In 2012

Broadcasting from our own Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy’s hometown of Monroe, Louisiana, tune in this weekend to Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast State of Belief to find out what’s next now that the Republican primary field is down one, get a historical perspective on religion and Presidential politics and learn what some overseas think about the 2012 campaigns.

Religion on the Campaign Trail
In case you haven’t yet heard, former Senator Rick Santorum suspended his Presidential campaign this past week. With Santorum out, we’re curious to find out if the end of one of the most religiously-oriented campaigns in memory will take the subject out of the spotlight. Or will it simply shift to an examination of Mormonism, Obama’s rumored commitment to Islam or some other obsessive, unforeseen focus on faith? Joining us this week to talk about what’s next on the trail is Sarah Posner, senior editor of Religion Dispatches.

The Presidents and their Faith: From Washington to Obama
With all the focus on faith in this year’s presidential election, we decided to go to the co-author of the new book The Presidents and their Faith: From Washington to Obama for some perspective. Dr. Darrin Grinder, chair of the English Department at Northwest Nazarene University and associate professor of American Literature, talks with our host Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy about the historical reality of a candidate’s use of religion on the campaign trail and in governing. Be sure to listen in to find out what Dr. Grinder means when he writes “no serious candidate for the White House can run the risk of violating the norm that one be religious. The candidate should be not just religious, but acceptably religious.”

State of Belief – Overseas
Our producer Ray Kirstein has been on assignment in Europe, gathering foreign opinions and perceptions about the current presidential race. He spoke with Daniel Ogden, lecturer on globalization and American Politics at the Uppsala University in Sweden, and Dr. James W. Davis, director of the Institute for Political Science and professor of political science at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland about what their conversations about the 2012 race in America sound like and what role religion plays in their own elections. Hear the extended interviews and read the transcripts here.

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