Faith and Politics Event in Columbus Today

Crossposted at Faithful Ohio

Two Evangelical Perspectives: Jim Wallis Debates Russell Johnson Today (March 26) in Columbus
When: 3:30-5:00 pm
Where: Capital Theater 77 South High St. Columbus, OH 43215
Who: Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners and best-selling author of God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It and Rev. Russell Johnson, chairman of the Ohio Restoration Project.

Thanks to Upper Arlington Progressive Alliance for the heads-up about this event. I won't be able to attend, but would really like to be able to post first hand accounts from people who do. If you do attend the event in Columbus this coming Sunday and would like to submit your own summary and thoughts about it, you can e-mail me at ohiorenee at gmail.com.

More about the event, and some relevant links:

What: A one-hour dialogue between Jim Wallis and the Ohio Restoration Project chairman Russell Johnson on the role of faith in politics followed by a Q&A session.

Why: Our nation is hungry for an open dialogue on moral values and their role in the public square. The goal of this gathering is to discuss how various social issues - including abortion, poverty, the environment, advancing peace, and promoting strong families - are all critical moral and community values that can be approached from differing evangelical perspectives.

Update: I clicked the link that was provided for ordering the tickets, and found that it is now "sold out". Since the tickets are free, I wonder how many people ordered them on spec, not being sure yet if they would be able to attend. The notice reads: This event has reached capacity, and we are no longer accepting registrations in advance. So, can people still get in at the door? I suspect that's possible. I also wonder if some churches have ordered blocks of tickets for any of their parishioners who might want to attend. There is another event with Jim Wallis on Tuesday, March 28, and as far as I can tell, that one does not require a reservation.

The cover story on this week's edition of The Other Paper (a local alternative news weekly) is entitled "The Dwindling Religious Middle". My first thought is that such an article is horribly premature, as I think many people still aren't aware that there is even such a thing as the "religious left". Many other thoughts (none of them complimentary toward the article) followed my first thought, and I am in the process of fleshing them out into a post. But in the meantime, check out the article yourself and see what you think.

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