Michael Wear is the founder, president, and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution that contends for the credibility of Christian resources in public life, for the public good. For well over a decade, he has served as a trusted resource and advisor for a range of civic and religious leaders on matters of faith and public life, including as a White House and presidential campaign staffer.
His most recent book is The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life. Previously, Wear directed faith outreach for President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, and he served as the Deputy Director of the White House Office for Faith-Based Initiatives during President Obama’s first term. He is the author of Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Catapult magazine, Christianity Today, and other publications.
Wear and his wife co-host a podcast called Wear We Are. He serves on the national board of Bethany Christian Services, and he holds an honorary position at the University of Birmingham’s Cadbury Center for the Public Understanding of Religion. He lives in Maryland.
Speaker’s Bureau
June 12th, 2020 “Christian Pluralism: Living Faithfully in a World of Difference” an Online Conversation with Michael Wear, John Inazu, and Trillia Newbell
February 24th, 2020 | “Christianity, Pluralism, and Public Life” an Evening Conversation in Washington, DC with Michael Wear, Amy Black, Claude Alexander, and Peg Chemberlin
May 15th, 2018 | “Civility and Courage Amidst Difference and Division” an Evening Conversation in Atlanta, GA with Michael Wear and Lecrae
April 24th, 2018 | “Civility in the Public Square: Cultivating Community Amidst Deep Divisions” an Evening Conversation in Indianapolis, IN with Michael Wear and Allison Melangton
December 4th, 2017 | “Reforming Public Theology” an Evening Conversation in Washington, DC with Michael Wear
Selected Publications and Scholarly Work
• The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life (2024)
• Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign’s Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement (2021)
• Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America (2017)