Draft of Introductory Address to HopeWords 2020

Welcome to HopeWords 2020. I am your host Travis Lowe. I hope you will indulge me for just a few moments. I have two things I would like to accomplish. One, I want to introduce you to our keynote speaker, and two, I want to share with you our hopes for this conference. First, I have the privilege to introduce to you my good friend, Andy Crouch. Andy Crouch is the author of The Tech-Wise Family, Strong and Weak, Playing God: and Culture Making. Andy was executive editor of Christianity Today from 2012 to 2016 and served the John Templeton Foundation as senior strategist for communication in 2017. He is currently partner for theology and culture at Praxis, an organization that works as a creative engine for redemptive entrepreneurship His work and writing have been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Time — and, most importantly, he received a shout-out in Lecrae’s 2014 single “Non-Fiction.” Matt Chandler once introduced Andy by claiming he was from the Dagobah system. For you non-Star Wars fans, that is where Yoda is from. Andy truly is one of the most brilliant people I have ever met.

But HopeWords has always been about more than just getting the smartest people into the room. We believe that if truth is a person, as we Christians say, then truth can never be separated from its story. Andy is more than smart or successful, he is kind.

I was first introduced to Andy through his incredible book Culture Making. After reading the book, I wanted to share the insights I had gained. I…