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Research on Religion checks in with journalist/blogger extraordinaire Jeremy Lott to discuss a couple big stories in the world of religion. We examine what happened at the recent Episcopal Church General Convention and speculate as to why Episcopalians and other mainline churches are losing members. Then we turn our attention to other recent news events including the conversion of former atheists, and religious liberty issues concerning the US health care mandate and circumcision in Germany.

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With the election season heating up, we revisit the issue of whether religion plays a role in voting behavior in the United States. Prof. Gerald De Maio (Baruch College, CUNY) discusses his collaborative research with Louis Bolce on the “religion gap” in American politics. This research indicates that those who attend church more regularly, or who hold more orthodox religious views, tend to vote much differently than seculars. De Maio and Bolce’s research also shows how the media has failed to pick up on this electoral divide while touting other “gaps” — e.g., gender, age, soccer moms — that are much less salient when it comes to predicting election outcomes. We speculate how the “religion gap” will play out in the November 2012 elections.

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Jonathan Edwards is often considered one of the greatest theologians in US history. Prof. Michael McClymond reviews the fascinating life and times of Rev. Edwards and shows how his theology evolved over time based upon his surrounding circumstances and personal experiences. A serious intellectual who also relished in the beauty of God’s creation, Jonathan Edwards was at the forefront of a number of theological and religious trends that became hallmarks of American Protestantism.

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In March of 1939, Eugenio María Giuseppe Pacelli became Pope Pius XII just days before the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia and months before Germany continued their march into Poland. Prof. James Felak (University of Washington) examines the life and times of Pope Pius XII and explores the controversy surrounding his papacy. Interestingly, we learn that criticism of Pope Pius XII’s actions only emerged two decades after World War II. Prof. Felak discusses the difficult diplomatic and moral situation that Pius XII found himself in during the war, lays out the logic of his actions, and then assesses the overall impact (including his post-war proclamations) of Pius XII’s papacy on the contemporary Church Church.

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In a first of its kind, Research on Religion engages in a tripartite debate. Three scholars were asked the following question: “As a Christian in the American colonies, would you have picked up arms against King George and Britain to fight for independence following the battles at Lexington & Concord in April, 1775?” Prof. Gregg Frazer (The Master’s College) answers “no.” Prof. Jonathan den Hartog (Northwestern College) responds “yes.” And Mark David Hall (George Fox University) offers a definitive “maybe.” Hear how each of these three scholars of that period justify their positions with questions and comments from your host, Anthony Gill.

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With all the talk about declining levels of civic engagement in the United States, is there any evidence that religious education might play a role in promoting community involvement among youth and young adults? Prof. Kevin den Dulk discusses his research into this question and observes that some types of religious education — most notably Protestant private schooling — does tend to facilitate civic involvement in young adulthood. Kevin compares Protestants with Catholic private schools, secular parochial schools, public education and homeschoolers. Our discussion also engages the topic of whether or not civic participation is really declining in American life.

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Did Protestant missionaries help plant the seeds of democracy throughout the world? Prof. Robert Woodberry takes us on a historical tour-de-force around the globe showing how “conversionary Protestants” helped to promote literacy, spread printing technology, facilitate civic organization, defend religious and civil liberties, and protest the abuses of slavery and colonialism. We discuss how this happened and why Protestants were uniquely situated to do this, although we look at similar Catholic efforts in recent decades. We conclude with speculative thoughts about the Arab Spring.

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What is it like to be a practicing Christian in the world of secular academia? While many Christian professors teach at religiosly-based universities where public profession of faith is either encouraged or expected, Christian academics working in state colleges and universities operate under a different set of constraints. Kimberly Conger of Colorado State University shares her thoughts with Tony based upon a set of panels at the most recent Christians in Political Science conference at Gordon College. We discuss whether or not there exists strong biases against Christian professors, how one deals with students both in the classroom and during office hours, and how one’s faith affects research.

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Rev. Robert Sirico of the Acton Institute discusses his new book, “Defending the Free Market: The Moral Case for a Free Economy.” Our discussion delves into Fr. Sirico’s personal history, the nature of greed and envy, the role of profits in an economy, volutarism & individual charity, and why capitalism is a morally superior system than socialism. Along the way, we talk about the communal organization of the early Church Fathers, the Pilgrims, and Rev. Sirico’s thoughts on Ayn Rand. We conclude our discussion with an examination of President Bush’s faith-based initiative and the recent controversy involving the US Catholic bishops and the Obama administration’s health care mandates.

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What role should religion be allowed to play in the public square? Prof. Hunter Baker (Union University) discusses how the concept of “secularism” has crept into our nation’s conscience and is believed to be a philosophy of “neutrality.” Prof. Baker argues that this isn’t the case as secularism is an ideological alternative to religious belief that is privileged over religious expression in the public square. Our wide-ranging conversation takes us through discussions of Judge Roy Moore, religiously-based progressive taxation, religion in Sweden, and the philosophy of John Stuart Mill and John Rawls.

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