God in Government is a production of The Independent Production Fund, Inc. in association with CTVC and Faith and Values Media. © 2004 The Independent Production Fund, Inc.
This is the second in a 4-part program series on
Religion and the Public Square
The other programs in the series are:
• Sunday, August 27
Author Event
Cathleen Falsani's The God Factor
• Sunday, September 17
Lecture
The End of Secular America?
• Monday, September 18
Lunch & Learn
Jewish Policies and Christian Politics
Concerts, Comedy, Plays, Film
Film Screening and Discussion
- God in Government
- Sunday, September 10 at 2 pm
- $12 | $10 members | $8 students
- For reservations call 312.322.1743 or email rsvp@spertus.edu
Against a backdrop of political campaigns and religious celebrations, God in Government, a one-hour documentary produced by public television legend Al Perlmutter, explores the complex relationship between governance and faith in the contemporary world. With the resurgence of the Christian Right in the United States as a focal point, and examples including the Islamic revolution in Iran, the rise of Hindu nationalism in India, and the influence of orthodoxy on daily life in Israel, the film reveals how the interplay of religion and politics affects the decisions made by domestic and global leaders, and plays out in the lives of ordinary citizens here and around the world.
The film explores fundamental questions: What are the consequences when religion and politics become intertwined? What are the fault lines along which tensions and conflicts occur? What is the appropriate relationship between "church" and state in a modern society?
Today, with a self-proclaimed, "committed Christian" President advocating faith-based initiatives in the welfare system, a vocal Christian right seeking to influence domestic and foreign policy, and an increasingly diverse religious landscape, the debate about the appropriate role of religion in America's public square has become more urgent than ever.
Includes interviews with leading academics, politicians and activists, including Madeleine Albright, Fareed Zakaria, and Rep. Henry Waxman.
Join us for a special screening of this important film followed by a thought-provoking discussion facilitated by legal rights expert Sylvia Neil.
Sylvia Neil served for many years as legal counsel and executive director of the American Jewish Congress for the Midwest region, developing programs to positively impact religious liberty, civil rights, women’s rights, and peace in the Middle East. She litigated, served as a "friend of the court", authored legislative enactments, and testified before legislative bodies on these issues. Ms. Neil has also served as associate dean of external affairs and planning at the University of Chicago Law School, and currently teaches about religion, law and politics at Northwestern University School of Law.