April 8 - The Gospel of Prosperity, Hate and Exclusion; "Christianity In Crisis"; Church, State and A Mormon President

Full Program

Part 1

We begin on this Easter Sunday with an examination of religion in America, the most religious of all advanced industrial nations. Frank Schaeffer, whose father was one of the founders of the religious right, joins us to look into the religiosity of the televangelical world of mega-churches that preach right wing politics, the gospel of prosperity, hatred and exclusion.

Part 2

Then Andrew Sullivan joins us. He has an essay at The Daily Beast “Christianity in Crisis”, and we discuss the politicization of religion in America and how Christianity might be returned to the core teachings of the prophet Jesus, a homeless man, who rejected materialism and ministered to the poor, the sick and the downtrodden.

Part 3

Then finally we examine the separation of church and state, and how it might apply to Mitt Romney and his relationship with his Mormon faith. A former priest who became a civil rights worker, anti-war activist and community organizer, James Carroll joins us.  He is the author of “Jerusalem, Jerusalem: The Ancient City That Ignited the Modern World”.