Frederica Mathewes-Green

Kh. Frederica is available to speak on: Abortion, Feminism, Culture, Early Christian Spirituality and Art and Writing among other topics. Learn more »

Additional Information: Frederica’s website | Frederica’s Podcast

Biography

Frederica Mathewes-GreenFew people are welcome in as many different settings as Frederica Mathewes-Green. You might find her giving a speech at Harvard, then appearing at a pregnancy center banquet. She may speak about prayer at the Smithsonian Institution, keynote a national conference, and then lead a women’s retreat. Colleges have made Frederica a regular at Art and Writing conferences.

She’s at home in many media. You’ve probably heard her commentaries on National Public Radio, talking about the pro-life issue, talking about her faith. She’s been interviewed on TV from PrimeTime Live to PBS, CNN, Fox, and most major news shows; by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and most major newspapers; and by Diane Rehm, Janet Parshall, and many national radio shows.

Her work as a writer is just as diverse. Frederica reviews several films each month, and also replies to readers’ questions in a theological advice column for the Christian Reader. A regular contributor to Christianity Today, First Things and other magazines, she has been repeatedly selected for the annual Best Christian Writing award. The multi-faith web magazine Beliefnet.com regularly invites her to present the classic Christian perspective, and her opinion pieces are featured at National Review Online.

And we haven’t even started on her books yet.

Frederica’s versatility comes from her varied background—and an unusual spiritual journey. Raised in an intellectually sophisticated home, she became a feminist leader on her college campus. She marched against war and in favor of abortion rights. Though she eagerly explored world religions, she despised Christianity, and treated believers with contempt. “I went out of my way to try to destroy the faith of baby Christians,” she says.

Then a “Damascus Road” experience with the living Christ turned her worldview upside down (full story). A profound change began. Frederica attended Episcopal seminary alongside her husband, and went on to acquire decades of experience as a pastor’s wife, counselor and teacher. She is a mom to three children and a grandmom to five; a good-humored, natural person with a warm presence, she readily puts others at ease. She volunteers with the Radio Reading Network for the Blind, and gives much time corresponding with spiritual seekers who write to her website.

Topics

Frederica’s wide range of experience, and her sensitivity to differing contexts, makes her the ideal speaker. There are three areas of expertise for which she is most requested:

• Abortion, Feminism, and Culture: Frederica’s books “Gender: Men, Women, Sex, Feminism” and “Real Choices: Listening to Women, Looking for Alternatives to Abortion” have offered a new and level-headed perspective on current debates. In addition to appearing at most Ivy League colleges and the Aspen Institute, Frederica has spoken at national conferences for the National Right to Life Committee, CareNet, Heartbeat, the Christian Legal Society, Family Research Council, and Focus on the Family, as well as dozens of pregnancy center and pro-life fundraisers. She is on the boards of Americans United for Life, the Institute for Religion and Democracy, and the Ecumenical Coalition for Women and Society, among others.
• Early Christian Spirituality: Frederica’s books “The Illumined Heart,” “The Open Door,” “Facing East,” and “At the Corner of East and Now” come in here. Steeped in the prayer and spiritual disciplines of the early church, Frederica calls Christians of all denominations to recover the ancient treasure that is our heritage. She has helped many retreat attendees to break through to a deeper level of maturity in faith and prayer. She has been invited to speak on aspects of spirituality at the Smithsonian Institution, Yale Divinity School, the Chautauqua Institution, the Thomas Merton Institute, the American Academy of Religion, and others. 
• Arts and Writing: Frederica enjoys festivals that examine the roles of journalism, writing, film and visual arts. Her book “The Open Door: Entering the Sanctuary of Icons and Prayer” offers an introduction to the earliest forms of Christian art. She has spoken at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival, the C S Lewis Institute at Oxford University, and the Orlando Museum of Art, as well as many Christian colleges: Biola, Calvin, Baylor, Westmont, Asbury Seminary, Grove City, Point Loma, and others. She is a Staley Foundation certified speaker.

Frederica welcomes suggestions about the special needs of an audience. She is glad to sign books, and invites the event host to make the arrangements and keep all profits.