Event Transcripts/Interviews

Faith Healing on Trial
1 Sep 09Two of government's obligations -- enforcing child welfare laws and protecting religious freedom -- can clash when a parent chooses to rely on faith healing instead of standard medical care for a sick child. Robert W. Tuttle, a church-state scholar, explains.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Obama's Favorite Theologian? A Short Course on Reinhold Niebuhr
26 Jun 09What is it about the famous public theologian that prompted Obama to describe him as one of his "favorite philosophers"?
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Can Science and Religion Co-Exist in Harmony?
22 Jun 09Two experts -- a geneticist and a religion writer and correspondent -- discuss why they believe the current perceived conflict between evolution and faith is unnecessary and destructive.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

A Clash of Rights? Gay Marriage and the Free Exercise of Religion
20 May 09Although churches and other religious organizations, including charities and schools, have typically been exempt from state and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, it remains unclear how these institutions might be affected by new laws that require equal treatment for same-sex marriages.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Political Obligations of Catholics
A Conversation with the Archbishop of Denver
27 Mar 09The Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput argues that Catholics should take an active, vocal and morally consistent role in public debates, particularly on issues such as abortion, the death penalty and other matters they consider central to social justice.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

A Look at Religious Voters in the 2008 Election
10 Feb 09Two experts examine the role that religion played in the 2008 presidential election and discuss implications for the future.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Higher Law: Faith-Based Hiring and the Obama Administration
3 Feb 09During his campaign, then-candidate Barack Obama said he would overturn the Bush administration's actions allowing religious groups that receive federal funds for providing social services to restrict hiring to those of the same faith. A scholar discusses the legal pros and cons of such a reversal.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Religion, Race – and Obama
8 Jan 09A religious scholar discusses the president-elect’s place in the nation’s historical tension between religion and politics and examines the role of black churches as well as the controversy surrounding the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

After Bush, Islam's Real Challenge
29 Dec 08Scholar Va Nasr argues that the 2003 invasion of Iraq has fundamentally shifted the region's balance of power and that the most important conflicts of the Middle East now revolve around the Shia/Sunni sectarian divide.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Will Obama Win the White Catholic Vote?
31 Oct 08White Catholics have traditionally been swing voters but their recent apparent shift from support for McCain to Obama was both sharp and swift. What explains it?
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Exit Poll Preview
An Interview with Joe Lenski
29 Oct 08In an exclusive interview, Joe Lenski, co-founder and Executive Vice President of Edison Media Research discusses his organization's plans for conducting exit polls on November 4, given this year's special challenges.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Brutalism v. Church: A Congregation Sues D.C. Over Historic Landmarking
27 Oct 08To the city of Washington DC, it’s a classic example of Brutalist architecture; to church members, it’s a costly concrete block that obstructs their ability to practice their Christian Science faith.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Ten Years of U.S. Efforts to Promote Religious Freedom
17 Oct 08A scholar describes the controversy surrounding the passage of the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998 and discusses its impact worldwide.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Will the Culture War Matter on Election Day?
2 Oct 08Leading experts discuss the history of cultural divisions in American politics and what role, if any, they will play in the outcome of the November election.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Religious Vote: Much like 2004, but Economic Concerns Now Top Social Issues
2 Oct 08A national survey finds remarkable stability in the candidate preferences of major religious groups compared with the last presidential campaign. But issue priorities among all religious groups have changed with possible implications in November.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Both McCain and Obama Favor Expanding Faith-Based Initiatives
29 Sep 08Two experts discuss how and why partnerships between governments and religious social service groups are likely to continue to grow no matter which party controls the White House.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Blaine Game: Controversy Over the Public Funding of Religion
24 Jul 08A scholar discusses challenges in Florida to its so-called Blaine Amendments that restrict state aid to religious schools. More than two-thirds of states have similar constitutional provisions.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Organized Religion's Role in the Military
8 Jul 08In recent years, cadets, military officers and chaplains have asserted competing constitutional rights. Church-state scholar Robert W. Tuttle discusses the legal complications in an interview with Pew Forum.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

