Politics
Where Do Evangelicals Stand on CEO Compensation?
In the spirit of this week’s question on how different religious groups relate to the massive financial troubles on Wall Street, I spent time this morning digging through resources on how evangelicals view the issue of CEO compensation. With the federal bailout package currently stalled in Congress ландшафтin part because of a debate over whether [...]
24Sep2008 | Andrea Useem | 5 comments | ContinuedWhy Religion May Not Matter Much in 2008, Part 2
For three days last week, I got my chance to do what I love most: hang out with fellow religion writers and talk/listen/think obsessively about the latest religious news and issues. It was the Religion Newswriters Association annual conference, held this year in D.C. (Melissa Rogers has rounded up the excellent blog coverage by fellow [...]
23Sep2008 | Andrea Useem | 3 comments | ContinuedJohn McCain Speaks of His True Religious Conversion
Last night’s speech from GOP presidential nominee John McCain’s speech in St. Paul was lackluster at moments, particular in comparison to the “electrifying” speech of VP nominee Sarah Palin the night before. But there was one moment, toward the end, when the hall grew quiet and focused, and the cameras had an easier time finding [...]
5Sep2008 | Andrea Useem | 1 comment | Continued
Obama in Lynchburg: The Faith-versus-Works Debate
Here’s a photo I took this weekend while driving through Lynchburg, the central Virginia town where religious right leader Jerry Falwell ministered and built Liberty University. The sign outside this small church reads, as you can see: “USA TELL OBAMA JESUS CHRIST NEEDED FOR SALVATION READ ACTS 4:12.”
Part of the reason this sign caught my [...]
Is Obama’s Real “Faith Asset” His Ability to Speak the Language of American Civil Religion?
Last June, at the Wharton Leadership Conference, Richard Greene, a well-known public speaking coach, offered his prediction that Barack Obama would win the Democratic nomination on the basis of his amazing strengths as an orator. Glossing over the fact that Greene said Romney would win the Republican nomination for the same reason (great speaking skills), [...]
4Jun2008 | Andrea Useem | 3 comments | ContinuedDoes Polygamy Have a Legal Future in the U.S.?
Having written previously about polyamory (maintaining multiple romantic relationships) and polygamy (well, really, polygyny — having more than one wife at at time,) I have been intensely interested in the on-going case in Texas, in which more than 400 children of polygamists were put into temporary state custody following allegations of physical and sexual abuse [...]
11May2008 | Andrea Useem | 6 comments | ContinuedMormon American Idol, Church on Second Life and Barack Obama in Indiana
It’s been a big night, yet another Tuesday evening of clicking back and forth between American Idol and Democratic primary results. So first things first: It looks like America is going to have its first-ever Mormon American Idol in 17-year-old David Archuleta. The three judges, Randy, Paula and Simon, go crazy for Archuleta’s earnest crooning, [...]
6May2008 | Andrea Useem | 7 comments | ContinuedFaith, Hope and Poverty: A Story from Kenya
Life is frustrating, right? I’m not famous, my two-year-old won’t go to sleep at bedtime, and my least favorite contestant might actually win American Idol. Most of these problems are solvable or irrelevant or not really problems in the first place. But here’s one problem that has bothered me since 1996: How do I help [...]
28Apr2008 | Andrea Useem | 1 comment | ContinuedThe Compassion Forum: Highlights and Lowlights
Just finished watching “The Compassion Forum” — an intimate evening with the two Democratic presidential candidates, hosted by Messiah College in Grantham, PA, and Faith in Public Life, a progressive Washington D.C.-based organization. Overall, it was a little dull — after all, how much new ground can be covered after the endless months of campaigning? [...]
13Apr2008 | Andrea Useem | 5 comments | ContinuedWhen a Woman Runs for President — in Afghanistan
I’ve just finished watching FrontRunner, the new documentary from New View Films about Massouda Jalal, the only female candidate in Afghanistan’s 2004 elections. It’s hard, of course, to think about a woman running for president without immediately making comparisons to the current presidential race in the U.S. - it’s like a cartoon that needs a [...]
9Apr2008 | Andrea Useem | 3 comments | Continued