Dan Allender recently served as a keynote speaker at the Jubilee Conference in Pittsburgh, PA from February 14-16. An annual event with over 3,000 in attendance, the Jubilee Conference gathers college students around the connection between academics and faith, inviting them to imagine how their faith might be lived out fully in their life, particularly in the area of vocation.
Dan spoke to a packed crowd on how fear and hatred of shame has warped the human experience and how Christ frees us from this curse. He also held a special breakout session to discuss the consequences of sin on gender, sexuality, and how the church must address sexual violence against women as a part of God’s mission of redemption.
After the conference, we spoke to Tyler Charles, a college minister serving at Dan’s alma mater, Ohio Wesleyan University, about the value of Dan’s message for college students. “I think Dan modeled openness and vulnerability in a way that is incredibly important,” Tyler said. “Many college students seem reluctant to acknowledge regret or shame. They might be open about their circumstances in the past and present, but their honesty almost serves as an assertion that they’re not ashamed. But we all experience shame. And it’s through acknowledging it that we can find healing…. I think Dan’s message forced them to acknowledge and confront the shame they feel, but his message also pointed to the potential for healing…. That kind of hope is a beautiful thing, something that everyone needs.”
Photo by Andrew Rush for Coalition for Christian Outreach
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