American Evangelicalism: New Leaders, New Faces, New Issues
30 Jun 08Scholar Michael Lindsay argues that the deep divisions in the movement are not between the political left and right, or the young and old, but between "cosmopolitan" and "populist" evangelicals.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Lessons from the 2008 Pew Global Attitudes Survey
19 Jun 08Pew Research Center president Andrew Kohut, New York Times columnist David Brooks and Foreign Policy editor Moises Naim discuss findings and implications of the new survey.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Assessing a More Prominent 'Religious Left'
5 Jun 08Questions and answers about the various groups that make up the religious left movement and the implications for the “religious right” in the coming elections.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

What Brain Science Tells Us About Religious Belief
4 Jun 08Recent advances in neuroscience are offering researchers a look into the physiology of religious belief. In a transcript from a Pew Forum event, University of Pennsylvania radiologist, Dr. Andrew Newberg, discusses how measurable brain activity matches up with the religious experiences described by worshippers.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Religion and Progressive Politics in 2008
20 May 08Directors of two progressive religious organizations and a political science professor discuss the origins of the "religious left" movement and how it might influence this year's election.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Plight of Iraq’s Religious Minorities
15 May 08Since 2003, sectarian violence, ambiguous legal protections for religious freedom, and other factors have contributed to a deteriorating situation for Christians and other small religious sects.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Two Perspectives on Gay Marriage
5 May 08To explore the issues raised by same-sex marriage, the Pew Forum interviewed former Sen. Rick Santorum, who opposes gay marriage, and journalist Jonathan Rauch, who argues in its favor.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Obama's Catholic Voter Problem?
25 Apr 08Hillary Clinton won the Catholic vote in Pennsylvania's Democratic primary by more than a two-to-one margin, repeating a pattern among religious voters similar to those seen in other states. Does this have implications for the May 6 contests in Indiana and North Carolina?
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The 'Evidence for Belief': An Interview with Francis Collins
17 Apr 08In an interview, Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project and an evangelical Christian argues that advances in science present “an opportunity for worship,” rather than a catalyst for doubt.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Religious Voters in Pennsylvania
11 Apr 08Connections that Clinton, Obama and McCain make -- or fail to make -- with the state's religious voters could have major consequences on April 22 and November 4.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

On the Court's Docket: Child Rape and the Death Penalty
7 Apr 08Is capital punishment for child rapists constitutional? On April 16, the Supreme Court will hear arguments pro and con. A legal expert discusses possible outcomes and implications of the case.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Voting Religiously
7 Mar 08Pew Forum's John Green discusses the role that religious and unaffiliated voters played on March 4 and could play in coming Democratic primaries and whether false rumors about Obama’s faith could hurt his chances.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Relativism vs. Fundamentalism: Is There a Middle Ground?
4 Mar 08In a Pew Forum event, eminent sociologist of religion Peter Berger sets forth his view that doubt is ultimately a key element of religious faith in liberal democracies.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Does McCain Need Evangelical Voters?
Clinton Faces Challenge with Black Protestants; Obama Not Connecting With Jews
8 Feb 08Sizeable numbers of white evangelical Protestants are already part of McCain’s coalition despite opposition from some religious conservatives. On the Democratic side, Clinton will need to mobilize black Protestants while Obama has not connected with Jewish voters.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

What Americans Should But Don’t Know About Religion
6 Feb 08The U.S. is one of the most religious countries on earth, but Americans know little about their own religion, let along the religions of others. A scholar explains why that is dangerous for the nation.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Faith Factor at the Polls
Virtually every religious community is important in at least one of the states with a Super Tuesday election.
4 Feb 08John Green: “Virtually every religious community one can think of is important in at least one of the states with an election on Super Tuesday.”
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Are States Prepared for Problems When Voters Go to the Polls in 2008?
30 Jan 08Do the glitches reported during the Florida primary show that many states aren't ready for election day? Two experts debate the question.
Stateline.org

