Interviews
Abby Abildness
Abby is the founder and executive director of Healing Tree International whose mandate is to heal and restore God-ordained destinies of people and nations. She regularly leads tours of the Pennsylvania State Capital building highlighting Violet Oakley’s art series of the history and destiny of William Penn’s vision and legacy. Abby is the PA state director for the Congressional Prayer Caucus advocating a religious freedom agenda. Together they advocate nurture Penn's desire for Pennsylvania to be a safe haven of religious freedom in the public square.
Abby is Heartland Apostolic Prayer Network's leader of the Global Apostolic Prayer Network for 115+ nations.
Doug Miller
Doug is the Historic Site Director of Pennsbury Manor, the reconstructed home of William Penn on the Delaware. He has over 25 years experience as a museum director, having served as Director at Hope Lodge, Graeme Park, Washington Crossing and Curtin Village.
Doug is an accreditation peer reviewer for the American Alliance of Museums, and he serves as a volunteer consultant in AAM’s Museum Assessment Program.
Sam Brownback
Sam Brownback served as U.S. Ambassador for Religious Freedom, governor of Kansas, and U.S. Senator. He continues to work tirelessly to bring global leaders together around the commitment to provide all of their citizens the right to worship God in the way that they choose.
He is working with several prominent religious freedom advocates from home and abroad, such as The Dalai Lama, Muslim American actor Mahershala Ali, and New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
“Religion can be manipulated by enterprising politicians or clerics alike,” he said. “It’s not something you want to see abused, and we have seen it abused in very deadly ways.”
Andrew R. Murphy
Andrew is Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. His research focuses on the interconnection between religious and political thought and practice, most particularly in England and America.
His current work explores the life, political career, and political thought of William Penn, and he is the author of William Penn: A Life (Oxford, 2018), and Liberty, Conscience, and Toleration: The Political Thought of William Penn.
Mary Faus
Mary and her husband Jon are Lead Intercessors for their church, Hope of the Nations Christian Centre in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Mary, a full-blood Ojibwe-Cree First Nations woman, is on the All Tribes DC Executive Board, Director of the Reading House of Prayer in Reading, Pennsylvania, and serves on the RHOP leadership team under the Reading Regional Transformational Network.
Dr. Negiel Bigpond
Dr. Negiel Bigpond is a full-blood member of the Yuchi Indian Tribe, whose family was subjected to the infamous Trail of Tears. He is currently serving as Apostle of Morning Star Church of All Nations in Oklahoma.
“To many Native people, an apology not expressed is worse than no apology at all, just another set of meaningless words buried in official treaties and broken promises.”
Negiel, along with Sam Brownback, is urging the President to acknowledge the wrongs of the United States against Indian tribes in the history of the United States in order to bring healing to this land.
John Ruth
After graduating from Eastern College in 1956, Ruth completed doctoral studies in English at Harvard University in 1968. From 1962 to 1976 he taught literature at Eastern College.
Since 1973 Ruth has served as commentator on historical tours in Europe for Tourmagination and is on the trustee boards of the Christopher Dock Mennonite High School, Goshen College, and the Mennonite Historians of Eastern Pennsylvania. He is currently authoring a book on the impact of the legacy of William Penn in his local community.
Peter Lillback
Rev. Dr. Peter Lillback is president and professor of historical theology and church history at Westminster Theological Seminary.
Dr. Lillback’s academic interests include church history, the doctrine of Scripture, public theology, the theology of John Calvin, and Christianity as it relates to American history.
He conducts walking tours of Philadelphia highlighting the history of America’s founding fathers, including William Penn.