The Institute for Faith & Freedom , Grove City College’s conservative think tank, will mark its 20th anniversary at this year’s annual conference “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: 2025.”
The conference on Thursday, April 10 invokes the classic 1939 Frank Capra film, in which Jimmy Stewart plays idealistic junior senator Jefferson Smith, who is shocked by the corruption and cynicism of the nation’s capital and resolves to reform it. In a filibuster for the ages, Smith pleads for civility, decency, and returning America to its core convictions and the vision of its founding fathers.
Today, a new generation of reformers is in power in Washington and the Trump administration is seeking to shake up things inside the Beltway. The situation raises key questions: What should be reformed in Washington? What is the proper role of government? What are its limits? How do we return civility and decency to public discourse? And, above all, what is the calling of the Christian in the public square in 2025 and beyond?
A lineup of guest speakers, including former vice president Mike Pence, one-time Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett, author Yuval Levin, and Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen, and broadcaster Michael Medved – who has been a guest at nearly every conference – will join Grove City College faculty, students, and guests to talk about the answers.
The Institute for Faith & Freedom, then known as the Center for Vision & Values, was founded in 2005 and held its first conference on campus that spring. Dr. Paul Kengor, professor of Political Science and bestselling Ronald Reagan biographer, has served as the Institute’s executive director and chief academic fellow since its inception.
The think tank advances the College’s vision of religious, economic, and personal freedom, and Christian values in the public sphere through op-eds penned by faculty, alumni, and others; events like the conference and lectures; a student fellows program to train the next generation of conservative thinkers and activists; podcasts, video and digital outreach; and an expanding network of kindred spirits in government, academia, media, and business.
The Institute has made Grove City College a key contributor to the marketplace of ideas and this year’s conference, which is sold out, aims to bolster that contribution with a day focused on bold thought leadership.
For more about The Institute for Faith & Freedom, visit faithandfreedom.com.