Religion has been a powerful guiding force for humanity since the beginning of civilization, and American Program Bureau's religion speakers are leading experts on all sides of the perpetual discussion on religion's impact on the world. Featuring renowned spiritual leaders, public intellectuals and thought leaders, and influential celebrities, these keynote speakers cover all angles of faith and varying beliefs, and will enhance any public forum.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
A Nobel Peace Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu served as South Africa's voice of conscience during its long struggle against apartheid, soothing the spirits and rallying the hearts of his people as head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. As a highly regarded and inspirational keynote speaker, he continues to ...
Mark Oppenheimer
Mark Oppenheimer is one of our country's leading writers and speakers about contemporary religion. The biweekly writer of “Beliefs,” The New York Times’ legendary religion column, he is also a frequent contributor to Slate, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times Magazine, and is ...
Michael Eric Dyson
Named by Essence magazine as one of the 50 most inspiring African Americans, Dyson is one of the nation's most renowned public intellectuals, revitalizing the role with the fervor of an ordained Baptist minister. Called "a street fighter in a suit and tie," he takes on the toughest and most controversial issues of ...
Kirk Franklin
A top artist in contemporary Gospel music, and the first Gospel artist to ever go platinum, Franklin has transformed and transcended the genre. Throughout his success, he never lost sight of his faith, remaining a devout Christian, and he continues to lead a youth outreach program. He shares his views on faith in ...
A.J. Jacobs
Renowned as “the human guinea pig,” A.J. Jacobs has outsourced his life to India, read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica in a quest to become the smartest person in the world, and lived modern life as the ultimate biblical man. Throwing himself into bizarre situations all in the name of a little curiosity and a ...
Will Miller
A psychotherapist, ordained minister, and pop culture analyst, Dr. Miller addresses the fast-paced, ever-changing modern American culture and the resulting stress present in many areas of our lives. Delivering a unique message of what it takes to achieve life balance and fulfillment, he engages and inspires audiences by ...
Ronnie Milsap
An incredible storyteller, Milsap tells his inspirational story in a rich program, I Wouldn't Have Missed It for the World, interspersing songs with the defining moments of his life. By sharing his life in song, Milsap inspires others to follow their heart, whatever their abilities may be, and to find their place in ...
Carolyn Jessop
The first woman in the country to escape from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) and be granted full custody of her eight children, her story has become a model of courage and hope to people everywhere. She co-authored the bookEscape, which will be turned into a movie starring ...
The God Squad
As the God Squad on Good Morning America, these men from different faiths, Rabbi Marc Gellman and Msgr. Thomas Harman, share their take on life with humor and remarkable common sense, revealing their belief in the importance of spirituality in society.
Chris Hedges
A graduate of Harvard Divinity School and a foreign correspondent for nearly two decades in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and the Balkans, he writes and speaks extensively on war, religion and the conflict in the Middle East. He is the author of the bestseller War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, a book ...
Shmuley Boteach
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, is the international best-selling author of 16 books and host of the national TV show, Shalom in the Home on TLC (The Learning Channel). One of the world's most acclaimed public speakers, in December 1999 Boteach became the first ever non-Christian to win the highly prestigious London ...
James Carroll
James Carroll was assigned by the Paulist Fathers and Richard Cardinal Cushing to Boston University where he served as Catholic Chaplain from 1969 to 1974. During those years he published numerous books on religious subjects, and a weekly column in the National Catholic Reporter, earning awards from the Catholic Press ...
Martha Williamson
Williamson is a 20-year entertainment industry veteran who was Executive Producer and Head Writer for Touched by an Angel. Both personally and professionally, her deeply held spiritual beliefs have guided her through trials and tribulations on her own path towards success, service to others, and her faith. Not ...
Jesse Jackson
Former Presidential candidate, civil rights activist Reverend Jackson is one of the best known and most influential voices of American political and social activism. Called “the great unifier,” he has played a pivotal role in virtually every movement for empowerment, peace, civil rights, gender equality, and economic ...
Asra Nomani
The author of the critically-acclaimed Standing Alone in Mecca: An American Woman's Struggle for the Soul of Islam, she is a former Wall Street Journal correspondent, and friend of Daniel Pearl. Her character figures prominently in A Mighty Heart, the film based on the life and death of Pearl at the ...
Bishop Vashti McKenzie
Vashti Murphy McKenzie has made history as the first female bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) and in her current role as the first female president of the church's Council of Bishops, the executive branch responsible for its operation worldwide.
Roya Hakakian
A celebrated poet and filmmaker, Hakakian’s recent film, Armed and Innocent, takes a close look at the involvement of underage children in wars around the world. Speaking on the Middle East and the importance of human rights, Hakakian is passionate about raising awareness of current happenings that many either ...
Joseph "Reverend Run" Simmons
Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons is a pioneering musician, an accomplished author, a fashion mogul, and the star of MTV’s hit reality television show Run’s House. The man once known as the superstar rapper called “Run” from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group, Run DMC, found a further, deeper calling, and has ...
Robert Blair Kaiser
Robert Blair Kaiser is an American author and journalist, best known for his writings on the Catholic Church. Throughout the Second Vatican Council, Kaiser was Time magazine's reporter in Rome, and the preeminent reporter on the Council in the English-speaking world.
E.L. Doctorow
One of the most brilliant novelists of our time, Pulitzer Prize winner Doctorow traditionally explores the historical, cultural, and social dynamics in American life, often through the prism of the Jewish experience in his celebrated body of work, which includes The Book of Daniel – A Novel, and Ragtime.
Printer-friendly version
Send to friend