Illuminate Conference

A nine-time Grammy nominee and three-time Dove Award winner, Matt Maher has written many popular songs, such as “Lord, I Need You,” “Because He Lives,” “Hold Us Together,” and “Your Grace Is Enough.”

Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt, PhD, is associate professor of art and art history at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. She enjoys writing for general audiences on the intersection of art history, politics, and pop culture. In 2023, Baker Academic published Weichbrodt’s book “Redeeming Vision: A Christian Guide to Looking at and Learning from Art.”

John Hendrix, MFA, is well known for both his freelance illustration work—appearing in Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times, to name a few—and his playful sermon sketchbooks. He also writes and illustrates children's books and graphic novels, including “Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien” (Abrams 2024).

Rebecca K. Reynolds, MA, is associate publisher for Oasis Family Media and worked on the text for its prose rendering of Edmund Spenser’s epic 16th century poem, “The Faerie Queene” (Sky Turtle Press 2024). She also authored “Courage, Dear Heart” (NavPress 2018), a series of letters written to weary readers in a broken world.

Mary McCampbell, PhD, is an author, professor, and speaker. In 2022, Fortress Press published her book “Imagining Our Neighbors as Ourselves: How Art Shapes Empathy.” You can find McCampbell’s writing in publications such as Image Journal, The Other Journal, Relevant Magazine, Christ and Pop Culture, and The Curator.

Jonathan Rogers, PhD, is author of the popular "Wilderking Trilogy," as well as books on C.S. Lewis and Flannery O'Connor. He teaches creative writing at New College Franklin, as well as online and in live-action seminars. Rogers also hosts "The Habit" podcast, conversations with writers about writing, through the Rabbit Room Podcast Network.

Jennifer Trafton has a passion for exploring the intersections of faith, creativity, and the arts. She studied church history and theology at Wake Forest University, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Duke University. She teaches creative writing in a variety of schools, libraries, and homeschool groups. Her upcoming book about the artist-missionary Lilias Trotter is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.

Pete Peterson (pen name A.S. Peterson) is an author and playwright who serves as publisher for Rabbit Room Press and artistic director for Rabbit Room Theatre. He co-founded The Rabbit Room with his brother, Andrew.

Junius Johnson, PhD, is a Yale-trained scholar of theology, philosophy, and literature who devotes his time to thinking and writing about whatever is good, noble, and excellent, and how to bring these things to bear to nurture meaningful lives. His most recent book is "On Teaching Fairy Stories: Cultivating Wonder in Students through Great Literature."

Rachel Wilhelm, MWS, is a singer-songwriter and worship leader in Nashville. Her most recent album, "Hosea," an Illumination of Scripture, launched in fall 2025. Wilhelm also serves as vice president of ministry for United Adoration where she leads worship arts retreats for local churches and their members.

Randall Goodgame is the founder and lead songwriter for The Scripture Hymnal Project and is dedicated to bringing the Bible into the hearts and minds of people around the globe through music. Goodgame has recorded 15 albums and written songs for Andrew Peterson, Jason Gray, and Veggie Tales.

Joelle Hathaway, ThD, is assistant professor of theology at Bethany Theological Seminary where she also directs the Theopoetics and Writing graduate program. Her current book project is "Cultivating a Sabbath Imagination: Wendell Berry’s Sabbath Poetry, the Doctrine of Creation, and the Human Vocation in Creation."