Randy Boyagoda

Richard John Neuhaus: A Life in the Public Square

Come hear writer, critic and scholar Randy Boyagoda discuss his new book "Richard John Neuhaus: A Life in the Public Square.” Neuhaus was one of the most influential figures in American public life, from his time as an antiwar Lutheran minister and leading clergyman of the American Left through to his time as a Catholic priest, neoconservative intellectual, and leading clergyman of the American Right. Across four decades of preaching, writing, and organizing, Neuhaus repeatedly made a case for the place of religion in American public life. For this discussion, Dr. Boyagoda will focus in particular on Neuhaus’ complex and often controversial involvement in the development and rise of an intellectually serious and politically engaged “religious right” in American life, often involving Evangelicals and Catholics working together.

Randy Boyagoda is Associate Professor of English at Ryerson University, Toronto