Religious leaders have been at the forefront of the fight for racial justice in Madison and around the country—and have been for over a century—but we don’t often consider the relationship between faith stories and political struggle. For today’s episode, guest host Nan Enstad explores this history with Randal Jelks, author of Faith and the […]
Bright Stars of Bethlehem: “The Black Church and Palestinian The...
The Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, President of Bright Stars of Bethlehem, and the Rev. Everett Mitchell, Pastor of Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church, will present on “The Black Church and Palestinian Theologies: Intersections of Faith in the Face of Empire.”
Bright Stars of Bethlehem: “Hope in the Shadow of the Wall”...
The Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, President of Bright Stars of Bethlehem, will present on “Hope in the Shadow of the Wall.”
The Secular Voter
What’s the fastest growing religious demographic in the United States? Not sure? OK, let’s try another. As of 2014, evangelist Protestants were the largest major religious group in the U.S. What group was second? Well, the answer to both questions is “no religion at all.” According to a November 2015 Pew Research survey, when asked what religion they followed, 23% of the respondents answered “atheist,” “agnostic” or “nothing in particular.” That’s up from 16% just seven years ago, and represents 55 million Americans nationwide. That’s more than those who identify as traditional Protestant denominations or as Catholics.
While most politicians still seem blind to this growing demographic, Madison’s Freedom from Religion Foundation has taken note. Through its new “I’m Secular and I Vote” campaign, the foundation hopes to forge those unbelievers and freethinkers into a powerful lobby. Annie Laurie Gaylor founded the Freedom from Religion Foundation in 1978, and is the foundation’s current co-president.
Annie spoke with host Brian Standing about the Foundation’s work.
The Progress of Religion
In this pledge drive edition of the Monday Buzz, host Brian Standing speaks with University of Washington professor Mark Smith about his new book, Secular Faith: How Culture Has Trumped Religion in American Politics. In it, Smith argues that religion is not the immovably conservative political force some have characterized it as, but instead morphs and […]
Is Pope Francis a Progressive?
An abundance of commentary and analysis has been thrown around in recent weeks regarding the beliefs of Pope Francis, particularly relating to their supposed place on the political spectrum. The Catholic leader has been widely praised by Christians, as well as non-Christians and the non-religious altogether, for taking what many feel is a modern, reformist […]