Will Evangelical Voters Rally Around a Single Candidate in 2008?
24 Jan 08As voting patterns and preferences among evangelicals have become more fluid, their electoral impact may extend beyond the primaries and affect both parties in November. Two experts from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life discuss this critical voting bloc.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Religion and Secularism: The American Experience
8 Jan 08Professor Wilfred McClay argues that America’s particular brand of secularism, together with some features of Christianity, have produced a unique if imperfect mingling of religion and government in the country’s public life.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Primary Problems: How Exit Pollsters Plan to Cope with a Super-Crowded Election Season
14 Dec 07From holiday distractions to winter weather, the people who will be measuring voters' preferences in primaries and caucuses around the nation will be dealing with unprecedented problems. Here's how they plan to do it.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Faith and the Public Dialogue: A Conversation with Sen. John Kerry
1 Nov 07At a Pew Forum event, the Massachusetts Democrat candidly discusses the propriety of public inquiry into politicians' religious beliefs and lessons learned from his 2004 presidential bid.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Free Exercise Clause and the Parameters of Religious Liberty
24 Oct 07An expert on law and religion discusses concrete examples of protected religious expression – must the sheik remove his turban when boarding a plane?
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Religion and International Diplomacy: A Ten-Year Progress Report
7 Aug 07Experts discuss the successes and shortcomings of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. Are U.S. national interests advanced by the act, and should they be?
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

In Search of a Way Out: Rethinking the Arab-Israeli Conflict
A Palestinian Scholar Discusses How a Solution Could Help Resolve the Larger Clash Between Islam and Christianity
12 Jul 07In an interview with the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Palestinian scholar Sari Nusseibeh discusses ways in which a settlement could help resolve the larger tensions between Islam and other faiths.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

From the Ten Commandments to Christmas Trees: Public Religious Displays and the Courts
27 Jun 07As a supplement to a Pew Forum legal backgrounder, Prof. Robert W. Tuttle discusses how current law might apply in circumstances such as a recent religious display controversy in Louisiana.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

In Focus: Mormonism in Modern America
Two Leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Discuss The Tenets of Their Faith and its Role in Today's Political Life
16 May 07Thanks in part to a Republican presidential hopeful, a TV documentary and Hollywood movies, the Mormon church is in the spotlight. Two senior authorities discuss the church's role in American society and political life.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Global Schism: Is the Anglican Divide the First Stage in a Wider Christian Split?
14 May 07At the Pew Forum's biannual Faith Angle Conference in Key West, Prof. Philip Jenkins argued that the current fracture in the Episcopal church over attitudes toward homosexuality may be the first battle in a much larger war and that churches worldwide may face a North-South schism.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

God at Graduation
What Courts Have Ruled about Prayers and Other Religious Expressions at School Commencements
9 May 07Spring is the season for school graduations, and graduation ceremonies play a featured role in the national debate over the place of religion in public education. Is a clergyman's benediction at a public school event a violation of the separation of church and state? Can students lead a prayer at their school commencement?
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Same-Sex Marriage in California: Legal and Political Prospects
28 Feb 07Experts debate a pending state Supreme Court decision and the larger societal issues involved.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Christmas Wars: Religion in the American Public Square
12 Dec 06Every year as the holiday season gets underway, debates break out across the country over the appropriateness of religious displays in public spaces. But the so-called "Christmas Wars" are only a small part of a much larger debate concerning the proper place of religion in public life, a debate that began at the nation's founding.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Religion's Role in the 2006 Election
The "God Gap" Persists, but Other Gaps Are Much Larger
5 Dec 06Pew Forum Senior Fellow John Green and American Enterprise Institute Resident Fellow Karlyn Bowman analyze polling data to address such issues as whether Democrats closed the "God gap," which religious groups were "in play" this election, and whether or not religion polarizes voters.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Religion in a Globalizing World
Pluralism, not Secularism is the Dominant Trend in an 'Age of Explosive, Pervasive Religiosity.'
4 Dec 06Scholar Peter Berger argues that the peaceful coexistence of different racial, ethnic and religious groups has become a global phenomenon and the resulting emergence of religious choice is the best model for understanding religion in a today's world.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Israel and the Future of Zionism
Is the 20th century revolution of Jewish life an astounding success or a colossal failure?
4 Dec 06An American scholar and an Israeli journalist discuss the origins and evolution of Zionism and its implications for the future of the Israeli state.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Legislating International Religious Freedom
20 Nov 06In a Pew Forum roundtable event, four experts discuss the wisdom and success of U.S. legislation that makes the promotion of religious freedom an explicit goal of America's foreign policy and ways to make that policy more effective.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

