Sally Quinn points out that religion is playing an increasingly prevalent role in the public square. “I don’t think I picked up the paper once this week without reading a story that has something to do with religion, but that is larger than religion,” she says.
Jon Meacham acknowledges that covering religion in the media is a difficult task. “Too often, we [in the press] tend to value the passion and the volume of people’s voices on these issues more than we do the expertise and the nuance,” he says.
“On Faith” brings together dozens of religious experts and leaders, including former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Pastor Rick Warren. Reverend Gaddy and Bishop Jane Holmes Dixon, who serves as a senior adviser to The Interfaith Alliance, are both members of the panel.
According to the “On Faith” website: “And so, in a time of extremism, how can people engage in a conversation about faith and its implications in a way that sheds light rather than generates heat? The point of our new online religion feature is to provide a forum for spirited talk, drawing on a remarkable panel of distinguished figures from the academy, the faith traditions, and journalism.” The program is online at: http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/.
Also on the show: Reverend Barry Lynn, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State on the Supreme Court’s decision to rule on the constitutionality of the president’s Faith-Based and Community Initiatives program.