Best-selling author and religion scholar Reza Aslan will join Drexel University on Wednesday, May 7, as the fourth lecturer in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Distinguished Lecture Series. Previous lecturers in the series include neuroscientist David Eagleman, acclaimed author Sir Salman Rushdie and media maven Arianna Huffington. In a talk based on his number one New York Times bestseller Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, Aslan will sift through centuries of mythmaking to shed new light on one of history’s most influential and enigmatic characters, Jesus Christ.
Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against the historical sources, Aslan’s book describes a man full of conviction and passion, yet rife with contradiction. He explores the reasons why the early Christian church preferred to promulgate an image of Jesus 
as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary. And he grapples with the riddle of how Jesus understood himself, the mystery that is at the heart of all subsequent claims about his divinity. The discussion will include a question-and-answer session.
Aslan also is the author of the internationally acclaimed No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, which was named one of the 100 most important books of the last decade by Blackwell Publishers, as well as How to Win a Cosmic War, and is a regular contributing editor to The Daily Beast. Aslan frequently appears on television shows including Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report.” He also gained attention for an appearance on the FOXNews.com show “Spirited Debate” – in which the anchor repeatedly makes an ass of herself questioning how Aslan, a Muslim, could possibly be allowed to write a book about the founder of Christianity – that went viral [SEE BELOW].
Reza Aslan’s Distinguished Lecture Series talk will take place on May 7th at 6 p.m. in the Main Auditorium in Drexel’s Main Building (3141 Chestnut St.). The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required and are available HERE.