Bay Area 2026
Conversations worth having.
- Where
- San Francisco Bay Area
- When
- October 18–23, 2026
The Festival of Thought brings credible industry leaders like Dr. Francis Collins, Dr. Os Guinness, Dr. Meghan Sullivan, Trae Stephens, Ilaria Chan, Matt Ridenour, and others to dozens of events across the Bay Area, in churches, neutral venues, tech companies, and college campuses, for conversation on meaning, faith, science, and work. While many of the week’s events are private, the events below are open to the public. Bring a friend and continue the conversation.
Public events
19
MondayOctober 19
Monday, October 19, 6:00 PM
AI, Ethics, & Economics: A Christian Conversation on Common Good
Dr. Meghan Sullivan and Dr. Lyndon Drake
A Notre Dame philosopher and an Oxford AI researcher on what artificial intelligence is doing to our work, our markets, and our moral lives, and what a Christian account of the common good has to offer the city that is building it.
Reality SFSan Francisco
Register with Reality SF20
TuesdayOctober 20
Tuesday, October 20, 7:00 PM
America 250: A Republic at War with Itself
Dr. Os Guinness in conversation with Dr. Vince Vitale
Free societies are rare. Lasting free societies are rarer still. In the year America turns 250, Os Guinness, who has watched and loved this country as an outsider for decades, talks with philosopher Vince Vitale about how we arrived here and what it would take to renew a free society that can last.
Fox Theatre2215 Broadway, Redwood City
Register on Luma21
WednesdayOctober 21
Wednesday, October 21, 7:00 PM
Ancient Prompts: Being Human in the Age of AI
Michael Boone (NVIDIA), Dr. Meghan Sullivan (Notre Dame), and Paul Taylor (Faith, Work & Tech)
A technologist, a philosopher, and a theologian on the question underneath the headlines: if a machine can think, create, and even hold a conversation, what is still ours? They take it through three everyday questions about learning, connection, and the purpose work used to give us. No background required.
Co-hosted by the Bay Area Center for Faith, Work & Tech, Notre Dame's Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, and the Center for Ethical Intelligence.
Fox Theatre2215 Broadway, Redwood City
Register on LumaWednesday, October 21, 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Disagreeing Well in a Divisive Age
Dr. Jo Vitale and Dr. Vince Vitale
Not a lecture. Jo and Vince model a hard conversation from the front, then you practice one yourself. An interactive workshop on holding truth and grace together when we see things differently. Light refreshments served.
KingdomHausSan Jose. Address shared when you register.
Register on Luma22
ThursdayOctober 22
Thursday, October 22, time to be announced
“Resolved, That Freedom Cannot Survive Without Faith”
Dr. Os Guinness with The Hamilton Society
A formal debate on a motion with 250 years of history behind it, hosted by The Hamilton Society, San Francisco's debate society. Hear the case made and contested, then decide for yourself.
The Hamilton SocietySan Francisco. Venue and time shared by the host.
Details from The Hamilton Society23
FridayOctober 23
Friday, October 23, 2:00 to 5:00 PM
A Calling That Outlasts You: An Evening with Os Guinness
Dr. Os Guinness, with a workshop led by Jess Munro
Os draws on William Wilberforce and his circle of friends to show how a career becomes a calling. Then Stanford d.school instructor Jess Munro leads a hands-on Calling Blueprint workshop. Bring your gifts, your passions, and the impact you hope to have. Leave with a calling statement of your own.
KingdomHausSan Jose. Address shared when you register.
Register on LumaClosing night
Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM
Why Build Hard Things?
One of the most respected scientists of our time sits down with people who fund, found, and steer technology companies. A frank conversation about discovery, ambition, and belief, and about what is worth building in the first place.
- Dr. Francis CollinsLed the Human Genome Project and directed the NIH
- Trae StephensPartner, Founders Fund. Co-founder, Anduril
- Matt RidenourFounder and operator
- Ilaria ChanChair, Tech for Good Institute
AutodeskSan Francisco
Registration opens soonWho you will hear
People who have earned a hearing in their own fields and are willing to be questioned in public.
- Dr. Francis CollinsPhysician and geneticist. Led the Human Genome Project and directed the National Institutes of Health. Author of The Language of God.
- Dr. Os GuinnessAuthor and social critic. Born in China, DPhil from Oxford. More than thirty books, including The Call and A Free People's Suicide.
- Dr. Meghan SullivanWilsey Family College Professor of Philosophy at Notre Dame and founding director of its Institute for Ethics and the Common Good. Author of The Good Life Method.
- Trae StephensPartner at Founders Fund. Co-founder and executive chairman of Anduril Industries.
- Ilaria ChanChairperson of the Tech for Good Institute and group advisor at Grab. Formerly an executive director at Goldman Sachs.
- Matt RidenourFounder and operator.
- Dr. Lyndon DrakeResearch fellow in artificial intelligence at the University of Oxford.
- Michael BooneLeads Trustworthy AI Product at NVIDIA. Began his career as a licensed civil engineer.
- Paul TaylorCo-founder of the Bay Area Center for Faith, Work & Tech, after eighteen years pastoring a Palo Alto church.
- Dr. Vince VitalePhilosopher with a DPhil from Oxford. Has taught philosophy at Princeton. Author of Non-Negotiable.
- Dr. Jo VitaleTheologian with a doctorate from Oxford. Co-host, with Vince, of the Ask Away podcast.
- Jess MunroCo-founder of KingdomHaus. Teaches at Stanford's d.school after years at IDEO.
Come curious. Bring someone who disagrees with you.
October 18–23, 2026, across the San Francisco Bay Area. More public events will be added here as they are confirmed.
Presented by Transforming the Bay with Christ, with KingdomHaus, the Bay Area Center for Faith, Work & Tech, Reality SF, The Hamilton Society, and Autodesk.