'Pastor-in-Chief' to Speak at Calvin

Joshua DuBois, who has been a spiritual advisor to President Obama, will give the 18th-annual Paul B. Henry Lecture at 7:30 p.m. on Monday in the Calvin College Covenant Fine Arts Center Recital Hall.

DuBois is the former head of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The lecture is free and open to the public.

A Pentecostal preacher from Tennessee, DuBois will explore the connection between religion, politics and society during his lecture titled “Christ and Culture in the White House and the Wider World.”

“He’s going to be talking about the intersection of Christian faith and politics and even some broader questions than just politics. How do Christians engage in culture?” said Kevin de Dulk, political science professor at Calvin College and executive director of the Paul B. Henry Institute.

In addition, says den Dulk, the audience can expect stories about DuBois’s time in the White House and lessons that he learned as the spiritual mentor to the leader of the free world.

“He’s going to bring in anecdotes from his time in the White House,” said den Dulk. “What did it mean to be a faithful Christian advising the president on a whole range of matters? What lessons does he bring from that experience into the wider world?”

DuBois has been referred to as the “Pastor-in-Chief” by TIME Magazine.

DuBois joined the Obama campaign after watching a speech from then-State Senator Barack Obama in the summer of 2004.

After President Obama won the election in 2008, he selected DuBois as head of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, making him the youngest-ever head of a White House department.

As Obama’s spiritual advisor, DuBois sent devotionals to the president every morning.

In February 2013, DuBois resigned to write the recently released The President’s Devotional.

He also writes for Newsweek and The Daily Beast as a religion columnist.

After the lecture, there will be an audience Q&A time.