The Apologia aims to examine the intersection of faith and reason in order to demonstrate that religion and faith are "100 percent compatible with the modern academy," current editor-in-chief Brendan Woods '13 said.
The journal was founded by Andrew Schuman '10 and has since become a wide-reaching organization with a biannual journal, weekly blog and influence on college campuses nationwide.
"When I came to campus as a freshman, I saw pretty quickly that there was a real interest to have a space on campus where vibrant intellectual life could grow together with faith," Schuman said.
Schuman worked with several friends to start the publication, releasing the first edition in spring 2007.
Within a few years, The Apologia became an established campus presence and eventually spread to other institutions.
"When he founded Apologia, Andrew really started a movement across college campuses, in the Ivy League and across the country," Woods said. "It was one of those instant success stories."
Members of the journal meet weekly for informal dinner discussions, and the journal hosts one guest lecturer per term, Chris Hauser '14, editor of The Apologia's blog, said.
Student leaders said most of the journal's readers are "spiritually interested students" and alumni.
Typically, The Apologia distributes 1,500 to 2,000 copies on campus, which are "usually gone by the time the next issue comes out," Woods said.
The Apologia has also inspired the formation of other organizations, such as the Eleazar Wheelock Society, which consists of over 1,000 Christian alumni who were "excited about the publication" and looked to support its mission, Schuman said.
"It's pretty neat to see how five years ago it was just this tiny little thing," managing editor Emily DeBaun '12 said. "One person at Dartmouth had an idea, and five years later, so much has grown out of it."
The Apologia is still poised for growth, according to its editors. Former editor-in-chief Peter Blair '12 is currently working with students from other Ivy League institutions to create a national journal targeted at young adults with a similar mission to the Dartmouth Apologia.
Some members of The Apologia, such as Blair, cited the journal as a deciding factor in their decisions to attend Dartmouth.
In the group's Tuesday event, Mulley discussed decision theory, a model based on probability that does not take into account individual patients' feelings and values, as well those of the patient's family
In response, Mulley designed a model of "shared decision making," which addresses the personal side of health care and to which a patient's trust and confidence in his or her medical professional is critically important.
"If you really engage the patient, they can make choices for themselves," Mulley said.
After graduating from Dartmouth, Mulley attended Harvard Medical School, where he received his medical degree and a master's degree in public policy. Mulley later served on the presidential search committee that selected College President Jim Yong Kim.
Mulley's lecture drew both Dartmouth students and members of the Dartmouth community.
Paul Frazel '15 said the lecture was "the single most interesting lecture I've been to all year."
Hannah Jung '15, an Apologia writer, said that the talk "definitely" met her expectations.
"He brought practical examples, which were tangible, and [he] wasn't afraid to talk about his own faith in relation to his career," Jung said.
Mulley said the Apologia's invitation to speak about his faith struck him as uncommon.
"It's not something that I do very often," Mulley said. "People aren't asked to talk about their faith journey very often, and that was what I was asked to do, but I enjoyed it. It felt comfortable."
Blair is a member of The Dartmouth Staff.
