The Michael J. Gerson Memorial Prize
On November 19, 2025, the Trinity Forum awarded the first annual Michael J. Gerson Memorial Prize for Excellence in Writing on Faith and Public Life.
Honoring the Legacy of Michael Gerson
Michael J. Gerson was a White House speechwriter and senior policy adviser, a Washington Post columnist and one of America’s most influential and eloquent commentators. Michael was shaped by his deep Christian faith, and his writing drew from the Christian tradition to call America to greater justice. In particular, he’s remembered for linking that tradition to the global health efforts he championed, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR.
“I think the reality here is that scrubbing public discourse of religion or religious ideas would remove one of the main sources of social justice in our history,” Gerson told The New York Times in 2005. “Without an appeal to justice rooted in faith, there would have been no abolition movement, no civil rights movement, no pro-life movement.”
In November 2022, Gerson died from complications due to cancer, leaving a huge void.
Trinity Forum Evening Conversations featuring Michael Gerson:
View a selection of Michael Gerson’s writing from the Washington Post here.
Selected works by Michael Gerson
Saying goodbye to my child, the youngster, August 2013
The defiant hope of Christmas: God is with us, December 2020
This Christmas, hope may feel elusive. But despair is not the answer. December 2021
Amid war, acts of justice and kindness are just as important as missiles, March 2022
Why I will never live without a dog again, July 2022
War’s horrors may shake our faith. But God is here, even amid the pain, April 2022
The mission from which Pope Francis can never retire, June 2022
Frederick Buechner was a writer tuned in to the frequency of grace, August 2022
The report on Southern Baptist abuses is a portrait of brutal misogyny, May 2023
The 2025 Recipient of the Michael J. Gerson Prize for Excellence in Writing on Faith and Public Life
Matthew Loftus grew up in a family of 15 children and completed his medical training in Baltimore, Maryland. Since 2015, he and his family have lived in East Africa, where he currently teaches and practices family medicine at a mission hospital.
His work has appeared in outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Atlantis, Comment, Christianity Today, the Dispatch, Plough, and Mere Orthodoxy. His first book, Resisting Therapy Culture: The Dangers of Pop Psychology and How the Church Can Respond, is forthcoming in Spring 2026 from InterVarsity Press. You can learn more about his work and writing at www.matthewandmaggie.org.
View a selection of Matthew Loftus’ writing below.
View a selection of Matthew's work with his comments.
Here is a selection of Matthew’s work with his comments:
Arcs of Life – The New Atlantis
I have come to believe that an appreciation for the value of human life is one of the most critical virtues to cultivate in medical providers. We live in a culture that seems more and more every day to ignore this truth, and so it is all the more important that we call people to care for the most vulnerable around us so that they are not alone in their suffering. Companion piece: Dependence is Normal
Run Towards the Pain – Comment
A lot has changed since I wrote this one a decade ago, especially in the church community that my family was a part of at that time. However, I still believe that everything here is still true, and that the best way to help people in need is to be their neighbor. Companion piece: When the City of Man is Redlined
The Medicated Soul – Plough
I have a whole book coming out about mental health, so there’s a lot more I have to say on this subject. However, this was my attempt to reflect on how dealing with the evils of a fallen world might predispose some of us to needing psychiatric care and how to appreciate God’s love through that care. Companion piece: This Demon Only Comes Out by Prayer and Prozac
Send Us Your Surplus – Plough
This one was originally called “The Blemished Lamb Syndrome” and included the entirety of Leviticus 22:20-21 as an opener. It’s about a lot of things, but mostly about how to be grateful despite the fact that there is so much waste, pollution, and excess that it’s making us all sick. Companion piece: Fear the Lifestyle that Will Kill Body and Soul
Racism and Whiteness: Bad Words We Have To Live With – Mere Orthodoxy
There’s been a lot of talk about race in America in the last decade. I’ve done my best to keep my contributions constructive, but this more or less summarizes my opinions on most of the hot-button topics. Companion piece: The End of Protesting
When an Abortion is Pro-Life – The New York Times
I was very grateful that the New York Times let me share about one of the hardest moments of my life and how that moment helped me to appreciate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ more than ever before. Companion piece: If Anything is Pro-Life, Nothing Is
Kichijiro Was Right – Mere Orthodoxy
The Judas figure in Shusaku Endo’s book Silence has long fascinated me, especially when he says that he would have been a good Christian had he been born in a different time. When I was younger I would have been thoroughly categorized as a “radical” with an unhealthy desire for martyrdom, but now that I am older I am far more sympathetic to Kichijiro’s viewpoint. Companion piece: Rich Christians in an Age of Competing Obligations
How to Think About Using Government Funds for Christian Charity – Mere Orthodoxy
Christianity has, from the beginning, turned the world upside down. Especially when it comes to poverty. Modern governments have taken on much of the work of dealing with poverty—but are they supplanting the Church’s role? I wrote about how to think through these issues, drawing on the Bible and church history. Companion piece: Ten Theses on the Bible, Poverty, and Justice
Conservatives Need a Health Care Agenda – Commonplace
Healthcare in America is a mess for a lot of different reasons. (I’ve certainly become more grateful for certain aspects of it after working in Africa!) One thing that I think would probably help a lot of things all at once (though by no means fix every problem) would be to focus on providing less of the wrong kind of care. Companion piece: Democratizing Community Health
Is Addiction a Disease? Yes, and Much More – Christianity Today
Addiction is an extremely challenging problem on all levels—personal, social, and everything in between. I wrote about how looking at addiction as a disease and as not just choices but much more helps people struggling with addiction to recover. Companion piece: Freedom from Porn Addiction
The Prize
The Trinity Forum, with support from the College Board and the Bill and Crissy Haslam Foundation, honors and extends Michael Gerson’s legacy through an annual prize to emerging writers whose work on faith and public life embodies his conscience and courage.
