“Spotlight on the Religious Left”
May 13, 2013, Sightings article discussing the Religious Left.
Faith: Christianity
“Hispanic Churches Coping With Alabama Immigration Law”
A Feb. 8, 2012, article from the Christian Post cites declining numbers of worshippers in Alabama’s Hispanic congregations.
George E. Packard
The Right Reverend George E. Packard is the Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies for the Episcopal Church. He is in charge of all Episcopal chaplains attached to the armed services. He describes the rosaries, prayer beads and medals soldiers carry into battle as “companion object[s] which God uses to heighten moments of insight, prayer, and sometimes deep sorrow.”
“If Supreme Court Backs Arizona’s Anti-Immigration Law, What Do Churches Do?”
Read a June 13, 2012, story at Ethics Daily about how the Arizona anti-immigration law affects churches and faith leaders.
“Faith and Politics: How the ‘Moral Values’ Debate Divides America and How to Move Forward Together”
Written by John Danforth (Viking Adult, 2006). Danforth, a former Republican senator from Missouri and an ordained Episcopalian minister, speaks out against the conflation of political agendas with religious views and the religious right’s focus on wedge issues.
“The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church”
Written by Gregory A. Boyd (Zondervan, 2006). Boyd, a theologian and pastor of Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minn., discusses his worry over the growing alignment of Christianity and the right-wing ideology of the Republican Party.
Cheryl Kirk-Duggan
Cheryl Kirk-Duggan is a professor of theology and women’s studies at the Shaw University Divinity School in Raleigh, N.C. She can discuss the current celebration of Kwanzaa in black communities and congregations in the South.
“Thy Kingdom Come: An Evangelical’s Lament: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America”
Written by Randall Balmer (Basic Books, 2006). Balmer, an evangelical Christian, writes about what he believes has been the hijacking of the Christian faith on behalf of the Republican Party.
“Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction”
Written by David Kuo (Free Press, 2006). Kuo, who served as George W. Bush’s deputy director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, discusses his path of disillusionment as he tried to blend faith and politics in the Bush White House.