Transcript

Government Partnerships With Faith-Based Organizations

The Pew Forum invited Joshua DuBois, the executive director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships; Stephen Goldsmith, an adviser on faith-based partnerships in the Bush White House; and Richard Nathan, co-director of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, to discuss the future of partnerships between the government and faith-based organizations.
Obama and faith-based initiative
President Barack Obama signs the executive order creating the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Transcript

Religion and Science: Conflict or Harmony?

Science mosaic
At the May 2009 Faith Angle Conference on religion, politics and public life, Francis S. Collins, the former director of the Human Genome Project, discussed why he believes religion and science are compatible. Barbara Bradley Hagerty, the religion correspondent for National Public Radio, discussed how the brain reacts to spiritual experiences.

Graphic

About One-in-Six Americans Are Baptist

Baptist sign
Two of the largest Baptist denominations in the U.S. - the Southern Baptist Convention and the American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. - will hold national meetings in late June. A graphic based on the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey illustrates the size of the Baptist population compared with other major religious faiths in the U.S.

Graphic

Brides, Grooms Often Have Different Faiths

Marriage sign
Early summer is a traditional season for wedding ceremonies in the U.S. A graphic based on data from the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey looks at the phenomenon of religiously mixed marriages.

Q&A

Gay Marriage and the Free Exercise of Religion

Gay marriage protest
Could religious individuals and institutions that oppose gay marriage be required to recognize or even solemnize these unions? Robert W. Tuttle and Ira "Chip" Lupu discuss how some states are trying to reconcile conflicts between the legalization of gay marriage and the free exercise of religion.

Photo Credits

Obama and faith-based initiative: Pete Souza, Executive Office of the President of the United States
Science mosaic: Corbis
Hispanic man praying: Getty Images
Supreme Court: Corbis
Church sign: Corbis
Marriage sign: Corbis
Gay marriage protest: AP

Transcript

Obama's Favorite Theologian? A Short Course on Reinhold Niebuhr

Wilfred McClay
Some of the nation's leading journalists gathered in Key West, Fla., in May 2009 for the Pew Forum's biannual Faith Angle Conference on religion, politics and public life. Wilfred McClay, a historian specializing in American intellectual history, offered an introduction to the work of Reinhold Niebuhr, the 20th-century Protestant theologian whose unique form of progressive Christianity continues to influence American politics and international affairs. E.J. Dionne, columnist for The Washington Post, remarked on the recent revival of interest in Niebuhr's work.

Report

Taking Stock: The Bush Faith-Based Initiative and What Lies Ahead

The Roundtable on Religion & Social Welfare Policy has released a report exploring the character, depth and scale of the Bush administration's Faith-Based and Community Initiative. The report also looks ahead to President Barack Obama's approach to continuing service partnerships between the government and religious groups. Read the report at religionandsocialpolicy.org »

Graphic

Most Latino Evangelicals Pray Every Day

Hispanic man praying
On June 17-19, hundreds of Hispanic evangelical church leaders will participate in the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. A graphic based on the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey finds that Hispanic evangelicals, like other evangelicals, are more likely to pray every day than the population overall.

Report

The Establishment Clause and Government Funding of Faith-Based Institutions

Supreme Court
A new report explores the debate over whether and how the government should fund faith-based institutions such as religious schools and charities. The analysis is the latest in an ongoing series called "The Pillars of Church-State Law."

More Highlights

The Forum Multimedia Page

Video and audio of Pew Forum events are now conveniently archived in one location. The multimedia page contains full video transcripts and short highlight clips of recent events, as well as audio of Forum experts' radio appearances.
Graphic

Christians' Views on the Return of Christ

For many Christians, Easter is the most important religious holiday of the year - a time to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and look forward to the Second Coming. While nearly 80% of U.S. Christians believe that Christ will return to Earth someday, there is less agreement over the timing and circumstances of his return.
Graphic

Religious Groups' Views on Global Warming

Earth Day takes place on April 22 each year. One issue at the center of public discussions about the environment is global warming: whether it is occurring and what its causes might be. A Pew Forum graphic looks at views on global warming among major religious traditions in the U.S.
Survey

Faith in Flux: Religious Change in the U.S.

Americans change their religious affiliation early and often, and the reasons they give for changing – or leaving religion altogether – differ widely depending on the origin and destination of the convert.
Graphic

Prayer in America

The National Day of Prayer, established by Congress in 1952, occurs on May 7 this year. A graphic based on data from the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey looks at frequency of prayer among a variety of religious and demographic groups.
Religious Landscape Survey

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