EVENTS

The “Public Intellectuals and the Common Good” symposium seeks to assess the present array of challenges, identify valuable opportunities, and provide examples of relevant practices as they relate to helping evangelical scholars expand their vocational understanding to include that of the public intellectual.  Far from where some self-appointed public intellectuals find themselves working today, this symposium will also help evangelical scholars cultivate a sense of need for their work in relation to the broader context of the common good.

Learn more here: https://www.rna.org/page/rna2019

Religion News Foundation President & CEO and Religion News Service CEO & Publisher Tom Gallagher joined U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback at the International Religious Freedom Roundtable Ministerial Reception on July 17, 2019 at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Presented by Religion News Foundation, The Center for the Study of Jewish-Christian-Muslim Relations at Merrimack College, and William and Mary Greve Foundation, the Goldziher Prize is an award for excellence in the coverage of Muslim Americans by an individual or team of U.S. journalists.

The awards were presented by John Kiser of the William and Mary Greve Foundation and Emily Churchill of Religion News Foundation at a ceremony at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on May 2, 2019.

For more information about the Goldziher Prize, visit www.goldziher.org

Religion News Foundation hosted a screening of “The Gate: Dawn of the Baha’i Faith,” the 2018 documentary from Spring Green Films.

This documentary tells the dramatic, true story of the Prophet-Herald known as the Báb, His message and the origins of a new era in world religion.

There was a reception prior to the screening. Following the screening, there was a moderated Q&A with Executive Producer Steve Sarowitz, as well as a chance for audience members to ask questions.

Hudson Institute’s Working Group on Christians and Religious Pluralism in the Middle East hosted a discussion on the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA). Two decades after its passage, IRFA and the concerns of the broad, faith-based mobilization behind it are no less salient. Keynote remarks were provided by former U.S. Representative and primary sponsor of the IRFA, Frank Wolf, and U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Samuel Brownback. Keynote remarks were followed by two panels of experts, including current and former members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, who discussed IRFA and current religious persecution challenges in the Middle East. Also, at this event, 21 Wilberforce’s new publication, 20th Anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act: A Retrospective, was released.

https://youtu.be/i6mGV5b4pJA

The Columbia Journalism School sponsored a conversation between Religion News Service Editor-in-Chief Bob Smietana and Prof. Ari Goldman about the future of religion journalism, how to objectively cover faith, how religion intersects with other beats and what makes a great religion story.

KZIM/KSIM’s Clayton Hester interviewed Tom Gallagher, President, CEO & Board Member, Religion News Foundation and CEO & Publisher, Religion News Service.

Click here to listen to the interview.

A leading Catholic journalist and a leading Catholic theologian engage in a public debate over the impact of this controversial pontificate, featuring New York Times columnist Ross Douthat and Villanova University Professor of Theology Massimo Faggioli.

Watch livestream here.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, as in much of the world, reporting on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression can be particularly difficult. Cultural taboos, religious convictions, entrenched stereotypes, social hostilities, legal prohibitions, and editorial censorship often distort coverage of these sensitive topics. This discussion brings journalists and activists from four African nations to focus on challenges in covering religion and LGBTI+ issues in their communities. How can they overcome these obstacles in order to contribute to a more tolerant, pluralistic media narrative?

The panelists draw from a recent workshop hosted by the Religion News Foundation (RNF). The RNF initiative aims to amplify the voices of LGBT+ advocates and communities across Sub-Saharan Africa, offering a counter-narrative to extremist voices in the region while raising awareness of the challenges facing these communities and the journalists who try to cover them.

 https://youtu.be/5oXan2pkOVc