In Pursuit of Values Voters: Religion's Role in the 2006 Election
A round table discussion
11 Oct 06In a Pew Forum roundtable conversation, Forum senior fellow John Green and two prominent journalists speculate that it will be difficult for the Republican Party to mobilize evangelicals to go to the polls in great numbers next month. They also discuss challenges faced by the Democratic Party in appealing to this segment of the electorate.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Vatican and Islam
Pope Benedict XVI Prepares to Visit Turkey
4 Oct 06Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to visit Turkey on Nov. 28-30, a trip that has already attracted exceptionally close attention because of the pope's use of an inflammatory 14th-century quote about Islam during a September speech in Regensburg, Germany. Pew Forum Senior Editor Robert Ruby examines the issues and challenges in interviews with George Weigel, an expert on Catholicism, and John Esposito, a scholar of Islam.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Lenski on Exit Polls in the Coming Elections
28 Sep 06In an exclusive interview, Joe Lenski of Edison Media Research reflects on conducting his first election day survey following the death of his former partner, exit poll pioneer Warren Mitofsky. He also reveals steps that will be taken to avoid problems associated with the 2004 poll.
Pew Research Center

God's Country?
Evangelicals & U.S. Foreign Policy
26 Sep 06In recent years, evangelicals have helped to put conservatives at the helm of U.S. foreign policy, while focusing their energies on a few issues including support for Israel and promotion of religious freedom abroad. Now, they are showing interest in global warming and other issues traditionally seen as liberal.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Five Years After 9/11
6 Sep 06In exclusive interviews, Samuel P. Huntington says the current conflict between the Muslim world and the West could be far worse and Akbar Ahmed says current U.S. policies tend to strengthen the most radical Muslim leaders.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Cable News: A Maturing Platform with an Uncertain Future
Industry leaders discuss what lies ahead for cable news
14 Aug 06A Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism roundtable brings together a panel of cable news industry leaders. Some predict the medium will adapt to the changing news consumer while others believe dramatic innovations are necessary.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

News Magazine Roundtable
The State of the News Media 2006
8 Aug 06In this Project for Excellence in Journalism roundtable discussion, magazine industry experts see change as not only inevitable, but essential if the publications are to continue to survive. But they disagree about just what those changes should entail.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Can the 'Dead Tree' Newspaper Survive?
A Roundtable Discussion among industry experts
26 Jul 06In this, the third of the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism roundtables on the future of the news media, six experts from inside the newspaper industry discuss its future, its fate, and the changes it must make to survive.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

The Rise of Shia Islam - and Iran
A Conversation with Vali Nasr
24 Jul 06The recent violence in Lebanon and Israel, together with the sectarian strife in Iraq and escalating tensions around Iran's nuclear ambitions, has drawn urgent attention to the resurgence and politicization of Shia Islam in the Middle East.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Death Penalty Today: Defend It, Mend It or End It?
21 Jul 06In recent years, the nation has debated the proper application, morality and constitutionality of the death penalty. In this Pew Forum event transcript, four legal experts candidly debate the death penalty.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Radio News Roundtable
The State of the News Media 2006
19 Jul 06Where does audio (or radio) lie on the fragmenting old media vs. new media spectrum? Can this medium, with its long, rich history, evolve to fit a changing information universe, or is it an endangered species?
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Mitofsky on Mexico's Standoff
6 Jul 06Dean of exit pollsters sees Calderon hanging on to lead and expresses confidence in Mexican election system.
Pew Research Center

Imperialism, Anti-Americanism and Anti-Semitism
A Conversation with Josef Joffe
28 Jun 06Has U.S. power stoked both anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism?
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Moved by the Spirit
Pentecostal Power & Politics after 100 Years
28 Jun 06What does the global rise of Pentecostalism mean for U.S. foreign policy?
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Islam and the West
A Conversation with Bernard Lewis
6 Jun 06The well-known scholar and supporter of the Iraq invasion gives his views on progress of the war, confrontation with Iran and democracy in the Muslim world.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

A Pentecostal Primer
19 Apr 06More than half a billion people worldwide now belong to "spirit-filled" or renewalist faiths. Find out more about the past, present and future of the world's fastest growing religious movement.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Arab and Muslim Perceptions of the United States
10 Nov 05Testimony to U.S. House International Relations Committee, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Pew Global Attitudes Project