Bruce Feiler, an award-winning author, will speak at the Westminster College Diversity Symposium Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 8 p.m. in Orr Auditorium.

Feiler's topic will follow his new book, Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths. According to Feiler, Abraham is at the heart of the world's three monotheistic religions, and today's deadliest conflicts. He claims that Abraham stands out as the shared ancestor of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and may hold the key to man's deepest fears, as well as his possible reconciliation.

The New York Times printed that Abraham "is a powerful, universal story, the first-ever interfaith portrait of the man God chose to be his partner. Thoughtful and inspiring, it offers a rare vision of hope that will redefine what we think about our neighbors, our future, and ourselves."

"Feiler sets out to recover Abraham as he is portrayed in all three religions&and how the Abraham narratives relate to contemporary religious and political conflicts," writes Publishers Weekly.

Feiler, author of five books and an award-winning journalist and speaker, spent the last 10 years traveling to over sixty countries, on five continents, immersing himself in different cultures and experiences. The results are five acclaimed books that take the reader along on his fascinating adventures.

His books include: Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan, an account of the year he spent teaching in a small Japanese town; Looking for Class: Seeking Wisdom and Romance at Oxford and Cambridge, a portrait of the world's most prestigious academic institutions; Under the Big Top: A Season with the Circus, an account of the year he spent performing as a clown in the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus; Dreaming Out Loud: Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, Wade Hayes, and the Changing Face of Nashville, an account of the two years of unprecedented access to the country music business; Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses, describes the year he spent retracing the greatest stories ever told through the desert; and Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Barbara Faires, professor of mathematics and coordinator of the event, at (724) 946-7293 or e-mail faires@westminster.edu.