CSVF Blog

As the presidential campaign heats up and attracts the attention of the nation, we observe how the relationship of politics and religion, especially in the lives of the candidates themselves, remains a hot-button issue for pundits and voters alike.

In two weeks’ time, a couple of events scheduled at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center Campus will explore this issue and evaluate its impact on the current political climate.  Both events are free and open to the public.

From Mitt Romney’s Mormonism to Barack Obama’s pastor, religion has played a controversial role during the presidential race. Were the Democrats finally “getting religion”? Did Mike Huckabee represent a new face of evangelicalism? Were Senators McCain and Obama obliged to denounce outlandish statements by clergy supporters? Has the coverage of religion enlightened or obscured major moral issues facing the nation, like war, abortion, poverty and torture, and helped voters size up the candidates? 

An extraordinary panel will focus on both the issues and how well the news media have been covering them. 

MODERATOR
Ray Suarez, senior correspondent, PBS’s NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and author of The Holy Vote: The Politics of Faith in America.

PANELISTS
E.J. Dionne Jr., syndicated columnist and author of Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith and Politics After the Religious Right.

Andrew Kohut, president, Pew Research Center, and co-author of The Diminishing Divide: Religion’s Changing Role in American Politics.

Peggy Fletcher Stack, senior religion writer, Salt Lake Tribune.

Don Wycliff, University of Notre Dame; former editorial page editor and public editor for the Chicago Tribune.

SPEAKERS

Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete – theologian, author, columnist

Mr. Peter Steinfels – New York Times religion columnist

Ms. Helen Whitney – award-winning TV producer for ABC and PBS

Sponsored by the Crossroads New York Cultural Center.

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