Southern Baptist Convention
President of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, which represents the Southern Baptist Convention on moral and social problems and questions of public policy; former Bush appointee at the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and author of The Divided States of America?: What Liberals AND Conservatives Are Missing in the God-and-Country Shouting Match! and Imagine! A God-Blessed America
Church and State in 21st Century America America's founders wrote a Constitution to intentionally exclude God, and their first amendment forbids the government to establish any religion. Thomas Jefferson even called for a "wall of separation between church and state." But, during the Red Scare of the 1950's, "In God We Trust" not only appeared on American money, but replaced E Pluribus Unum —"Out of Many, One" — as the national motto. Even though there was no substantive challenge in sight, Congress reaffirmed that last year—by a vote of 396 to 9. Americans have the right to practice any religion they want to, but are these official references threatening the commitment to a secular government? Do they imply that this is a Christian nation or recognize that one God is as good as another in a country of many different faiths?
Rick Santorum Pulls Ahead of the Republican Pack With more than four national polls showing Rick Santorum now tied with Mitt Romney among Republicans, the next showdowns will be Michigan and Arizona later this month, followed closely by ten states on Super Tuesday, March 6. Can he overcome Romney's huge advantage in money and organization as voters learn more about Santorum's record, his stands on issues and his personality? Can he shift from his emphasis on cultural issues to the economy?
Can Rick Santorum Go the Distance? Polls by Gallup , Pew and the New York Times show Rick Santorum virtually tied with Mitt Romney among Republican voters. He has big leads among Tea Partiers and evangelicals in the Midwest, with Romney doing better in the West and the Northeast. As the race moves to Michigan -- a victim of the recession – and Arizona later this month, followed closely by ten states on Super Tuesday (March 6), can Santorum shift from the cultural wars and talk the blue-collar talk about the economy? Can Romney overcome his famous advice to " let Detroit go bankrupt " and swamp Santorum with negative ads? Does Santorum have the resources to maintain his position?
Santorum Wins Evangelical Backing Former Utah Governor and Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination today. Calling for Party unity, he endorsed Mitt Romney , calling him the "candidate who is best-equipped to defeat the president and return conservative leadership to the White House." But a group of evangelical leaders met in Texas over the weekend to find agreement on a candidate other than Romney. Their choice is former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum . One of those at the conclave was Richard Land, President of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
The Cost of Ignorance: Teaching Religion in Public Schools Public nativity scenes and debates about language dominate the culture wars this time of year but, amid the skirmishes over proper greetings and public displays of religious belief, one of the most overlooked casualties is the fact that Americans are surprisingly ignorant about the world's major religions. While America's separation of Church and State prohibits teachers in public schools from lead students in prayer, what about teaching about prayer and the world's major religions? Is there a need for comparative religious studies and critical analysis in an era when religious values play an increasing role in global conflicts? How should schools be educating children about religion?
The Cost of Ignorance: Teaching Religion in Public Schools Public nativity scenes and debates about language dominate the culture wars this time of year but, amid the skirmishes over proper greetings and public displays of religious belief, one of the most overlooked casualties is the fact that Americans are surprisingly ignorant about the world's major religions. While America's separation of Church and State prohibits teachers in public schools from lead students in prayer, what about teaching about prayer and the world's major religions? Is there a need for comparative religious studies and critical analysis in an era when religious values play an increasing role in global conflicts? How should schools be educating children about religion?
Who Knows What about Religion? The Pew Research Center prides itself on nonpartisan disinterest in the outcomes of its work. This week, its Forum on Religion and Public Life released a survey on religious knowledge in the United States. Some findings about one of the most religious of the developed countries are surprising. Atheists and agnostics are the best informed, along with Mormons and Jews. Evangelicals, Mainline Protestants and Catholics did not do so well when it came to the core teachings, history and leading figures of the major world religions — sometimes even their own. What does this mean in one of the most religious of the developed nations -- and one of the most diverse? What are the implications for policy and politics? When a proposed Muslim center near Ground Zero has created so much dispute what are the prospects for interfaith dialogue?
The 'Mosque at Ground Zero' and Religious Freedom In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Sheboygan, Wisconsin and Temecula, California, plans for Islamic mosques have generated heated opposition . But the objections are different from those being raised in lower Manhattan, where a mosque is planned as part of a larger Islamic center two blocks from Ground Zero.
The 'Mosque at Ground Zero' and Religious Freedom The furor over what's called "the mosque" near Ground Zero centers on part of a $100 million project called Cordoba House . Opponents, including some high-profile Christian and Jewish groups, call it "insensitive" to the families of people who died on September 11. Elsewhere in the country, opposition to new mosques began with concerns about traffic and parking, but lately it's focused on the Muslim religion itself. Islam has been called a "cult" that encourages terrorist bombers and is accused of secret plans to bring Shariah law to America. That's raised concerns about the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. Is a basic American principle at risk at a time of uncertainty over economics and immigration?
Republicans Regroup as the Opposition Republicans are pointing fingers at one another, but most agree on one thing: even if John McCain had not lost to Barack Obama , the GOP was in trouble. They were saddled with George Bush and the war in Iraq. They failed to control healthcare costs or monitor the economy. Now the party of Ronald Reagan has no consensus on leadership or a set or principles to hold its factions together. We ask a cross-section of Republican operatives and philosophers, what should happen next?
A Political Transformation on the Religious Right? Evangelical Christians are broadening their horizons. In addition to abortion and same-sex marriage, they're now focused on poverty and the environment. Polls show large numbers of white evangelicals voting in Democratic primaries, while traditional church leaders are trying to keep them in the Republican fold. Is there a "great awakening" that could have an impact on this year's presidential election? We'll hear a dialogue between a "the new generation" of evangelicals and veterans of the religious right.
Is the Grand Old Party Showing Its Age? It's conventional wisdom that the Republican Party is dominated by Christian Conservatives. Last night, ten white males lined up on a stage in South Carolina to make their cases for the Republican presidential nomination. Since their last debate two weeks ago in California, some of the candidates have refined their ideas and positions. As a Republican candidate for President, Mitt Romney has different positions on key social issues than he did as Governor of liberal Massachusetts. But Rudolph Giuliani and John McCain are ahead in Republican Party polls, despite liberal views on issues like abortion and stem-cell research. Will that change with greater exposure or has the formula that made George Bush president lost its luster for 2008? Other GOP presidential candidates include: Sam Brownback Jim Gilmore Mike Huckabee Duncan Hunter Ron Paul Tommy Tancredo Tommy Thompson
Religion and Politics in America Kevin Phillips worked in the White House during the Nixon years and discovered what he called "the Emerging Republican Majority." Sure enough, the party gained strength until it took a fall in last month's elections. The man who predicted the "emerging Republican majority" now says the party has been "transformed," and that the rising power of radical Christians endangers the separation of church and state. We talk with Phillips and Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, a group Phillips says he's alarmed about. How many Republicans think America should be a Christian state? Does religion threaten democracy in a diverse country?
It’s RICO season It’s a special week because it’s the week where Ken finally concedes it might actually be RICO.
Will California voters show up? Across the country, early voting for Tuesday's midterm election has been happening in record numbers, but here in California, the numbers aren’t that impressive. So, who can we count on to show up on Tuesday when polls open?
