As religiously grounded moral arguments have become ever more influential factors in the national debate—particularly reinforced by recent presidential elections and the creation of the faith-based initiative office in the White House—journalists' ignorance about theological convictions has often worked to distort the public discourse on important policy issues. This timely book presents a series of conversations that will help policy makers and observers increase their understanding of religion, religious communities, and the relgious convictions that inform the political activity of devout believers. This book is published in cooperation with the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

As religiously grounded moral arguments have become ever more influential factors in the national debate-particularly reinforced by recent presidential elections and the creation of the faith-based initiative office in the White House-journalists' ignorance about theological convictions has often worked to distort the public discourse on important policy issues. Pope John Paul II's pronouncements on stem-cell research, the constitutional controversies regarding faith-based initiatives, the emerging participation of Muslims in American life-issues like these require political journalists in print and broadcast media to cover religious contexts that many admit they are ill-equipped to understand. Put differently, these news events reflect subtle theological nuances and deep faith commitments that shape the activities of religious believers in the public square. Inasmuch as a faith tradition is an active or significant participant in the public arena, journalists will need to better understand the theological sources and religious convictions that motivate this political activity. The current national discourse has brought faith and its relationship to public policy to the forefront of our daily news. Since 1999, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, through the generosity of the Pew Charitable Trusts, has hosted six conferences for national journalists to help raise the level of their reporting by increasing their understanding of religion, religious communities, and the religious convictions that inform the political activity of devout believers. This book contains the presentations and conversations that grew out of those conferences.

Part 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Evangelicalism and American Life: A Conversation with Nathan Hatch, Grant Wacker, and Hanna Rosin
Chapter 3 New Century, New Story-Line: Catholics in America: A Conversation with George Weigel and Kenneth L. Woodward
Chapter 4 Can the Jews Survive America?: A Conversation with Jack Wertheimer and David Brooks
Chapter 5 Does God Belong on the Stump?: A Conversation with Stephen Carter, Charles Krauthammer, and Leo Ribuffo
Chapter 6 How the Faithful Voted: A Conversation with John C. Green and John DiIulio
Chapter 7 How Should We Talk? Religion and Public Discourse: A Conversation with Jean Bethke Elshtain and William McGurn
Chapter 8 The New Christian Right in Historical Context: A Conversation with Leo Ribuffo and David Shribman
Chapter 9 The Rights and Wrongs of Religion in Politics: A Conversation with Stephen Carter and Jeffrey Rosen
Part 10 Discussion Participants
Part 11 Index