2023 Think Well Speakers

View a schedule of session topics by day here.

Frank Turek (Keynote Speaker)

Speaking: Sunday night, Monday

A nationally known apologist, Frank Turek is well known for his book I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. He hosts a radio show by the same name, has authored multiple other books (including Legislating Morality, Stealing from God: Why Atheists Need God to Make Their Case, and Hollywood Heroes: How Your Favorite Movies Reveal God). He is founder and president of CrossExamined.org, an evangelical, interdenominational Christian ministry that seeks to present evidence that the Bible is true. A former aviator in the U.S. Navy, Frank has a master’s degree from George Washington University and a doctorate from Southern Evangelical Seminary. He and his wife have three grown sons and two grandsons. As one of the most effective communicators today in the field of worldview and apologetics, Frank will lay a foundation early in the week for students about the nature of faith and evidence for Christianity.

Topic areas: Various apologetics topics (God’s existence, the Bible’s reliability, and more)

Todd Cothran (Host Pastor & Conference MC)

Speaking: Multiple days

Pastor of CrossLife Community Church (conference host site), Todd and his family (wife Renee and four children) moved to Charlottesville in 2012 to “replant” Alliance Bible Church, now known as CrossLife, a member in the Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination. He formerly served as an associate pastor and elder at Front Range Alliance Church in Colorado Springs. Before that (1996–2008), he worked at Summit Ministries in Manitou Springs, Colorado, where he directed the ministry’s Christian leadership program for college-bound students and, later, the curriculum department. Much of the worldview and apologetic curricula produced by that department served as a springboard and inspiration for ThinkWell. ​Simply put, ThinkWell would not exist without Todd!

Topic areas: Worldview/apologetics, evangelism and discipleship, purpose and calling 

Bill Basener

Speaking: Thursday

An emeritus faculty member (in mathematics) at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Bill Basener is a faculty member at the University of Virginia, where he serves as a professor in the School of Data Science with a joint appointment in the Department of Systems and Information Engineering. The founding owner of two software companies, he has authored research in various fields plus wrote a topology textbook. His paper on mutations and natural selection has been cited as a refutation of part of Neo-Darwinism, and was discussed by World Magazine, the Discovery Institute’s Evolution News & Science Today, and David Coppedge’s Creation-Evolution Headlines. Bill holds a PhD in mathematics from Boston University. He and his wife, Amber, have five children and live in the Charlottesville area. Bill has spoken at all four of our ThinkWell Conferences.

Topic area: Faith and evolution/science

Adam Coleman

Speaking: Thursday

Adam Coleman is passionate about equipping Christians with evidence for the Christian faith and engaging the culture. He is a social worker, writer, and public speaker. Upon graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University with a master’s in social work, Adam began a career of community development, mentoring youth, and service to our nation’s veterans. He is currently on staff as Virginia Outreach Manager for the One America Movement, which was founded in 2017 to partner with faith communities and faith leaders to help “heal the nation’s divides” by combatting “toxic polarization.” In his spare time, Adam uses his Tru-ID podcast to promote the gospel of Christ through Christian apologetics (read more here). A strong advocate of free speech, he is also the founder of Wrong Speak Publishing. Adam is a husband and father of three.

Topic areas: Identity issues

Renee Cothran

Speaking: Friday

Wife of Pastor Todd Cothran, Renee co-founded ThinkWell in 2016 and is a part of the conference planning team. Like her husband, she formerly worked on staff at Summit Ministries in Colorado (where they met). A home educator, she currently teaches science and piano. She is also the music director at CrossLife (the host church of ThinkWell). Renee holds an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Central Arkansas. She and Pastor Todd will give a joint talk on relationships, covering friendship as well as marriage relationships.

Topic areas: Relationships

Russ Crawford

Speaking: Tuesday

Several years ago, W. Russell (Russ) Crawford began a small nonprofit organization focused on theology, philosophy, and worldview, with the intent of engaging and communicating with those of an eclectic and/or “freethought” mentality and disposition who had questions about the Christian faith. This pursuit morphed into a more generalized desire to teach worldview and philosophy emanating from a distinctively Christo-centric perspective in order to provide the secular culture a taste of the rich intellectual tradition of the Christian faith. From the Atlanta area, where he teaches philosophy in the University of Georgia system, he loves to spend time with his wife and children and has completed formal studies in religion, worldview, and philosophy. Check out his podcasts here and his article “Clobbered in the Classroom” for The Worldview Bulletin.

Topic areas: Critical thinking/thinking well from a Christian viewpoint

Luke Forister

Speaking: Wednesday, Friday

Luke lives and works in Charlottesville, where he teaches youth at CrossLife Community Church. A ThinkWell alumnus and member of the ThinkWell leadership and planning team in both 2021 and 2023, his passion for the practical application of faith and apologetics in the secular world extends to many subjects, including identity, philosophy, and technology in a rapidly changing culture. At ThinkWell 2023, Luke will speak on the role of social media and technology in young people’s lives and share about his own transformation story. Luke holds a degree in business management from George Mason University.

Topic areas: The intersection of technology, identity, and faith

Peter Forister

Speaking: Thursday

Captivated by everything in the sky, Peter Forister is a geospatial analyst and meteorologist who utilizes Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) and weather forecasting technologies to address global natural hazards and support humanitarian missions for distressed communities around the globe. Peter forecasts severe weather across the USA and uses GIS to understand and assess the impact of damaging storms. Outside of his day job, he’s a photographer, storm chaser, videographer, and amateur astronomer. His award-winning photography captures everything from rocket launches and distant galaxies to tornadoes and lightning storms; his videos are frequently featured on international news outlets such as the Weather Channel and other major networks. Based in Charlottesville, where he attends CrossLife and previously attended ThinkWell as a volunteer (mainly in the sound booth!), Peter will speak on the Christian view of—and response to—creation/Earth, from its “good” beginnings to its current fallen state, touching on hot-button issues such as climate change and environmental catastrophism.

Topic area: Creation/the environment/climate

Keith McCurdy

Speaking: Wednesday (daytime to students + evening to parents)

Based in Roanoke, VA, Keith McCurdy is a family and parenting educator and consultant, a nationally recognized speaker, and founder and president of Live Sturdy, LLC. A licensed professional counselor and a licensed marriage and family therapist, he is president and CEO of Total Life Counseling. Keith has worked with families, children, parents, and other individuals for over 30 years in the field of mental health. He provides consulting and coaching services nationally on improving parenting skills, building strong marriages, maintaining healthy relationships, leadership training, and addressing corporate stress management. He has developed and regularly offered parenting retreats entitled “Raising Sturdy Kids,” which he has extended to and customized for schools and students. Keith holds M.A. and Ed.S. degrees from James Madison University. He will be speaking to parents in a special session Wednesday night during ThinkWell as well as to students during the day.

Topic areas: Developing a “sturdy faith”; the impact of culture and other pressures on students and their overall well-being (including mental health)