Date: October 13, 2025
It is a great privilege to welcome Mr. David French to Virginia Theological Seminary as one of our Convocation speakers at 4:00 p.m. today in the Lettie Pate Evans Room and online. Mr. French is widely admired for his thoughtful engagement with questions of faith, freedom, and public life. His presence enriches our community’s ongoing dialogue about the moral and civic dimensions of leadership in a complex world.
Mr. French is an American political commentator, columnist, author, and former attorney. He currently writes for The New York Times and serves as a distinguished visiting professor of public policy at Lipscomb University. Previously, he was a senior editor at The Dispatch, a staff writer for National Review, and a fellow at the National Review Institute, where he became known for his reasoned and principled voice within American public discourse.
A graduate of Lipscomb University and Harvard Law School, Mr. French has dedicated much of his career to defending religious liberty and constitutional rights. He served as a major in the U.S. Army Reserve, earning the Bronze Star during Operation Iraqi Freedom. A prolific author, his works—including Divided We Fall—invite readers to consider the challenges and hopes of civic life in an era of polarization. We are honored to host him at VTS today.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary.