World of Hurt, World of Hope
March 20, 2023 • Knox Thames
In this talk “World of Hurt, Word of Hope,” part of the Edmiston Center’s Grimké Lecture Series at RTS Atlanta, speaker Knox Thames — examines why religious freedom is important in a just society, and why persecuted religious communities are overlooked in so many of our modern American justice conversations.
Knox Thames is an American human rights lawyer, advocate, and author who has dedicated his career to promoting religious freedom abroad and the rights of religious minorities. Over his 20 years of service in the U.S. government, he held several key positions advocating for freedom of religion or belief, including at the State Department and two different U.S. government foreign policy commissions. In April 2023, he will join Pepperdine University as a Senior Fellow and will direct the new program on Global Faith and Inclusive Societies. In addition, he is a senior visiting expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace with the Middle East and Religion and Inclusive Societies teams.