Founder and President of Dar al-Kalima University College of Arts and Culture in Bethlehem. Dr. Raheb is a co-founder of Bright Stars of Bethlehem, a not for profit 501c3 in the USA. The most widely p...

Founder and President of Dar al-Kalima University College of Arts and Culture in Bethlehem. Dr. Raheb is a co-founder of Bright Stars of Bethlehem, a not for profit 501c3 in the USA. The most widely published Palestinian theologian to date, Dr. Raheb is the author and editor of 40 books. His books and numerous articles have been translated so far into eleven languages. Rev. Raheb served as the senior pastor of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem from June 1987 to May 2017 and as the President of the Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land from 2011-2016. Dr. Raheb was elected in 2018 to the Palestinian National Council and to the Palestinian Central Council. A social entrepreneur, Rev. Raheb has founded several NGO‟s including the Christian Academic Forum for Citizenship in the Arab World (CAFCAW). He is a founding and board member of the National Library of Palestine and a founding member and author of Kairos Palestine. Rev. Dr Raheb received in 2017 the Tolerance Award from the European Academy of Science and Arts, in 2015 the Olof Palme Prize. In 2012 the German Media Prize was awarded to Dr. Raheb. Launched in 1992, this award was mainly granted to Heads of States, including President Obama (2016) the German Chancellor Angela Merkel (2009), Bill Clinton (1999), Nelson Mandela (1998), King Hussein of Jordan (1997), Boris Yeltsin (1996), President Arafat (1995), Yitshak Rabin (1995). He also received for his outstanding contribution to Christian education through research and publication‟ an honorary doctorate from Concordia University in Chicago (2003) and for his interfaith work the “International Mohammad Nafi Tschelebi Peace Award” of the Central Islam Archive in Germany (2006) and in 2007 the well-known German Peace Award of Aachen. The work of Dr. Raheb has received wide media attention from major international media outlets and networks including CNN, ABC, CBS, 60 Minutes, BBC, ARD, ZDF, DW, BR, Premiere, Raiuno, Stern, The Economist, Newsweek, Al-Jazeera, al-Mayadin, Vanity Fair, and others. Dr. Raheb holds a Doctorate in Theology from the Philipps University at Marburg, Germany. He is married to Najwa Khoury and has two daughters, Dana & Tala.

Rev. Percy McCray Jr. has spent more than 20 years ministering to cancer patients and their caregivers at Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA). He recognizes cancer care ministry as a special c...

Rev. Percy McCray Jr. has spent more than 20 years ministering to cancer patients and their caregivers at Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA). He recognizes cancer care ministry as a special calling from God and considers faith a key—but often overlooked— component of cancer treatment. He now serves as the Director of Faith-Based Programs at CTCA® and provides leadership to the pastoral care staff at all five CTCA hospitals. In addition, Rev. McCray oversees Our Journey of Hope®, a nationwide cancer care ministry training and support program. His engaging personality and deep passion for pastoral care ministry has made Rev. McCray a favorite among patients, pastors and his podcast audience.

Rafael Cruz is a powerful example of the American Dream. Born in Cuba, Rafael lived and suffered under a cruel, oppressive dictator. He began fighting Batista’s regime as a teenager and was imprisone...

Rafael Cruz is a powerful example of the American Dream. Born in Cuba, Rafael lived and suffered under a cruel, oppressive dictator. He began fighting Batista’s regime as a teenager and was imprisoned and tortured simply because he wanted to be free. Rafael arrived in Texas in 1957 on a student visa. He got a job as a dishwasher, making 50 cents an hour, and worked his way through the University of Texas, while learning English. He later built a small business in further pursuit of the American Dream. In early 1980, Rafael Cruz joined the State Board of the Religious Roundtable, a Judeo-Christian organization that mobilized millions of people of faith during the Presidential Campaign of Ronald Reagan. He is an ordained minister and the Director of Grace for America, sharing the Word of God in churches and Pastors Conferences throughout the United States. His son, Ted Cruz, is a constitutional conservative U.S. Senator from Texas and candidate for United States President in 2016. When Ted was a child growing up in Houston, Rafael would tell him, “When we faced oppression in Cuba, I had a place to flee to. If we lose our freedom here, where do we go?” That’s why Rev. Cruz is passionate about returning America to the biblical and historical foundations that made this country exceptional.

