In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Karen Elliott House on MBS, Saudi Arabia, and the Future of Faith and Power
Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Karen Elliott House joins Frank Schaeffer to talk about her remarkable new book, The Man Who Would Be King, Muhammad bin Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia.
Across four decades of reporting on the Middle East and Saudi Arabia, Karen has developed rare access to the kingdom’s inner world — including seven in-depth meetings with Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MBS), often late at night inside the palace.
In this conversation, Frank and Karen dive into:
- How a strict Texas church girl became one of the world’s sharpest Saudi observers
- Why MBS is part Peter the Great, part Napoleon, and part ruthless modernizer
- Women’s stunning rise in the Saudi workforce — and how religious men are left behind
- The murder of Jamal Khashoggi, internal repression, and the culture of “disappearing” critics
- How MBS is navigating Gaza, Hamas, Israel recognition, and the Wahhabi clerics
- Parallels between Islamic fundamentalism and American evangelical extremism
- Whether America is in decline — and why Karen still believes in renewal, history, and family
Karen’s book: The Man Who Would Be King, Muhammad bin Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia
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In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.
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