Upcoming year

Dear friends of the Center for the Study of Evangelicalism at UCCS,

As summer settles in, we wanted to share an update on what the Center has been up to, and what’s ahead for a busy and exciting 2026–27 academic year.

A Strong Spring

We closed out the spring semester with two well-attended and engaging events. In April, Dr. William Schultz (University of Chicago) joined us for a fascinating conversation about evangelical capitalism and the history of Colorado Springs in his talk, Jesus Springs: Evangelical Capitalism and the Fate of an American City. Then in May, Matthew D. Taylor (Center on Faith + Justice, Georgetown University) delivered a timely and urgent lecture, The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy. Both events drew lively audiences and rich discussion, and we're grateful to the scholars and community members who made them possible.

Recordings of both talks (Schultz and Taylor) are now available on our YouTube channel, @TheCSE-UCCS. If you missed them, we encourage you to check them out.

Looking Ahead: 2026–27 Programming

We’re thrilled to announce an exciting slate of events for the coming academic year. Here’s what's on the calendar:

Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 6:00 pm
Book Launch Event with Kristin Du Mez: Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made
ENT Center for the Arts, Shockley-Zalabak Theater, 5225 N. Nevada Ave.
Historian Kristin Du Mez (Calvin University), author of Jesus and John Wayne, will discuss her brand new book, Live Laugh Love, released earlier this day. Du Mez introduces us to religious innovators who taught that positivity was the secret to spiritual and material success and reveals how they worked through consumer culture — mommy blogs and romance novels, Hobby Lobby aisles and pastel-scripted wall art. Marketed as empowerment, these products and slogans elevate vulnerability and domesticity, and in the process draw women into systems prone to manipulation and abuse.

Book signing begins at 5:00 pm in the ENT Center lobby. The first 75 attendees in line will receive a free copy, and books will also be available for purchase. This is a free event, but attendees must have a ticket and seating will be assigned. A link for tickets will be available soon — stay tuned.

Wednesday, September 23, 2026, 6:00 pm
Faith and Political Homelessness in the United States
Grace and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 601 N. Tejon St.
In an era of intense political polarization, many people of faith find themselves feeling politically homeless — unable to fully identify with any party, ideology, or movement. This event brings together scholars and political leaders to explore the challenges and opportunities of that experience. The evening will feature an opening lecture by Dr. Mark Labberton, former president of Fuller Theological Seminary, followed by a panel featuring Dr. Labberton; Elizabeth Neumann, former Deputy Chief of Staff at the Department of Homeland Security during the first Trump administration; and Yemi Mobolade, Mayor of Colorado Springs. Extensive audience Q&A will follow. Join us for an evening of dialogue, reflection, and renewed imagination for public life in Colorado Springs and beyond.

Thursday, March 18, 2027
Author and Journalist Steve Rabey discussed his new book: Big Fam: Dobson, Focus, and the Civil War in Churches, DC, States and Courts
Location and time TBD.

Thursday, April 8, 2027
An Evening with William Stell (New York University), author of Born Again Queer: A History of Evangelical Gay Activism and the Making of Antigay Christianity
Location and time TBD. 

Additional details, including registration information for upcoming events, will be shared as they become available.

Podcast Update

If you haven’t yet listened to the inaugural episode of the Center for the Study of Evangelicalism Podcast, now is a great time to catch up. Our first episode of The Postscript — a reflective conversation with historian Beth Allison Barr following her campus lecture on women and evangelical ministry — is available on major podcast platforms and on our YouTube channel.

Coming soon: a new episode featuring Isaac Sharp, and we’ll also be recording conversations with Matthew D. Taylor and William Schultz in the near future. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you don’t miss them!

Building for the Future

Behind the scenes, the Center continues to pursue partnerships and funding opportunities to support and expand our mission. We’re grateful for the momentum of the past year and a half, and we’re working to ensure the Center has the resources and relationships it needs to sustain and grow this work in the years ahead. If you’d like to donate to our Center, please click this link.

Stay Connected

All of our public talks are available on our YouTube channel, @TheCSE-UCCS. You can also follow the Center on social media:

Facebook: The Center for the Study of Evangelicalism
Instagram: @cse-uccs
Bluesky: @cse-uccs
X: @cse_uccs
LinkedIn: The Center for the Study of Evangelicalism

As always, we’re grateful to the scholars, students, clergy, and community members who continue to engage this work with us. The study of evangelicalism remains as urgent and complex as ever, and we look forward to continuing these conversations together in the year ahead.

Warmly,

Jeffrey Scholes and Paul Harvey, Co-Directors
Center for the Study of Evangelicalism
University of Colorado Colorado Springs