What should Americans make of the interplay between religion and politics in the United States today? Is political activism on the part of churches new? What are some of the ways and means available to politically active religious groups? What secular as well as spiritual ends should these methods serve? James English, Marjorie Hyer, Martin Marty, Harmon Smith, and Mark Taylor consider these questions in this episode.
At the time of this interview, English was a Jesuit priest at St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church in Raleigh, N.C. Hyer was religion editor for the Washington Post. Marty, a trustee of the National Humanities Center, was professor of the history of modern Christianity at the University of Chicago and an editor of the Christian Century. Smith, a Fellow at the Center (1982-83), was a professor at Duke Divinity School. Taylor, a Fellow at the Center (1982-83), was professor of religion at Williams College.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