The first honoree of the Michael J. Gerson Memorial Prize was named at a public event on November 19. The event took place at the National Cathedral, which held a special place in Gerson’s life.
Each year’s awardee receives a cash prize of $10,000, funded by the College Board. The Trinity Forum and its 30 Senior Fellows continue to engage with the prize winners as their careers progress. The goal is to provide support and mentorship as they deepen their focus on faith and public life.
The Michael J. Gerson Memorial Prize will benefit: the awardees, both from the increased visibility of their work and from relationships with and support from Trinity Forum Senior Fellows; the profession of journalism, by elevating insightful new writers within its ranks; and Americans who will find encouragement and inspiration from those who write incisively on faith and public life.
The 2025 Selection Committee consists of:
- Peter Wehner, Chair, Trinity Forum Senior Fellow, contributing writer at The Atlantic and contributing opinion writer for the New York Times.
- David Brooks, New York Times columnist and best-selling author.
- Christine Emba, Senior Fellow, The American Enterprise Institute and contributing writer at the New York Times.
- Russell Moore, Trinity Forum Senior Fellow, Editor-in-Chief, Christianity Today.
- Karen Swallow Prior, Trinity Forum Senior Fellow, contributor, Religion News Service.
The Selection Committee relies on submissions from a wide network of individuals, including journalists and writers, public intellectuals and those in the faith community. Committee members consider candidates whose work is featured in a wide range of outlets, from established media to Substack and other online journals.
Sponsor the Michael J. Gerson Memorial Prize
The Trinity Forum
Founded in 1991, the Trinity Forum is committed to keeping the Christian intellectual tradition alive and fostering its renewal for future generations. It works for the renewal of society by cultivating, curating and disseminating the best in Christian thinking for the common good, and by helping leaders to think, work, and live wisely and well. Its work focuses on three areas: Faith and Public Life; Arts and Humanities; and Spiritual and Character Formation.
Its programs include the Trinity Forum Conversations Podcast, episodes of which are downloaded 7,000-8,000 times, biweekly Online Conversations which routinely draw 1,000-2,000 registrants, and Evening Conversations conducted for live, in-person audiences.
Please reach out with any questions here.
Michael J. Gerson Memorial Prize Sponsors
$25,000 sponsors:
President and Mrs. George W. and Laura Bush
The Honorable and Mrs. Don and Penny Evans
The Gates Foundation
The Honorable and Mrs. Joel and Laura Kaplan
More Perfect
$10,000 sponsors:
The Honorable and Mrs. Josh and Ann Bolten
Mr. and Mrs. David and Katherine Bradley
The Honorable and Mrs. Stephen J. and Ann Hadley
The Krauthammer Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation
The University of Pennsylvania’s Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society
$5,000 sponsors:
Mr. David Campaigne with BlueTrust
Professor John DiIulio, Jr.
The Honorable Sara Fagen
The Honorable Ari Fleischer
The Honorable Karen and Mr. Jerry Hughes
The Honorable and Mrs. Frank R. and Deborah S. Jimenez
The Honorable Ann Thomas (AT) and Mr. Murray Johnston
The Honorable Harriet Miers
The Honorable and Mrs. Edmund and Karen Moy
The Honorable Dr. Condoleezza Rice
Sagamore Institute
Mr. Greg Shaw
Mr. Fred Smith
The Honorable Margaret Spellings
The Honorable Charity Wallace
Other sponsors:
Aspen Institute — Religion & Society
Council for Christian Colleges & Universities
The Honorable Gregg and Rev. Julie Petersmeyer
Redeeming Babel
The Honorable Karl Rove