transcript | Oct 11, 2007

Evangelicals and the Public Square

Washington, D.C. That evangelicals have become an important political constituency is not news, but two new books probe behind the headlines to reveal both the hidden tensions and unsung successes of a movement that is about far more than just swing votes. Sociologist Michael Lindsay in his book, Faith in the Halls of Power: How […]

report | Oct 10, 2007

Oregon’s ’Death with Dignity’ Law: 10 Years Later

Washington, D.C. Ten years have passed since Oregon became the first state in the nation to authorize doctors to assist terminally ill patients in voluntarily ending their lives. Although some predicted the legalization of physician-assisted suicide (also called physician aid in dying) in other states, similar measures have since been defeated in California, Hawaii and […]

report | Oct 3, 2007

A Progressive Argument Against the Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide

The debate over physician-assisted suicide is often portrayed as a battle between social or religious conservatives who oppose the practice and liberals or progressives who support it. But not everyone fits neatly into this paradigm. For instance, Dr. Robert P. Jones, who calls himself a progressive, has just written a book urging liberal supporters of […]

report | Jul 11, 2007

Looking for a Way Out: Rethinking the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Few Palestinian families have deeper roots in Jerusalem than Sari Nusseibeh’s. In the 7th century, immediately after the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem, the caliph Omar the Great entrusted one of Nusseibeh’s ancestors with the key to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. From childhood onward, Nusseibeh, who was educated as a philosopher at Oxford and […]

fact sheet | Jun 27, 2007

From the Ten Commandments to Christmas Trees: Public Religious Displays and the Courts

For most of the nation’s history, public religious displays were not controversial. But in recent decades, a growing number of citizens and civil liberties groups have sued towns, cities and states over religious symbols in the public square, arguing that these displays should be removed because they violate the First Amendment’s prohibition on government establishment […]

transcript | Jun 14, 2007

After Gonzales v. Carhart : The Future of Abortion Jurisprudence

Washington, D.C. On April 18, 2007, the Supreme Court handed down a major ruling on abortion rights, upholding the constitutionality of the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. The 5-4 decision in the case, Gonzales v. Carhart, upheld for the first time a law that bans a specific abortion method, and it did so even though […]

report | Jun 13, 2007

Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization

The Brookings Institution Washington, D.C. Years after the tragic events of 9/11, tensions between the Muslim and Western worlds remain acute. Seeking to establish dialogue and understanding between Islamic and Western cultures, internationally renowned scholar Akbar Ahmed led a team of dedicated young Americans on a daring and unprecedented tour of the Muslim world. Journey […]

transcript | May 22, 2007

Another Trans-Atlantic Divide? Church-State Relations in Europe and the United States

Washington, D.C. Europeans and Americans approach the relationship between church and state differently. European churches, for instance, often receive official sanction and substantial financial support from the government. In the United States, on the other hand, the government recognizes no church, and whatever aid it provides is usually indirect and substantially more limited. Even ideas […]

report | May 16, 2007

A Christian Right Without Falwell

When he died May 15, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, founder of the Moral Majority, left a legacy as one of the innovative early leaders of a movement that brought evangelicals and other Christians into politics. The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life reflects on Falwell’s impact and the future of the Christian right. Featuring: […]

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