Ryan Waller studied philosophy and religion at the University of Southern California before earning a Juris Doctorate and Masters of Theological Studies from SMU. After a brief career in the law R...

Ryan Waller studied philosophy and religion at the University of Southern California before earning a Juris Doctorate and Masters of Theological Studies from SMU. After a brief career in the law Ryan felt called by God to teach and preach. He spent three years at All Saints’ Episcopal School before being led to the Church of the Incarnation. He is married to Caroline Waller and has two sons, Ford Casey and Charles Henry. Ryan is passionate about sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ through imaginative preaching and is honored to serve as the pastoral leader of the Uptown Services.

Reverend Dean Nelson is a minister and executive leader who currently serves as Vice President-Government Relations for Human Coalition, a pro-life nonprofit committed to an audacious mission: transfo...

Reverend Dean Nelson is a minister and executive leader who currently serves as Vice President-Government Relations for Human Coalition, a pro-life nonprofit committed to an audacious mission: transform our culture of death into a culture of life—to end abortion in America. He is chairman of the Frederick Douglass Foundation, a grassroots organization that brings the sanctity of free markets and limited government ideas to bear on some of the greatest problems facing our nation. Nelson is also the chairman of the Douglass Leadership Institute which, educates, equips, and empowers faith leaders to embrace and apply biblical principles to life and in the marketplace. Nelson was recently appointed by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin to the Board of Visitors for the University of Mary Washington. In 2018, he was appointed by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to serve on the Congressional Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission whose mission was to honor the life and legacy of Frederick Douglass. Nelson previously served as Executive Director for various nonprofits and has spoken to and worked with a diverse array of groups including Prison Fellowship, SCLC, and TeenPact Leadership Schools. He has appeared on and been published in a variety of media outlets, including MSNBC, Fox News, ABC, Christian Post, CBN and EWTN. Nelson graduated from the University of Virginia where he majored in Rhetoric and Communication. He is a licensed minister from Salem Baptist Church and an ordained bishop with Wellington Boone Ministries. Nelson and his wife Julia homeschooled their three children.

Dr. Rex M. Rogers is an author, speaker, and President, SAT-7 North America (dba, SAT-7 USA), sat7usa.org, the American arm for SAT-7, a satellite television ministry broadcasting Christian programmin...

Dr. Rex M. Rogers is an author, speaker, and President, SAT-7 North America (dba, SAT-7 USA), sat7usa.org, the American arm for SAT-7, a satellite television ministry broadcasting Christian programming on four channels in three languages, Arabic, Farsi, and Turkish, reaching across seven time zones into 25 countries in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as 50 countries in Europe.

Reza Kahlili, a former Iranian Revolutionary Guard member who worked undercover as a CIA agent for several years in the ‘80s and ‘90s. He spent an idyllic childhood in Tehran, the capital of Iran,...

Reza Kahlili, a former Iranian Revolutionary Guard member who worked undercover as a CIA agent for several years in the ‘80s and ‘90s. He spent an idyllic childhood in Tehran, the capital of Iran, surrounded by a close-knit upper middle-class family and two spirited boyhood friends. The Iran of his youth allowed Reza to think and act freely, and even indulge a penchant for rebellious pranks in the face of the local mullahs. His political and personal freedoms flourished while he continued his education in America during the ’70s. He returned to Iran shortly after the Revolution eager to help rebuild his country, honestly believing that freedom and democracy would prevail and lead his country into a glorious future. Even though most Iranians had enjoyed varying degrees of success under the Shah, the ayatollah Khomeini’s message resonated with a population weary of oppression and desperate for the political choice denied them under the Shah. To this end, Reza joined the Revolutionary Guards, an elite force that served Khomeini. Instead of finding a new beginning for his country, he discovered a tyrannical ayatollah bent on plunging Iran into a dark age of religious fundamentalism and causing his fellow countrymen to turn on each other. Shaken to his very core after witnessing the atrocities at Evin Prison, atrocities that hit very close to home, a shattered and disillusioned Reza embarked on a mission that would change his life forever. He returned to America and emerged as “Wally,” a spy for the CIA.

Rich Higgins, RED-INC Vice President since January 2013, has more than 19 years of National Security experience in both commercial and government organizations. Prior to joining RED-INC, he was Progra...

