Berkley Center

From 2010 to 2013, Rev. Jim Wallis taught a Georgetown course addressing questions of faith, social justice, and the political process through a series of topical classes. The coverage of religion in the media has become an issue all by itself. Media caricatures of what it means to be “evangelical” or “Catholic” or even “religious” still abound and confuse public discourse. The news media also gravitate toward conflict more than cooperation. Thus, stories about religious conflict abound while coverage of religious cooperation is sparse. In this class Rev. Wallis, a veteran of engagement with secular and religious media on faith issues, offers a thorough discussion and points to key questions for people of faith to consider moving forward. Is media coverage of religion getting better or worse? How is it changing? In a presidential election cycle where both campaigns are hesitant to emphasize religion, what are “the religious issues,” and how are they being covered? How is religion being politicized, and how should it impact politics? Acknowledging that the Republican Party is generally more comfortable with religious rhetoric, Wallis is careful to chart Democrats’ progress on the issue over the past 50 years. Contrasting John F. Kennedy’s September 1960 speech to the Houston Ministerial Association with Barack Obama’s June 2006 keynote at the Call to Renewal conference in Washington, Wallis shows that Democrats miss an opportunity when they avoid religious discourse and create the potential for significant social change when they speak the language of faith sincerely. E.J. Dionne, Jr., was a featured guest speaker on the topic.