principles and constitutional liberty, inspiring and equipping young men and women for domestic and global engagement through careers in politics, law, and public service.