Jay Wesley Richards is an American analytic
philosopher who focuses on the intersection of politics, philosophy, and religion. He is the William E. Simon Senior Research Fellow in Heritage’s DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at
The Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presiden ...
. He serves as an adjunct professor in the School of Business at the
Catholic University of America and the executive editor of ''The Stream'' and senior fellow at the
Discovery Institute. A former Presbyterian, Richards is now a Catholic.
Early life
Jay Richards graduated from
Southwestern University
Southwestern University (Southwestern or SU) is a private liberal arts college in Georgetown, Texas. Formed in 1873 from a revival of collegiate charters granted in 1840, Southwestern is the oldest college or university in Texas. Southwestern o ...
, where he received a B.A. with majors in political science and religion.
He received a Master of Theology (Th.M.) degree from
Calvin Theological Seminary
Calvin Theological Seminary is a private Christian Reformed Church seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is closely tied to Calvin University, though each institution has its own board.
History
The seminary was founded in 1876 with the purp ...
and a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from
Union Presbyterian Seminary
Union Presbyterian Seminary is a Presbyterian seminary in Richmond, Virginia. It also has a non-residential campus in Charlotte, North Carolina and an online blended learning program.
History
As a result of efforts undertaken together by the S ...
.
His Ph.D. is in philosophy and theology from
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of t ...
.
Career
Richards is author or editor of more than a dozen books, including the New York Times bestsellers Infiltrated (2013) and Indivisible (2012); The Human Advantage; Money, Greed, and God, winner of a 2010 Templeton Enterprise Award; The Hobbit Party with Jonathan Witt; and Eat, Fast, Feast.
Richards was a fellow at the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics and the program director of the
Discovery Institute's
Center for Science and Culture (CSC). He was the first fellow at the Discovery Institute to confirm the genuineness of the
Wedge document
The Wedge Strategy is a creationist political and social action plan authored by the Discovery Institute, the hub of the pseudoscientific intelligent design movement. The strategy was put forth in a Discovery Institute manifesto known as the ...
. Science organizations then paid attention to the institute after the document was published online, but Richards wrote "that the mission statement and goals had been posted on the
CRSC's website since 1996." Richards has expressed
climate change denial.
In January 2008, at
Stanford University, Jay Richards had a debate with a leading atheist,
Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was a British-American author and journalist who wrote or edited over 30 books (including five essay collections) on culture, politics, and literature. Born and educated in England, ...
, on the topic: Atheism vs. Theism and The Scientific Evidence of Intelligent Design. It was moderated by
Ben Stein. The debate led up to the release of Ben Stein's movie ''
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed''.
Richards taught an
apologetics
Apologetics (from Greek , "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics an ...
course at
Biola University
Biola University () is a private, nondenominational, evangelical Christian university in La Mirada, California. It was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It has over 150 programs of study in nine schools offering bachelor's ...
. He has worked for the
Acton Institute
The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is an American research and educational institution, or think tank, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, (with an office in Rome) whose stated mission is "to promote a free and virtuous society ch ...
and is the executive editor of The Stream.
Bibliography
*''Unapologetic Apologetics: Meeting the Challenges of Theological Studies''.
William A. Dembski, Jay Wesley Richards. Downer's Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, January 2001.
*''Are We Spiritual Machines?: Ray Kurzweil vs. the Critics of Strong A.I.'' by Jay W. Richards,
George Gilder
George Franklin Gilder (; born November 29, 1939) is an American investor, author, economist, and co-founder of the Discovery Institute. His 1981 book, '' Wealth and Poverty'', advanced a case for supply-side economics and capitalism during the e ...
,
Ray Kurzweil
Raymond Kurzweil ( ; born February 12, 1948) is an American computer scientist, author, inventor, and futurist. He is involved in fields such as optical character recognition (OCR), text-to-speech synthesis, speech recognition technology, and e ...
,
Thomas Ray,
John Searle, William Dembski,
Michael Denton
Michael John Denton (born 25 August 1943) is a British-Australian proponent of intelligent design and a Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture. He holds a PhD degree in biochemistry. Denton's book, '' Evolution ...
. Discovery Institute, June 2001.
*''The Untamed God: A Philosophical Exploration of Divine Perfection, Immutability and Simplicity'' by Jay Wesley Richards,
InterVarsity Press
Founded in 1947, InterVarsity Press (IVP) is an American publisher of Christian books located in Westmont, Illinois. IVP focuses on publishing Christian books that speak to important cultural moments, provide tools for spiritual growth, and e ...
, October 2003.
* ''
The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos Is Designed for Discovery'' by
Guillermo Gonzalez, Jay W. Richards,
Regnery Publishing
Regnery Publishing is a politically conservative book publisher based in Washington, D.C. The company was founded by Henry Regnery in 1947, and is now a division of radio broadcaster Salem Media Group. It is led by President & Publisher Thomas ...
, Inc., Washington D.C., March 2004,
*''Money, Greed, and God: Why Capitalism Is the Solution and Not the Problem''. New York:
HarperOne
HarperOne is a publishing imprint of HarperCollins, specializing in books that aim to "transform, inspire, change lives, and influence cultural discussions." Under the original name of Harper San Francisco, the imprint was founded in 1977 by 13 em ...
, 2009.
*''Eat, Fast, Feast: Heal Your Body While Feeding Your Soul- A Christian Guide to Fasting''. HarperOne, January 2020.
*''The Price of Panic: How the Tyranny of Experts Turned a Pandemic into a Catastrophe'' by Jay W. Richards, Douglas Axe and William M. Briggs, Regnery Publishing, October 2020.
References
External links
Jay Richardsfrom
Discovery InstituteJay Richardsfro
Institute for Faith, Work & Economics (IFWE)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Jay Wesley
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Princeton Theological Seminary alumni
Biola University faculty
Busch School of Business faculty
American theologians
Christian apologists
Christian writers
Discovery Institute fellows and advisors
Intelligent design advocates
21st-century American writers
Union Presbyterian Seminary alumni
Converts to Roman Catholicism from Calvinism