When it comes to the idea of God there are a lot of good and valid questions that are worthy of asking. And there are a lot of good answers to be found if someone is willing to look. Is belief in God, or some higher power, reasonable? Even if God does exist, does it matter? Is one religion more true than another? How do we make sense of God, or at least make sense of the idea of God? Is a faith like Christianity desirable and good for the world?  How do Science and Faith mix? Does science lead to atheism? Is knowing truth about God even possible or is it all subjective?

What questions do you have about God? What answers are you seeking?

We invite you to do some investigating.  In our REASON FOR GOD series we create an open and inviting space where anyone can come learn and ask questions. During the series we will be addressing some intriguing topics and questions related to God and Christianity. Come enjoy a free hot meal and bring your toughest questions. You can find this year’s topics and schedule here.

Though it’s not required for attending, it would be really helpful if you could fill out this form so we order enough food. You don’t have to submit any contact info or sign up for anything.

“Whether you consider yourself a believer or a skeptic, I invite you to seek the same kind of honesty and to grow in an understanding of the nature of your own doubts. The result will exceed anything you can imagine.” 

― Timothy J. Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

Help us to order enough food - tell us you are coming here

The IAP Reason for God series has become an annual tradition at MIT since 2014.
It’s for anyone (the religious, the spiritual, the skeptic, the seeker, atheists, Christians and people of any faith tradition).  We hope this series be a time to learn, explore, ask questions, and help us all in our pursuit of truth. Our values for the event are honesty, learning, humility, respect, kindness, and listening well to one another.

We hope you will join us for one or more sessions this year! 

WHAT TO EXPECT EACH NIGHT
We start with catered meal and then transition to our guest speaker for the night. If you want to know what food is being served you can find that info here. At each session you can expect to see 150-200 students. The audience is very diverse in the beliefs each person holds. Once most people have gone through the food line (usually at about 7:20), we will introduce the speaker for the evening. Following the speaker there will be a time for audience members to ask questions to the speaker. You will be able to ask your question directly to the speaker or submit them anonymously. We aim to end the event around 8:30pm. You are welcome to continue discussions in the room afterwards or talk more with the speaker.

Free Books - at each event, there will be free books available (1 per student) for those who want to go deeper into topics of Faith, Reason, God, the Bible, etc.

Abdu Murray

Abdu Murray is an brilliant thinker, speaker, author, and attorney who specializes in addressing issues where religious faith and emerging cultural trends intersect and collide. Abdu has spent decades analyzing how the major religious and non-religious thought traditions have attempted to address emerging cultural issues. Abdu has tackled complex issues in Q&A forums, debates, and dialogues at leading universities.

For most of his life, Abdu was a Muslim until a nine-year historical, philosophical, theological and scientific investigation pointed him to the Christian faith. Watch more about his story here. He has engaged with diverse international audiences in debates and dialogues across the globe and hosts the podcast and YouTube shows, All Rise, Deliberations LIVE and CouldaShouldaWoulda.  

He received his Juris Doctor from University of Michigan Law School and worked as an accomplished lawyer in Detroit. He lives in the Metro Detroit area with his wife and their three children.

He has written four books, his most recent being More than a White Man’s Religion: Why the Gospel is Not Merely White, Male-Centered, or Just a Religion

Dr. Katie Galloway

Dr. Galloway is an MIT Professor in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering. She earned a PhD and an MS in Chemical Engineering from Caltech, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from University of California at Berkeley. She completed her postdoctoral work at the University of Southern California. Her research has been featured in Science, Nature Biotechnology, Cell Stem Cell, Cell Systems, and Development. She has won multiple fellowships and awards including the Pershing Square MIND Prize 2025, the NSF CAREER 2024, C. Michael Mohr Outstanding Faculty Award for Undergraduate Teaching 2024, BMES Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Rising Star Award 2023, the NIH Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) R35, the NIH F32, and Caltech’s Everhart Award.

Dr. Mouhab Rizkallah

Dr. Mouhab Rizkallah is an Orthodontist and Dentofacial Orthopedist who runs an active practice in the Boston area. He is a successful entrepreneur and nationally known leader in dentistry. He was nationally named “The Most Influential Person in Dentistry” in 2023 (Incisal Edge Magazine), and the “Person of the Year” in 2022 (Dentistry Today Magazine), and was awarded the 2023 American Dental Association (ADA) Presidential Citation for revolutionizing dental insurance. These are just a few of his many accolades and awards.

His academic credentials include a Doctorate in Dental Surgery (valedictorian), Masters in Business Administration (valedictorian), Masters Degree in Materials Science, Bachelors degree in Biology, and did is residency in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics at Boston University.

Despite his professional credentials, Dr. Rizkallah’s greatest passion has gradually become Scientific Apologetics for the existence of God. He lectures extensively on how science points to design of the universe, and therefore the reality of God’s existence is very likely and plausible. Much of his work focuses on looking at scientific laws (i.e.The Law of Conservation of Matter/Energy), and how these laws, plus our modern scientific discovery, show that God (something supernatural outside of our universe) has to exist.

Cliffe and Stuart Knechtle 

With over 2 million followers on social media Cliffe and Stuart have gone viral online and become very popular among college students. They travel to multiple campuses each year to engage students on the Big Questions about life, faith, the Bible, God, Jesus, and more.

Together they host Give Me an Answer

Cliffe: Cliffe loves to converse with skeptics and truth-seekers to discuss the reasonableness of Christianity at universities around the U.S, such as Harvard, MIT, UCLA, and Stanford. He has been featured online in many podcasts and interviews about faith.

Born in New York City and educated at Davidson College in North Carolina, Cliffe later attended Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, just outside of Boston.

He is happily married to his best friend, Sharon, and they have three children. Cliffe is the senior pastor of Grace Community Church, New Canaan, Connecticut.

Stuart: He attended Gordon Conwell theological seminary where he received a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of mental health—marriage/family therapy. He is now the Assistant Pastor at Grace Community Church where he oversees the small group ministry, does psychotherapy, oversees the young families ministry, and teaches/preaches. 

Stuart got a passion for defending the faith of Christ when he graduated from seminary. That was when he joined his dad, Cliffe, in touring college campuses. He now also frequently debates atheist professors, politicians, and public atheist figures online.

Stuart is married to his wife Sarah, and together they have three daughters.

You can follow them here:

Instagram: @stuart_knechtle

Tiktok: stuartknechtle