TRANSCRIPT: Faith, Politics & Progressives
A Conversation with John Podesta
Posted: Wednesday, April 5, 2006
On April 26, 2005, EPPC Vice President Michael Cromartie led a discussion with John Podesta, President and CEO, Center for American Progress and former Chief of Staff to President William J. Clinton, at the second Pew Forum Lunch meeting. The conversation focused on ways to bring the faith of religious progressives into the media and public life.  [Full Story]

TRANSCRIPT: Believing Without Belonging
Just How Secular Is Europe?
Posted: Monday, April 3, 2006
In December 2005, EPPC Vice President Michael Cromartie moderated a series of discussions at the Pew Forum's semi-annual Faith Angle conference on religion, politics and public life. In this particular discussion led by Mr. Cromartie, conference speaker Grace Davie, who has a chair in the Sociology of Religion at the University of Exeter and is the director of the University's Centre for European Studies, challenged current perspectives on modern secularism in Europe and examined how Europeans view American religion.  [Full Story]

Put Religious Freedom on Agenda in Pakistan

Posted: Friday, March 3, 2006
When President Bush visits Pakistan tomorrow, he should remind Gen. Pervez Musharraf that his support of Islamic extremist groups within Pakistan is at odds with not only the protection of human rights but also with his commitment to fight terrorism.  [Full Story]

TRANSCRIPT: The Islamic Paradox
Religion and Democracy in the Middle East
Posted: Sunday, February 12, 2006
In May 2005, EPPC Vice-President Michael Cromartie moderated a series of discussions at the Pew Forum's biannual Faith Angle conference on religion, politics and public life. In this particular discussion led by Mr. Cromartie, conference speaker Reuel Marc Gerecht, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a former Middle East specialist for the CIA, argued that Shiite clerics and Sunni fundamentalists may hold the keys to spreading democracy in the Middle East.   [Full Story]

TRANSCRIPT: Myths of the Modern Mega-Church

Posted: Sunday, February 12, 2006
In May 2005, EPPC Vice-President Michael Cromartie moderated a series of discussions at the Pew Forum's biannual Faith Angle conference on religion, politics and public life. In this particular discussion led by Mr. Cromartie, conference speaker Rick Warren, pastor of the largest church in America and author of The Purpose Driven Life, addressed misconceptions many Americans have about mega-churches. He also discussed current trends in the evangelical movement, and some of his views on hot-button political and cultural issues.   [Full Story]

TRANSCRIPT: The Biology Wars
The Religion, Science and Education Controversy
Posted: Sunday, February 12, 2006
In December 2005, EPPC Vice-President Michael Cromartie moderated a series of discussions at the Pew Forum's biannual Faith Angle conference on religion, politics and public life. In this particular discussion led by Mr. Cromartie, conference speaker Edward J. Larson, a professor of Law and American History at the University of Georgia, viewed the controversy over teaching evolution in American public schools from an historical perspective -- from the Scopes trial of the 1920s to the intelligent design legal battles of today.  [Full Story]

TRANSCRIPT: Spirit Wars
American Religion in Progressive Politics
Posted: Sunday, February 12, 2006
In December 2005, EPPC Vice-President Michael Cromartie moderated a series of discussions at the Pew Forum's biannual Faith Angle conference on religion, politics and public life. In this particular discussion led by Mr. Cromartie, conference speaker Leigh Eric Schmidt, a professor of religion at Princeton University, analyzed the historical connections between religious liberalism and progressive politics and the current national debate on religion in politics.   [Full Story]

Hearing on the Annual Report on International Religious Freedom 2005 and the Designation of Countries of Particular Concern

Posted: Thursday, November 17, 2005
The State Department's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom and the work of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom demonstrate that religious freedom concerns cut across the full swath of critical issues in American foreign policy.  Protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief is indispensable to advancing American interests. As President Bush recently said, "when the United States promotes religious freedom, it is promoting the spread of democracy."   [Full Story]

Vietnam: Ongoing Religious Freedom Violations

Posted: Thursday, October 27, 2005
EPPC Vice President Michael Cromartie, chairman of the United States Commission of International Religious Freedom, testified before the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam and the Congressional Human Rights Caucus on October 27, 2005. "We have been encouraged by the Vietnam government’s promises over the past year to improve conditions for its ethnic and religious minorities," noted Mr. Cromartie, "but we remain disappointed that promises have not yet been translated into positive change."  [Full Story]

Unrest in Uzbekistan: Crisis and Prospects
Michael Cromartie's Testimony Before the Helsinki Commission
Posted: Thursday, May 19, 2005
In his capacity as a member of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, EPPC Vice President Michael Cromartie testified on May 19, 2005 on Capitol Hill before the United States Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (known as the "Helsinki Commission"). His testimony related to the recent tragic events in Uzbekistan, the policy options for Washington and Tashkent, the causes of the current crisis, the history of the regime, including its record of human rights abuses, and the regime’s relationship to the United States.  [Full Story]