On Saturday, March 16, New York Times best-selling author and Mideast expert Joel C. Rosenberg visited Iowa and made an important announcement leading up to the 2020 caucus season: “I am NOT running for president.”
The quip was just one of many humorous lines and anecdotes that the former Family Leadership Summit speaker shared with the sold-out crowd at “An Evening with Joel Rosenberg,” hosted by The FAMiLY LEADER at Des Moines Christian School in Urbandale.
Rosenberg also shared the story of his recent, unexpected trip to the White House and a bold confession he made to President Trump.
“‘Mr. President, I have to tell you, I was a never-Trumper,'” Rosenberg recalled saying. “Now, how many times do you suppose the term ‘never-Trumper’ is used in the Oval Office currently? … The look in his eye suggested ‘none’ might be too high.”
Rosenberg – whose novels have found fans not only in the U.S., but also in the Middle East – also shared how his work has opened doors for the gospel, for meeting with international power players, and for becoming an ambassador for religious liberty in the Middle East.
“God is opening some crazy doors [for me] as a novelist,” Rosenberg said. “But my heart is to use this platform, the books themselves, [in this way]: If you don’t know the Lord, you’re going to hear about the Lord in these books, and if you know the Lord, these are great books to give to someone you’re trying to share the gospel with.”
Watch Rosenberg’s presentation from “An Evening with Joel Rosenberg” below:
(jump to the segment of the program: 0:00 – Bob intros Joel , 4:08 – Joel Rosenberg , 37:16 – Bob interviews Joel )
Rosenberg holds a special place in the history of The FAMiLY LEADER. His address at the 2012 Family Leadership Summit challenged TFL to look beyond politics to the power of prayer and revival as America’s best hope for the future. Rosenberg influenced TFL to begin the If 7:14 prayer initiative and to focus on cultural transformation. Rosenberg has also been a part of TFL’s trips to Israel in recent years.
And through Rosenberg’s connections, TFL President and CEO Bob Vander Plaats traveled with an evangelical delegation to meet with Jordanian President Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein and talk with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi about religious liberty.
Rosenberg gained national prominence when his political thriller, “The Last Jihad,” contained fictional storylines eerily parallel to the events of 9-11, months before the attacks actually happened.
His latest book, “The Persian Gamble,” was released only days ago, and Rosenberg made Iowa one of his first stops on the novel’s debut book tour. Attendees of “An Evening with Joel Rosenberg” enjoyed a meal catered by Hickory Park Restaurant of Ames, Iowa, and received an autographed copy of “The Persian Gamble.”
