Best-Selling Author and Illustrator John Hendrix to Discuss the Challenges of Friendship at Veritas Forum
On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at 6 PM in Elkins Auditorium, Pepperdine’s Veritas Club—a student-led ministry within the Hub for Spiritual Life—will host the Veritas Forum, an event designed to foster thoughtful conversations about the intersection of Christian faith and issues that affect our lives and communities.
This year’s forum, themed “What Are We Getting Wrong About Friendship?” will feature New York Times best-selling author and illustrator John Hendrix in conversation with April Marshall, Pepperdine professor of Hispanic studies. Together, they will explore different views on friendship, challenge common misconceptions, and underscore its significance in a time of growing societal division. Attendees will enjoy a free meal from Howdy's Sonrisa Cafe, as well as chapel credit.
Madison Luc, a Seaver College student and president of the Veritas Club, shares that the Veritas Forum offers students an opportunity to grow both emotionally and spiritually by engaging in meaningful and relevant conversations in the pursuit of truth. “‘Veritas’ is Latin for ‘truth.’” As a club, we seek truth by engaging others with thoughtfulness, humility, and respect,” Luc explains. “Regardless of a student’s background, we believe that universal Christian questions are also human questions, and the journey of exploring these questions shapes how we think, act, and view life.”
Hendrix is an accomplished author and artist whose work spans books, illustration, and education. His titles include The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler—named a Best Book of 2018 by National Public Radio—Drawing Is Magic: Discovering Yourself in a Sketchbook, Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus, and many more. His award-winning illustrations have appeared on book covers, in newspapers, and in magazines around the world.
Hendrix is the Kenneth E. Hudson professor of art and the founding chair of the MFA in Illustration and Visual Culture program at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2024 the Society of Illustrators honored him as the Distinguished Educator in the Arts. In 2021 he was named Educator of the Year in illustration by 3x3 Magazine.
A dynamic speaker, Hendrix has shared his work and creative process nationwide. His sketchbook drawings–illustrations inspired by and sketched during church services–have been featured in publications such as Christianity Today and Smithsonian Magazine.
Learn more about the upcoming event on the Veritas Forum website. Register to attend.