Jon Meacham, editor-in-chief of Newsweek magazine, will speak at Denison under the sponsorship of the Denison Lecture Series. Meacham's topic is "God in Politics: From George Washington to George W. Bush." The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday (Feb. 27) in Swasey Chapel.

From the beginning of the republic, religion has been perhaps the most pervasive yet least understood force in American life. Meacham explores the past, present and future connections between faith and politics in his passionate but non-partisan and non-denominational topic. From the Founding Fathers' insistence on religious liberty to the contentious but surprisingly familiar tensions of today, Meacham will explore what history can teach us about the conflicts of our own time. He calls the good news about America -- the American Gospel -- the fact that religion shapes the life of the nation without strangling it and that while many believe, none must.

Asumma cum laudegraduate of The University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., with a degree in English literature, Meacham began his journalism career at The Chattanooga Times and arrived at Newsweek as a writer in January of 1995. By June of that year he had become national affairs editor and in 1998 he was named managing editor. He has written cover stories on politics, religion, guns in America, race, and the death of Ronald Reagan. In 2001, Newsweek won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence, the industry's highest honor, for its coverage of the attacks of Sept. 11 and their aftermath. It won again in 2003 for its coverage of President Bush and the Iraq war.

Meacham also is the author of "Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship," which is a chronicle of the wartime relationship between Roosevelt and Churchill. Published by Random House in October 2003, the book spent 12 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, won the Churchill Centre's 2005 Emery Reves Award for the best book of the year on Winston Churchill and the William H. Colby Military Writers' Symposium's Book of the Year Award. Meacham's latest book is "American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers and the Making of a Nation." He also is working on a biography of Andrew Jackson and his White House circle.

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- Jon Meacham, editor of Newsweek magazine, speaking on "God in Politics: From George Washington to George W. Bush"; 7:30 p.m., Tuesday (Feb. 27), Swasey Chapel. Free and open to the public. Call 740-587-6266 to confirm information

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575