An Afternoon with Writer, Pastor, Activist John Pavlovitz

Greatest Border Crisis: The Separation of Church and State

The greatest border crisis we face is the one separating Church and State. There's nothing more dangerous than professed Christians who have no real interest in Jesus. They're rather easy to spot if you're paying attention. They're usually the ones most loudly preaching religious liberty while methodically swallowing up the personal freedoms and elemental rights of other people. Most telling, however, is that their theology is built on an idea that Jesus fully rejected: compulsion. Christian Nationalism isn't coming to America; it's here. Now, the question is, "What can we do to stop it?" Join us for an honest conversation about avoiding theocracy.

John Pavlovitz is a writer, pastor, activist, and storyteller from Wake Forest, North Carolina. Over the past decade, his thought-provoking blog, Stuff That Needs to Be Said, has reached a diverse worldwide audience of millions. A twenty-five-year veteran in the trenches of local church ministry, Pavlovitz is committed to equality, diversity, and justice—both inside and outside faith communities.

John's books include A Bigger Table and If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk. His latest book, Worth Fighting For, arrived last year. He currently directs Empathetic People Network, a vibrant online community that connects people from all over the world who want to create a more compassionate planet, and writes The Beautiful Mess, his best-selling Substack newsletter.

Event Information:

• General seating 
• Doors open at 12:30 p.m. 
• Access to the church building is through the Breese Terrace and Lathrop Street Entrance only. 
• Accessibility: Both entrances are accessible. Breese Terrace entrance has an outdoor ramp. The Lathrop entrance has elevator access and handicap parking. 

Event Parking: 

First Congregational United Church of Christ (FCUCC) is located at 1909 University Avenue in Madison, on the corner of Breese Terrace just down from Camp Randall Stadium.

Visitors can park in one of three church parking lots on Lathrop Street. Additional parking can be found at the UW Foundation and the UW Engineering Building. View parking options.