Ex-Communist Dr. Marvin Olasky To Speak At Jones Auditorium

Ex-Communist Dr. Marvin Olasky To Speak At Jones Auditorium

By: Matt Farmer

Students at College of the Ozarks will have the opportunity to hear the story of ex-communist Dr. Marvin Olasky on September 27, at 7 p.m. in Jones Auditorium.

Olasky is the editor-in-chief of “WORLD” magazine and author of more than 20 books, including The Tragedy of American Compassion. President George W. Bush has called him “compassionate conservatism’s leading thinker.” He is a widely-recognized conservative pundit, journalist and historian.

Born in Boston to a Jewish family, Olasky became an atheist and Marxist when he entered high school. He then joined the Communist Party in 1972. His beliefs made a complete reversal after a spiritual awakening at the University of Michigan when he read the New Testament in Russian. Olasky became a passionate supporter of the Christian Conservative movement. In 1992, he helped found the Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas.

Olasky was provost of The King’s College in New York City from 2007 to 2011, prior to which he was a professor at the University of Texas at Austin journalism department from 2003-2007. He joined “WORLD” magazine in 1990 and became its editor-in-chief in 2001. He recently has been appointed as Professor of Journalism, and the inaugural holder of Patrick Henry College’s Distinguished Chair in Journalism and Public Policy.

In 1995, Olasky became an occasional advisor to Texas gubernatorial candidate George W. Bush. Bush made faith-based programs a major component of his 2000 presidential campaign, and Olasky’s academic work helped form the basis for Bush’s “compassionate conservatism.”

Students will receive priority seating for the event; remaining seats will be available to the public free of charge. For more information, please contact Christian Ministries at 417-690-3446.