Rich Higgins, RED-INC Vice President since January 2013, has more than 19 years of National Security experience in both commercial and government organizations. Prior to joining RED-INC, he was Program Manager of several US Department of Defense technology initiatives supporting a variety of operations and intelligence missions worldwide. From 2009-2011, Mr. Higgins served as an Associate Professor, as well as the Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict (SO/LIC) Chair, at the National Defense University (NDU). From 2003-2009, he was Program Manager of the Irregular Warfare Support Program, an interagency office supporting rapid innovation for the Department of Defense, as well as a number of other federal agencies. A US Army veteran, Mr. Higgins holds an MA in National Security Studies from the National War College and a BSME from Tufts University.

Rich McGee was born and raised in Dallas and is a graduate of Texas Tech University. Responding to Bill Bright's visionary challenge to "Come help change the world" and "Reach the university today; re...

Rich McGee was born and raised in Dallas and is a graduate of Texas Tech University. Responding to Bill Bright's visionary challenge to "Come help change the world" and "Reach the university today; reach the world tomorrow," Rich joined Campus Crusade for Christ staff and, after six years in student ministry then a Master of Theology degree at Dallas Seminary, has served for over 30 years with Faculty Commons, the global outreach of Cru to professors and graduate students. Rich and his wife Bonnie have three children and enjoy watching them build their own strong marriages. Even more, they enjoy the nine grandchildren with whom they have been blessed.

Rich Peluso is the Sr. Vice President of AFFIRM Films, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) focused on the development, production, acquisition and marketing of faith-based and inspirationa...

Rich Peluso is the Sr. Vice President of AFFIRM Films, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) focused on the development, production, acquisition and marketing of faith-based and inspirational films. Peluso works with writers and independent producers at various stages of production from concept and script, through production and completion, to produce and distribute quality entertainment that inspires, uplifts, challenges and captivates. Some recent films he has worked on include HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, SOUL SURFER, COURAGEOUS, WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL, MOMS’ NIGHT OUT, and THE REMAINING. Upcoming releases include WAR ROOM, KICKING UP DIRT and DEVIL IN PEW NUMBER SEVEN. Prior to joining AFFIRM, Peluso served 15 years at EMI Christian Music Group/EMI Music as the president of EMI CMG Distribution. He was also president of The Safe Side Company, a children’s entertainment company founded by John Walsh (Host of America’s Most Wanted) and Julie Clark (founder of The Baby Einstein Company). He lives in Leiper’s Fork, TN with his wife and four children.

Fourth-generation pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr. and his wife, DawnCheré, pastor VOUS Church, a meeting place of faith, creativity, and diversity in Miami, Florida. Every June, they also host thousands of...

Fourth-generation pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr. and his wife, DawnCheré, pastor VOUS Church, a meeting place of faith, creativity, and diversity in Miami, Florida. Every June, they also host thousands of young adults at the annual VOUS Conference in South Beach. He is the author of “Sandcastle Kings: Meeting Jesus in a Spiritually Bankrupt World”. Famously known for officiating the 2014 wedding of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, and popular amongst celebrity circles, Rich is gearing up for the release of his second book, “Friend of Sinners: Why Jesus Cares More About Relationship than Perfection.” Heis an internationally recognized speaker who has logged over two million air miles preaching the gospel around the globe. Rich and DawnCheré recently welcomed the long-awaited birth of their first son Wyatt Wesley after an eight-year struggle with infertility.

Richard Goodwin is Affiliate Assistant Professor at Fuller Theological Seminary (USA), where he teaches courses in the area of theology and pop culture. He is also Academic Director of Teaching and Le...

Richard Goodwin is Affiliate Assistant Professor at Fuller Theological Seminary (USA), where he teaches courses in the area of theology and pop culture. He is also Academic Director of Teaching and Learning Pathways Bible College (New Zealand). He earned his MA in Theology from Fuller before completing a PhD in Theology through the University of Otago (NZ). His doctoral thesis on theology and film was published in 2022 as Seeing is Believing: The Revelation of God Through Film (IVP Academic). He is passionate about the intersection of Christianity and culture, especially through the arts. Dr. Richard previously served as a youth pastor and is now an elder at his church. He is also a devoted family man, married to Hilly and father of two sons.