Archbishop Miller lecture features NY Times columnist

The ninth annual Archbishop J. Michael Miller Lecture will feature speaker Ross Douthat, a columnist for The New York Times.

The lecture, "Budget Wars & Culture Wars: What the 2012 Election Means for the American Future," will be a discussion of the relationship between religion and politics.

According to a press release, Douthat, author of "Privilege: Harvard and the Education of the Ruling Class" and "Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics," believes that strong religious institutions can help people see beyond their own interests and work toward a common goal.

"As orthodoxies weaken, churches split and their former adherents mix and match elements of various traditions to fit their preferences, religion is more likely to become indistinguishable from personal and ideological self-interest," Douthat said in the release.

Before joining The New York Times, Douthat was a senior editor at The Atlantic. He is the youngest op-ed columnist at The New York Times.

The event is free to attend and will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19 in Jones Hall at the University of St. Thomas, 3910 Yoakum Blvd., Houston.

For more information, contact Paula Jean Miller at 713-525-6989.