John Dilulio will speak for the 10th Annual Paul Henry Lecture on Tuesday, October 25, 2005 at 7:30 pm in the Calvin Chapel.

Dilulio was the first Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives under President George W. Bush.

In his talk at Calvin he will reflect on "Forging a Faithful Consensus: The Future of Public-Private Partnerships Involving Community-Serving Religious Organizations."

He also will speak the next morning as part of a breakfast meeting at Alternative Directions from 8 to 10 am. There his talk will be titled "Restoring Justice: Faith-Based Organizations and the Children, Youth, and Families of Prisoners and Recent Parolees." Calvin's director of community relations Carol Rienstra is organizing that event and says it will include guests from local churches, community organizations and others.

Corwin Smidt, director of the Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin, says Dilulio's talks will have special relevance in West Michigan.

"DiIulio is a noted public figure and scholar, as well as an engaging speaker," says Smidt. "The topic of his address is one that has particular relevance for the West Michigan community, given the region's history with regard to faith-based, social service efforts as well as the relatively large number of such endeavors found here."

Dilulio, currently the Frederic Fox Leadership Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, has authored and edited a number of publications, including: "What's God Got to Do With the American Experiment?" "Medicaid and Devolution: A View From the States," and "Deregulating the Public Service: Can Government Be Improved?"

He wrote recently in the Weekly Standard about things he has changed his mind about over the last 10 years, saying: "Since 1995, I have changed my mind on certain welfare, crime, and government reform issues. Each change suggests the same broader lesson. Baldly stated, the lesson is that policy matters most. Culture aside, policy can drive social trends and determine government's trajectory."